Article: FDA warns against keepsake ultrasounds

mangomimosa · December 2014

https://m.today.com/parents/ultrasound-warning-fda-recommends-against-keepsake-ultrasounds-1D80372998

WDYT?

JCWhitey · December 2014

This is kind of old news even though it's a new article. Some states have even made those boutique places illegal, I believe.

Personally 3D u/s still kind of freak me out so it's not something I would do but TETO. I do wish if they are saying they don't know the risks that they might actually study the risks! It's kind of off putting how common they are becoming when that data isn't out there.

ashleyrh661 · December 2014

I don't know how much I believe that they can really cause harm. Especially if you are only getting one extra ultrasound to maybe determine the sex. But I would never go to a boutique ultrasound shop for fear that what if something was wrong with baby and I wasn't at my doctors office. I'm just not comfortable having a ultrasound not in a medical setting.

JCWhitey · December 2014

etherhay said:

I'm not sure how much it truly applies to me- I'd never really have a reason to go to one of these boutique type places since I have/had so many ultrasounds with DD & with this pregnancy (for medical reasons- GD being the biggest reason for me both times). But I always thought these places were a little sketchy, JMO.

However, I can offer the anecdotal anecdote that I had several (medical) ultrasounds done, including some 3D imagery in my first pregnancy, and DD is very healthy and has had no health problems of note.

Since your DD is only 3 it's technically too soon to predict long term side effects. I know they used x-rays for YEARS on pregnant women and the negative side effects weren't seen for 20+ years in many cases. That's totally not suggesting your daughter will get cancer or anything! What they should be studying is our generation (those 25-35) since we were the first to have ultrasounds used as a diagnostic tool regularly during pregnancy.

DragonflyDreaming · December 2014

Well, this sucks. Guess who has a 4D ultrasound every appt? Yeah ...

Apparently it's standard here, and in a lot of countries around here.

Need to show this to my hubby but can't figure out how to share links from The Bump.

mangomimosa · December 2014

@JCWhitey‌ yeah - MTE. Old news, but first I've seen the FDA put out an opinion on it. I do wonder what kind of studies they are doing (if any) on u/s risk -- I haven't heard of anything but that doesn't mean something's not in progress. It's kinda tough though, since they apparently have no idea what outcomes to even look for.

I have a hard time believing there is any serious harm from them, but PP is right that effects could be subtle & delayed. Makes sense to me to avoid unnecessary exposure, but I wouldn't be militant about it. I've had 4 medical u/s this pregnancy & 1 done by my husband real quick (to check for heart activity). Oh, and a cervical u/s this weekend to r/o PTL. We're hopefully done peeking at baby, barring any problems.

corysgirls · December 2014

I've had to have 6 so far due to medical reasons and will prob end up having a few more. I've had to do multiple with all but my first 2 babies who only had 2-3 for each of them. Personally I don't think multiple u/s really do harm. Maybe if you are doing them all the time for long periods each time but that really isn't normal.

DM718 · December 2014

My doctor's office only offers it for the A/S on healthy, normal pregnancies (though we did get a surprise ultrasound at 11 weeks to find the heartbeat). They are upfront that the risks of multiple ultrasounds are not known, so they only use it when they can identify a clear benefit.

Unknown · December 2014

This content has been removed.

MrsLaurenandDan · December 2014

Yeah, I lost count at how many ultrasounds I've had at somewhere around 20. And I start weekly ultrasounds (biophysical profile) this week.

bdazzld · December 2014

I had one elective for early sex determination but due to being considered high risk I'm getting additional U/S's. All of the medical ones include quick 4d peeks. No one mentioned any risks or even made it seem optional. I'm not going to stress about it but everything new needs to be studied.

