What is FMU

Have you ever thought:

1. A child is born in family and suddenly the couple finds that it is affected by ” Monglism” or Down syndrome, which they never thought of it. Can you imagine what mental agony they undergo?
2. A child is born and it is very healthy and grows well, but after 6 or 7 months, the child suffers from severe anemia and when they contact the paediatrician, it is found to be “beta-Thalassemia-Major”. Doctors tell them that this disease can not be cured completely, but you can continue the life of the child by regular blood transfusion. How many families can afford this therapy… sometime they loose all their money and if not well cared, the baby dies.
3. A newborn suddenly develops a symptom: like sudden vomiting, convulsions or becoming blue and within days baby collapses and dies. Doctors are baffled by the symptoms and can not make the diagnosis.

These are few examples only:

Now think : Any couple gets a baby and they suddenly find that the baby is suffering from an incurable disease or the baby dies suddenly….what psychological setback they get. They will be fearful to try for another child, thinking that next one might be with same fate.

Please think in a wider spectrum:

1. Can we assure this couple, that your next child will be safe and will not suffer from the disease the earlier one suffered.
2. If we wish to help them, then we have to do some thing in their next pregnancy at its first few months, so that we can catch or identify the disease, so that if this couple wants to get rid off this pregnancy, the lady will have least psychological disturbance.
3. The first two months of unborn baby is called : Embryo, and rest of the periods of pregnancy it is called : Fetus/Foetus.
4. Any intervention or treatment to the unborn baby to identify or treat the disease: The science is called Fetal Medicine. That means we treat fetus as an identity or individual.
5. You must have listened about many days like “ Valentine day, Fathers day, Mothers day etc,but you never listened about any day dedicated to this Individual ( unborn)…The Fetus.
6. We at Ideal Fertility IVF and Genetic Center at Jabalpur, India, started a concept in 2010 of Fetus Day/ World Fetus Day.. and dedicated 31st October of the year to this person(Unborn).

OUR AIM AND MOTTO OF FETAL MEDICINE UNIT: HEALTHY FETUS-HEALTHY NATION

Fetus and its disorders, its diagnosis and management requires an expertise which is beyond the boundaries of one speciality. Obstetrician, Sonologists, Paediatricians, Peadiatric surgeons, all contribute significantly to the care of Fetus. Our aim is to give a comprehensive care to fetus by combined efforts, so that the couple gets a healthy baby.

I, being an Obstetrician has the biggest responsibility to care the pregnant lady and answer the queries of ill health of the fetus and guide them to take an appropriate decision to continue or not to continue at the appropriate time.