Welcome to the Fetal Medicine Foundation
The Fetal Medicine Foundation is a Registered Charity that aims to improve the health of pregnant women and their babies through research and training in fetal medicine.
The Foundation, with the support of an international group of experts, has introduced an educational programme both for healthcare professionals and parents and a series of certificates of competence in different aspects of fetal medicine.
In the last 20 years, The Foundation has supported research and training in the following areas through grants to a total of more than £23 million:
- Early diagnosis of fetal abnormalities
- Screening for chromosomal defects
- Development of safer techniques for prenatal diagnosis
- Intrauterine fetal surgery
- Prediction and prevention of preeclampsia
- Prediction and prevention of preterm birth
- Prediction and prevention of stillbirth
- Prediction and management of fetal growth restriction
- Problems of multiple pregnancies
In 2016/2017, the Fetal Medicine Foundation made a donation of £22 million to King’s College Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for investment in the Trust's Fetal Medicine services. Further information is available in the Trust’s Annual Accounts.
The main source of income for The Fetal Medicine Foundation is The Fetal Medicine Centre.
Vaginal progesterone prevents preterm birth
An individual patient data meta-analysis of all trials in a combined total of 974 women with singleton pregnancies and mid-gestation sonographic short cervix (≤25 mm) reported that vaginal progesterone is efficacious and safe for reducing preterm birth and neonatal morbidity and mortality.
Aspirin prevents preeclampsia
In the ASPRE study women were screened for preeclampsia (PE) at 11 to 13 weeks by the FMF algorithm. In the high risk group (risk of >1 in 100) use of aspirin (150mg/day) from 12 until 36 weeks of gestation reduced the incidence of PE before 34 weeks by >80% and PE before 37 weeks by >60%.