diff --git a/src/sdam/monitor.ts b/src/sdam/monitor.ts
index a08df4ebd7..158a287a89 100644
--- a/src/sdam/monitor.ts
+++ b/src/sdam/monitor.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {
   ServerHeartbeatSucceededEvent,
   ServerHeartbeatFailedEvent
 } from './events';
+import { Server } from './server';
 
 const kServer = Symbol('server');
 const kMonitorId = Symbol('monitorId');
@@ -47,7 +48,7 @@ class Monitor extends EventEmitter {
   [kCancellationToken]: any;
   [kMonitorId]: any;
 
-  constructor(server: any, options: any) {
+  constructor(server: Server, options: any) {
     super(options);
     this[kServer] = server;
     this[kConnection] = undefined;
@@ -73,12 +74,11 @@ class Monitor extends EventEmitter {
     });
 
     // TODO: refactor this to pull it directly from the pool, requires new ConnectionPool integration
-    const addressParts = server.description.address.split(':');
     const connectOptions = Object.assign(
       {
         id: '<monitor>',
-        host: addressParts[0],
-        port: parseInt(addressParts[1], 10),
+        host: server.description.host,
+        port: server.description.port,
         connectionType: Connection
       },
       server.s.options,
diff --git a/src/sdam/server.ts b/src/sdam/server.ts
index 8866289e07..185367312c 100644
--- a/src/sdam/server.ts
+++ b/src/sdam/server.ts
@@ -102,11 +102,7 @@ class Server extends EventEmitter {
 
     // create the connection pool
     // NOTE: this used to happen in `connect`, we supported overriding pool options there
-    const addressParts = this.description.address.split(':');
-    const poolOptions = Object.assign(
-      { host: addressParts[0], port: parseInt(addressParts[1], 10) },
-      options
-    );
+    const poolOptions = Object.assign({ host: description.host, port: description.port }, options);
 
     this.s.pool = new ConnectionPool(poolOptions);
     relayEvents(
@@ -150,7 +146,7 @@ class Server extends EventEmitter {
     });
   }
 
-  get description() {
+  get description(): ServerDescription {
     return this.s.description;
   }
 
diff --git a/src/sdam/server_description.ts b/src/sdam/server_description.ts
index e31d44e282..da54734be2 100644
--- a/src/sdam/server_description.ts
+++ b/src/sdam/server_description.ts
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ const ISMASTER_FIELDS = [
  * Internal type, not meant to be directly instantiated
  */
 class ServerDescription {
-  address: any;
+  address: string;
   error: any;
   roundTripTime: any;
   lastUpdateTime: any;
@@ -135,6 +135,16 @@ class ServerDescription {
     return WRITABLE_SERVER_TYPES.has(this.type);
   }
 
+  get host() {
+    const chopLength = `:${this.port}`.length;
+    return this.address.slice(0, -chopLength);
+  }
+
+  get port() {
+    const port = this.address.split(':').pop();
+    return port ? Number.parseInt(port, 10) : port;
+  }
+
   /**
    * Determines if another `ServerDescription` is equal to this one per the rules defined
    * in the {@link https://github.com/mongodb/specifications/blob/master/source/server-discovery-and-monitoring/server-discovery-and-monitoring.rst#serverdescription|SDAM spec}
diff --git a/test/unit/sdam/monitoring.test.js b/test/unit/sdam/monitoring.test.js
index 0bfa6ff377..68accbfd00 100644
--- a/test/unit/sdam/monitoring.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/sdam/monitoring.test.js
@@ -4,14 +4,13 @@ const { ServerType } = require('../../../src/sdam/common');
 const { Topology } = require('../../../src/sdam/topology');
 const { Monitor } = require('../../../src/sdam/monitor');
 const { expect } = require('chai');
+const { ServerDescription } = require('../../../src/sdam/server_description');
 
 class MockServer {
   constructor(options) {
     this.s = {};
-    this.description = {
-      type: ServerType.Unknown,
-      address: `${options.host}:${options.port}`
-    };
+    this.description = new ServerDescription(`${options.host}:${options.port}`);
+    this.description.type = ServerType.Unknown;
   }
 }
 
@@ -192,6 +191,7 @@ describe('monitoring', function() {
       });
 
       const server = new MockServer(mockServer.address());
+      server.description = new ServerDescription(server.description.address);
       const monitor = new Monitor(server, {
         heartbeatFrequencyMS: 250,
         minHeartbeatFrequencyMS: 50
diff --git a/test/unit/sdam/server_description.test.js b/test/unit/sdam/server_description.test.js
index e897ee5423..001a6fb650 100644
--- a/test/unit/sdam/server_description.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/sdam/server_description.test.js
@@ -41,4 +41,10 @@ describe('ServerDescription', function() {
       });
     });
   });
+
+  it('should sensibly parse an ipv6 address', function() {
+    const description = new ServerDescription('abcd:f::abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd:27017');
+    expect(description.host).to.equal('abcd:f::abcd:abcd:abcd:abcd');
+    expect(description.port).to.equal(27017);
+  });
 });