What are the risks with ultrasounds during pregnancy?

[MoonstoneMumma]

The home-birthers might be able to help me on this one. I have been looking for links on the net about the dangers of ultrasounds during pregnancy as I have heard it mentioned a few times. The only real problem I have discovered so far is that there is no real research into the effects that the ultrasound has on the fetus. There was another site claiming about possibilities of increased risks of cancer and so on.

Anyway, sorry, my question is what are the risks? Do you have a link to a good site where I can get this information from?

TIA

p.s sorry mods if this is in the wrong spot

[SPC]

There was a big Swedish study which showed that the more scans a baby has, the more likely it is to be left handed. I think it was a 30% increase in left handedness in boys.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1670-ultrasound-scans-may-disrupt-fetal-brain-development.html
And scans these days are way stronger than they were in the 1970s, when this study's cohort were babies.

[Shanaynay]

^ I have read the same study.

Risk - yes or no? Can't tell from the study... but what you can tell is that ultrasounds are likely to affect brain development so that is something to be wary of.

It is particularly worrying, that as the PP said, the cohort was from the '70s - in this decade women have far more 'routine' ultrasounds. Probably triple the number.

[joankiss]

Just Be Careful No Matter "yes" Or "no"

[MoonstoneMumma]

thanks for that guys.

[mum23girls]

A rise in temperature of fetal tissue—especially since the expectant mother cannot even feel it—might not seem alarming, but temperature increases can cause significant damage to a developing fetus's central nervous system, according to research. When fetuses move away from the stream of high-frequency sound waves, they may be feeling vibrations, heat or both. As the FDA warned in 2004, "ultrasound is a form of energy, and even at low levels, laboratory studies have shown it can produce physical effect in tissue, such as jarring vibrations and a rise in temperature."
Following this line of thought, consider what other parts of the body are scrutinized by ultrasound technicians, such as the heart, where serious defects have soared nearly 250 percent between 1989 and 1996.(44) The list of unexplained birth defects is not a short one, and in light of what is emerging about prenatal ultrasound, scientists should take another look at all recent trends, as well as the baffling 30% increase in premature births since 1981, now affecting one in every eight children (45), with many showing subsequent neurological damage.(46)

I can provide the link if you want to read the whole thing... just pm me

[ikis84]

Sarah Buckley has written a good article on it, you can find it on her website.

[Student of Life]

There was a big Swedish study which showed that the more scans a baby has, the more likely it is to be left handed. I think it was a 30% increase in left handedness in boys.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1670-ultrasound-scans-may-disrupt-fetal-brain-development.html
And scans these days are way stronger than they were in the 1970s, when this study's cohort were babies.

Sorry I find that funny as with DS1 I had multiple US due to bleeds and only 1 with DS2 and DS2 is left handed. LOL

I would say that the US that you do have should be kept to a minimum and only the essential ones. I think the only essential one would be the 18wk scan which checks systems etc. Good luck with your decision.

[MoonstoneMumma]

Thats really interesting about the dopplers actually. do many home birth midwives use dopplers?

[ikis84]

My midwife had a doppler, but I didn't get her to use it... I think she preferred the pinnards anyway.

[Shananaaah]

Just a reflection on my personal experience...

I had the routine ultrasounds - the nuchal at about 12 weeks (I realise this is optional, not mandatory) and then the FAS at 18 weeks.

All was fine during those.

I requested an ultrasound at around 34 weeks, only for my own piece of mind, and they discovered an issue with my diastolic umbilical bloodflow, which had affected the growth of my son. They said if they had left it any longer, there was a possibility his brain could be affected. The result of that was an immediate induction. Thankfully my son is perfect, he was a little small for a few months but now you would never know he was considered prem.

My pregnancy was, for the most part, great. I felt great, my blood pressure was normal, my fundal measurements were all spot on etc. However it wasn't until the extra ultrasound that we discovered there was a problem.

I guess FOR ME, the gap between 18 weeks and birth is too long to hope that all is well, and with this pregnancy I plan to have another ultrasound closer to the due date.

This is not to scare anyone, its just my own personal experience, and I am VERY thankful that I did it.

[SJsMum]

hi all, interestingly I had 4 u/s with my daughter (6.5, 12, 18, 32 wks) as I was over 35 and she is left handed. we have no left handers anywhere in the immediate family! maybe there is something in it