Scared myself by reading a crazy e-mail about ultrasounds

AngieG87 · December 2012

A friend of mine just sent me an e-mail about how dangerous ultrasounds are and that they can cause problems with babies...the e-mail was using examples like how there are so many ADHD, bi-polar etc. cases in children these days.

It sounded crazy and usually I don't fall for stuff like this so I feel silly even entertaining these ideas.

My doctor has done an internal sonogram at every appointment, I'm just wondering if any of you ladies ask to limit the number of sonogram/ultrasounds as apparently some women do.

I trust my doctor and I'm sure the medical community has this figured out...just wondering if any of you ladies are wary of ultrasounds...TIA

Xles10 · December 2012

Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about it. The worst thing I've heard about u/s is that they may be noisy to baby. I'm sure there could be other side effects, but there's side effects from pretty much everything we use, eat, drink, and just come into general contact with.

Also, I think the benefits of u/s likely outweigh the risk.

Chellbee87 · December 2012

My dr does them every visit and I love it! It even helps reassure any doubts I may have had that something may have been wrong. I've had children using the same dr and they're perfectly fine!! If you're worried though, talk to your dr and see what they say about it .

PrimRoseMama · December 2012

Yeah, I really don't think the medical community would use them on high risk pregnancies if they were truly harmful. I think those type of emails are a bunch of crap.

CarlaAndJames · December 2012

one of my coworkers mentioned that to me since it has come up in some of his autism research (he has an older autistic son). It's like anything though - a remote correlation does not equal causation. Thousands of women have lots of sonograms and have babies with no health or behavioral problems.

KikiCohen · December 2012

I think that's a bunch of garbage. I wouldn't worry about it.

LittleMommaBlueHen · December 2012

The research on the safety of ultrasounds is ongoing which is why I don't advocate at home doppler use. I only agree to ultrasounds that I think are necessary. With this pregnancy I will ask the midwives to use a fetoscope instead of a doppler once baby is big enough to hear that way. I am not anti-ultrasound, but I do believe that there is no reason to overexpose baby to an ultrasound if my pregnancy is going well and ultrasound isn't medically indicated.

LittleMommaBlueHen · December 2012

PrimRoseMama:
Yeah, I really don't think the medical community would use them on high risk pregnancies if they were truly harmful. I think those type of emails are a bunch of crap.

I think in terms of highrisk pregnancies the benefits clearly outweigh any potential risk that has been found. The e-mail OP received doesn't seem to be worth the worry, but there is research ongoing about the safety of ultrasound use in obstetrics--the jury is still out on this one.

PrimRoseMama · December 2012

LittleMommaBlueHen:
PrimRoseMama:
Yeah, I really don't think the medical community would use them on high risk pregnancies if they were truly harmful. I think those type of emails are a bunch of crap.
I think in terms of highrisk pregnancies the benefits clearly outweigh any potential risk that has been found. The e-mail OP received doesn't seem to be worth the worry, but there is research ongoing about the safety of ultrasound use in obstetrics--the jury is still out on this one.

I disagree.

AllMyDucksInARow · December 2012

I generally don't let random emails affect my decisions on health related matters. They tend to be alarmist and full of misinformation. That said, I think that ultrasounds are not unsafe if under the care of a trusted OBGYN. There's no need for just tons of ultrasounds, but they are there for the health of your child. Not to harm him/her.

AngieG87 · December 2012

Thanks Ladies, yea I knew in the rational portion of my mind that it was something to ignore. It threw me for a loop that a friend of mine sent it, because I usually agree and trust her. To each his own! Also, I'm not going to lie, I think I am a little vulnerable right now because of Sandy Hook :-( I'm reading into homeschooling, mental disorders, parenting techniques, how to tell signs of danger etc. etc.

I think I need to step away from the computer, next thing I know I'll be sending money to a Kenyan prince.

JellyTwoPointO · December 2012

While it is true that we tend to find out that helpful things are actually harmful after the fact, I do not currently feel ultrasounds carry one of those risks. I'm having my third ultrasound in an hour and I'm ten weeks and I truly feel that it's ok. And I'm one of the most cautious people on this board when it comes to modern technology and medicine.

Dani428 · December 2012

Wow i've never heard that one, although I wouldn't worry about it. I'm just going to do whatever ultrasounds my doctor says I need to do and that's all

jiffypop72 · December 2012

My mom is a sonographer which I have never been more grateful for and so at 8 weeks she has already scanned me twice and i know she will many more times in the coming months. There is no doubt in my head that it is safe for baby and me. I want to discuss this with her though I have never heard of any risks being associated with ultrasounds and I am curious what shell have to say.

maggie2324 · December 2012

I would be worried if I were a pregnant ultrasound technician who was giving ultrasounds for hours every day. They do have a higher miscarriage rate than the average population. Once a week for 5 mins? 10 mins at most? I don't think is cause for concern.

I have a home doppler that I have been using daily. I do make a point not to aim it at baby for more than 2-3 min per day just in case lots of exposure would be harmful. I've heard that if it is pointed at tissues for 30+ mins, that it heats up the area a small amount.

Think also about continuous fetal monitoring during labor/birth? That is extended exposure which the medical community seems ok with.

Just because the Amish don't have Autism, doesn't mean that you can pinpoint one thing that they do differently and say "that must be it." Ultrasound exposure may be correlated with Autism, but there are way too many factors to even begin to think that has anything to do with it.

RMS112611 · December 2012

The FDA itself says it reccomends "prudent" use, and I have heard quite often reccomendations that if there is no medical reason to be using the ultrasound (you have a concern about your baby), thta you should refrain, because long-term effects are not entirely known. This was on the FDA's website concerning ultrasounds;

Risks/Benefits

Ultrasound imaging has been used for over 20 years and has an excellent safety record. It is non-ionizing radiation, so it does not have the same risks as x-rays or other types of ionizing radiation.

Even though there are no known risks of ultrasound imaging, it can produce effects on the body. When ultrasound enters the body, it heats the tissues slightly. In some cases, it can also produce small pockets of gas in body fluids or tissues (cavitation). The long-term effects of tissue heating and cavitation are not known.

Because of the particular concern for fetal exposures, national and international organizations have advocated prudent use of ultrasound imaging. Furthermore, the use of diagnostic ultrasound for non-medical purposes such as fetal keepsake videos has been discouraged.

3-D ultrasounds I would definitely avoid, they are strongly discouraged by the FDA, they have an entire page devoted to why you wouldn't want them.
Also, I would encourage you to not blindly trust doctors. They have training, yes, but they are also human. Research, and make up your own mind so that you can feel confident in your own choices. Personally, my husband and I have decided ultrasounds will not be done, except in the case of an emergancy. Just research, and be informed!

JCWhitey · December 2012

RMS112611:
Also, I would encourage you to not blindly trust doctors. They have training, yes, but they are also human. Research, and make up your own mind so that you can feel confident in your own choices.

This. I cannot tell you how often I know people have switched doctors because one told them one thing and they later found out what they were told is not true. My friend was told her son would never walk because of a medical condition he has, but he can walk just fine. They aren't all-knowing. And don't forget that at one point in our history x-rays on pregnant women were the norm and doctors thought we needed Twilight Sleep to deliver babies. My motto is everything in moderation. If you're healthy and the baby's healthy there really is no need for monthly ultrasounds.

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Scared myself by reading a crazy e-mail about ultrasounds

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