kellbell1982 · December 2014

I'm getting them weekly as that's what my doctor feels is necessary. I'm not too worried about it as ultrasound has been around for awhile and he only keeps 3D on for a few minutes. I don't think this article is enough reason to worry

dreyes4 · December 2014

I have actually had a 3d u/s with my last 3 pregnancies. My H actually asked me on the last one that i got if it could hurt the baby. I told him that if it would hurt the baby then the drs wouldnt be doing it. Well i guess im under educated on that subject.. 8-}

janda426 · December 2014

The FDA is a joke so I don't take too much faith in this

salmphil · December 2014

Only had the one at 20 weeks to take a look at him. If it was needed for medical reasons, I'd probably do more, but I have mixed feels about the "danger." On one hand, less is more IMHO & perhaps we don't totally understand any effects. But on the other, I'm wary of all these "dangers" that American medical associations deem to be hell-worthy trespasses. Seems like a lot of over worry too me. But then again, I don't think twice about eating sushi, soft cheese and lunchmeat sooooooo....

djoliet · December 2014

I had more ultrasounds than I can count and some of them 3D to get a better look at his left hand due to my son's limb difference, gestational diabetes, and IUGR. He's 5 now and completely healthy.

I will be having growth ultrasounds twice a week starting in a few weeks for Baby girl due to GD again and I'm not worried about them causing harm

JCWhitey · December 2014

Looking back I see the original reason the FDA gave for not going to these places was fear of a diagnostic test being run by someone without medical knowledge of what they were looking at. I.E. if something showed on the ultrasound the boutique place won't know how to handle it. So this is a new reason the FDA is giving.

That being said, I still think it's really odd they are giving any sort of warning without any sort of research or backing. Good ole FDA!

PuppyLove84 · December 2014

People with high risk pregnancies sometimes have to get weekly+ ultrasounds. I don't think doctors would do that if they were worried about the effects of the ultrasound, and I don't think doing an elective 4th ultrasound is going to put my baby at risk.

As a health scientist (and government employee) it annoys me that they would put out a warning like this with no data to support it one way or the other (or at least without citing studies - I didn't look on my own).

But, that's just my opinion.

mangomimosa · December 2014

Ya know I have to say -- while I'm not really worried about ultrasounds, obstetrics does not have the best track record when it comes to patient safety when implementing new interventions. I understand why -- it's tough to do research on pregnant ladies -- but the whole "My doctor wouldn't do it if they didn't think it was safe" argument doesn't hold a drop of water for me. All I can think about is cytotec for labor induction & the pattern of maternal death that wasn't picked up for so long... elective inductions <39 weeks.... VBAC bans... episiotomies... thalidomide... Obstetric practice is all about the culture of the field & how your particular doctor was trained, NOT necessarily evidence-based interventions. A lot of times there just is no evidence, but sometimes there is & the known best approach still isn't available. I could totally see them someday being like "oops, actually ultrasound can cause problems and should be limited when possible" (though I seriously doubt it, I just don't know) - it's just happened so many times in the past.

Biscotto · December 2014

I've had so many ultrasounds.

Anyway, this article has no real evidence so...

JCWhitey · December 2014

I think most people in this thread seem to be confusing KEEPSAKE ultrasounds with MEDICAL ultrasounds. You're kind of comparing apples to oranges here. One is for novelty reasons only, the other is recommended by a doctor, hopefully for a reason.

I'm not sure what the rules are, but I hope an ultrasound machine in a doctor's office or a special medial facility would be monitored, calibrated, replaced every few years, etc. As far as I know these boutique places aren't regulated (probably why the FDA is all against them even without any evidence) and who knows what's going on with those machines. Going once for fun probably isn't a big deal, but I know someone who went to an u/s boutique monthly for the last four months of her pregnancy. That to me feels extreme and potentially dangerous given the lack of studies/knowledge.

Ladylec · December 2014

I don't see how it is safe as long as it is for medical reasons but unsafe if for a different reason. I had 17 with my son for "medical reasons" and he is a super smart and active kid.

JCWhitey · December 2014

Ladylec said:

I don't see how it is safe as long as it is for medical reasons but unsafe if for a different reason. I had 17 with my son for "medical reasons" and he is a super smart and active kid.

