Are there legitimate risks in getting a prenatal ultrasound?
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One of my closest friends is pregnant, so I am busy planning baby showers and looking at cute outfits but these are not the things that are on her mind. She has fretted about blood tests and prenatal scans ever since that pregnancy test showed up as positive, so I am delighted to host this guest post which will hopefully alleviate some of her concerns.
The moment many women find out they are expecting, pregnancy hormones have already laid the groundwork for full-time mama mode. An inherent desire to protect and care for your baby may leave you feeling extra cautious, especially about anything that involves your pregnancy. Along with a slew of appointments with your OB/GYN doctor, you will also get a chance to have prenatal ultrasound appointments. If you have never experienced an ultrasound, you may have some questions and concerns about your first appointment and if it poses any risks to you or your baby.
As a new mom, everything you do will center on ensuring your baby is developing safely and healthily. One way that you are able to safely monitor your baby’s growth is through a prenatal ultrasound. An ultrasound is a painless and external diagnostic test that relies on sound waves, not radiation, to produce an image of the body’s interior surfaces. Most women will have at least one prenatal ultrasound during a pregnancy, and they can be performed as early as the first trimester to confirm pregnancy. Although they are appropriate for any stage of your pregnancy, ultrasounds will be able to show you different things about your baby, depending on when they are scheduled. Earlier ultrasounds are generally performed to check the size and position of the fetus to help confirm the due date, while later ultrasounds can result in a take-home image of your baby and can confirm the baby’s sex – if that is something you want to know.
Ultrasounds are perfectly safe, no matter what trimester of the pregnancy you are in. A non-invasive exam, ultrasounds are also very routine procedures that don’t pose any risks to the baby. Although the safety of prenatal ultrasounds is well documented, you may hear or read about some uninformed opinions concerning ultrasound exams. One major misconception is that ultrasounds transmit radiation. This is completely false as ultrasounds only transmit sound waves. Further, some people falsely believe that sonic energy used by the ultrasound transforms into heat, which could impact a fetus’s health. However, the Federal Food and Drug Administration carefully regulates the use of ultrasounds and has very strict rules regarding the energy levels emitted by ultrasound machines, so there is no need to worry about the sound waves harming your baby in any way.
Additionally, some women report that their doctors caution against having multiple ultrasounds. It is completely safe to have multiple ultrasounds, although many women choose to just have one for cost purposes. Doctors warn against multiple ultrasounds simply because they are time consuming and expensive, and there is no medical reason for multiple ultrasounds in most cases. Additionally, doctors are wary of expectant parents using non-medical facilities that offer ultrasounds for keepsake photos and videos of baby. Although the ultrasound itself is perfectly safe, your doctor may recommend against these unnecessary exams because a technician with no medical training might perform the ultrasound and miss an important change in your pregnancy.
Fully engaged with a motherly mind, baby’s well-being will be your priority as you proceed with life together. There are plenty of things to busy your mind during pregnancy – choosing a name for baby, preparing a nursery, routine health checks – but prenatal ultrasounds should not be an additional worry. Ultrasounds are the safest tool to help you and your doctor plan the best options for your prenatal care. If you are pregnant, be sure to discuss with your doctor when you should schedule your first ultrasound appointment, so that you can continue to learn about the growing baby that you will soon be welcoming into your world.
This post was written for Little Lily Pad by Glenn Josephik. Glenn is an account representative and the marketing coordinator at MedCorp LLC the industry leader and premier business source for used portable ultrasound systems. You can follow Glenn Josephik on Google+
