[Maternal-fetal therapy: from saving the fetus towards a better life for the future child]

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2021 Apr 8:165:D5575.
[Article in Dutch]

Abstract

Maternal-fetal therapy (MFT) is special because treatment of the fetus is exclusively possible through the body of another person, the pregnant woman. MFT is a broad specialty with diverse interventions. In this manuscript several examples of innovations in MFT are discussed to illustrate the shift of lifesaving interventions to interventions aiming to improve morbidity of the future child. The broadening of the scope and shift towards prenatal treatments improving morbidity result in new ethical challenges. Particularly attention is needed for counseling and (the risk of) therapeutic misconception.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Counseling / ethics*
  • Counseling / methods
  • Decision Making / ethics*
  • Female
  • Fetal Diseases / therapy*
  • Fetal Therapies / ethics*
  • Fetal Therapies / methods
  • Fetus
  • Humans
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications / therapy
  • Prenatal Care / ethics*