For many families, an ultrasound represents one of the most exciting moments during pregnancy. For others, it may represent the start of a race against time.
In some cases, a timely diagnosis can treat diseases when the baby is still in the womb. However, access to such therapies remains limited for many women.
The Chilean foundation Vida Fetal Integral was created to accompany families and provide support to pregnant women whose babies have pathologies susceptible to fetal treatment. In an exclusive interview with Tomilli, Vida Fetal Integral’s founder, Silvana Echeverría, explained how early detection can completely change the prognosis of a pregnancy and why one of the biggest challenges is still time.
A race against time
Echeverría explains that many diseases can be detected and treated during prenatal check-ups, and, as long as the diagnosis comes in time, there may still be treatment alternatives before birth.
“There are many diseases that can cause disability, but if caught early, there are treatment options.”
For this reason, in addition to providing medical care, the foundation trains health professionals and educates soon-to-be mothers to promote timely diagnoses.
“For many pathologies we only have until 26 weeks to operate.”
In some cases, this means that the team has less than a month to confirm the diagnosis, coordinate tests and schedule fetal surgery.
Barriers are not always medical
The foundation was formed once it was identified that many patients in the public health system could not access treatment due to economic or geographical barriers.
“We had women who didn’t have the money to come in for check-ups, or who, after surgery, didn’t have a proper place to recover.”
In addition to this reality is the inequality in access to specialists. While in Santiago de Chile there is more advanced medical equipment available, women in rural areas may have to make a long trip just to access a simple ultrasound.
“There are patients who have to travel by boat from islands just to get an ultrasound.”
For Echeverría, one of the main challenges remains the speed of the health care system. Waiting for a formal referral may exceed the period of time that a fetal intervention is still possible.
“If we wait for the official referral, many times the baby may have already been born.”
For this reason, the foundation also uses social media as a channel to quickly guide and connect with families seeking help.
Beyond Treating a Disease
Spina bifida is one of the most frequent pathologies, Vida Fetal Integral seeks to accompany families throughout the process, understanding that the impact of the diagnosis goes far beyond the clinical aspect.
“We don’t just look at the baby’s illness; we see the mother, her family and the whole environment which influences the outcome.”
The organization currently accompanies between five and six women a month who qualify for fetal therapies. However, it believes that many more could benefit from early detection and more timely access to specialists.
Echeverría says the challenge lies not only in performing more procedures, but more timely diagnoses. In fetal care, a few weeks can make a difference between living with a preventable disability or accessing an intervention capable of changing the future of a baby and an entire family.
Those who wish to know more about the work of Integral Fetal Life or to support their work, can do so by communicating with the organization via their official channels/
Interview with Silvana Echeverría, founder of Vida Fetal Integral, conducted by Tomilli
If you would like to learn more about their work, collaborate, or make a donation, you can find them on social media:
Instagram: fundacionenfermedadesfetales
LinkedIn: Foundation for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Fetal Diseases “Vida Fetal Integral”