One is regulated, one is not. One requires training and education, the other is not. One should ensure safety, the other just exists to make money.

janda426 · December 2014

JCWhitey said:

Ladylec said:

I don't see how it is safe as long as it is for medical reasons but unsafe if for a different reason. I had 17 with my son for "medical reasons" and he is a super smart and active kid.

One is regulated, one is not. One requires training and education, the other is not. One should ensure safety, the other just exists to make money.

--end quote--

Those elective ultrasound places almost always have ultrasound techs as the ones doing the ultrasound, at least in my area. It's not hard to find a trained ultrasound tech looking for a job, it's an easy certification to get and there aren't a lot of jobs for them

PineappleBanana · December 2014

As my mother's water broke at 17 weeks with me, minor superior break so I wasn't birthed, she was required to have an u/s every day to make sure fluid levels were safe for me. I have not had any serious medical conditions or diagnosed with cancer due to the amount of ultrasounds.

As my husband wasn't able to go to the 20wk u/s, we will be doing a 3D u/s on Monday and we couldn't be more excited!!!!

DragonflyDreaming · December 2014

mangomimosa said:
Ya know I have to say -- while I'm not really worried about ultrasounds, obstetrics does not have the best track record when it comes to patient safety when implementing new interventions. I understand why -- it's tough to do research on pregnant ladies -- but the whole "My doctor wouldn't do it if they didn't think it was safe" argument doesn't hold a drop of water for me. All I can think about is cytotec for labor induction & the pattern of maternal death that wasn't picked up for so long... elective inductions <39 weeks.... VBAC bans... episiotomies... thalidomide... Obstetric practice is all about the culture of the field & how your particular doctor was trained, NOT necessarily evidence-based interventions. A lot of times there just is no evidence, but sometimes there is & the known best approach still isn't available. I could totally see them someday being like "oops, actually ultrasound can cause problems and should be limited when possible" (though I seriously doubt it, I just don't know) - it's just happened so many times in the past.

@mangomimosa‌ What's your take on episiotomies? I know what they are, and what they're for (I think), but I don't know the positives and negatives? Would love your thoughts/opinions on this!

mangomimosa · December 2014

DragonflyDreaming said:

Ya know I have to say -- while I'm not really worried about ultrasounds, obstetrics does not have the best track record when it comes to patient safety when implementing new interventions. I understand why -- it's tough to do research on pregnant ladies -- but the whole "My doctor wouldn't do it if they didn't think it was safe" argument doesn't hold a drop of water for me. All I can think about is cytotec for labor induction & the pattern of maternal death that wasn't picked up for so long... elective inductions <39 weeks.... VBAC bans... episiotomies... thalidomide... Obstetric practice is all about the culture of the field & how your particular doctor was trained, NOT necessarily evidence-based interventions. A lot of times there just is no evidence, but sometimes there is & the known best approach still isn't available. I could totally see them someday being like "oops, actually ultrasound can cause problems and should be limited when possible" (though I seriously doubt it, I just don't know) - it's just happened so many times in the past.
@mangomimosa‌ What's your take on episiotomies? I know what they are, and what they're for (I think), but I don't know the positives and negatives? Would love your thoughts/opinions on this!

Well -- it's been a long time since I researched this stuff (I get really passionate/soap-boxy about birth, and I know I will probably have more of a standard hospital birth than I'd like, so I'm kind of avoiding thinking about it at the moment LOL!). But generally -- episiotomies used to be standard (some OB's still do them routinely) to help the baby come out easier/faster, but they take longer to heal and increase the risk of infection and pelvic floor issues. They often extend into longer/deeper tears than intended-- picture this: it's hard to tear a piece of fabric. But if you make a little cut with scissors, then try to tear the fabric, it's much easier! That's what can happen to the perineum after an episiotomy. A natural tear only goes as far as it's needed and heals much faster with lower complication rates. Now -- if my baby had an emergency and had to come out NOW I wouldn't push away an episiotomy, but they are not for routine use IMO.

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