Abstract: Provided is a pharmaceutical composition for permeabilizing fetal membranes including an active ingredient having a log K in the range of 2 to 4, where K is the octanol/water partition coefficient. The active ingredient may be, for example, bupivacaine, sodium lauryl sulfate or oleic acid. Further provided is a system for transfetal membrane transport. The system includes a probe unit adapted for insertion into a female reproductive tract and releasing a substance onto fetal membranes that permeabilizes the membranes. The system is also configured to apply ultrasound radiation to the fetal membranes to further increase the membrane permeability.