The center stage in the play of procreation is currently occupied by a 5mm entity- The fetus. Its call for attention to develop and grow into a normal being is finally being heeded to in the area of fetal medicine.

The last three decades has witnessed the growth of fetal medicine from a controversial experimental procedure to a routine component of obstetric care. The fetal framework in terms of physical structure, bodily functions and behavior, inherited components (from the parents) i.e. the genes, as well as its abode - the amniotic fluid, have all been made accessible to observation, assessment and treatment, and revolve within the sphere of fetal medicine.

Precision in the diagnosis of fetal abnormalities at the gross and subtle level is as a result of the advances in cytogenetics, molecular biology and ultrasonography. In other words, the fetus can be seen on an ultrasound scan, its cells obtained from the amniotic fluid or the fetal blood/skin can be studied at the cellular and molecular level. This is what is commonly referred to as prenatal diagnosis. Fetal therapy logically follows, and thanks to the concerted efforts of research teams worldwide, it has successfully made an inroad into the field of obstetric care.

The rationale for providing fetal therapy is as follows :

• If the fetal defect is incompatible with life, an abortion is the best option.
• If the defect is compatible with life, the decision would be to undertake correction after delivery.
• If the defect impedes in-utero development of an otherwise normal process, then the option is to correct the defect in utero either through medications or surgically.

It is obvious that fetal medicine involves a multi-disciplinary approach with a sonologist, a geneticist, a specialized obstetrician and a perinatologist working in tandem. Fetal medicine should be practiced only in committed centers with the requisite infrastructure. It is pertinent to point out that all the resources of diagnosis and therapy are intended for that case in point where something is amiss. Its very presence does not call for its indiscriminate use.