New trend puts unborn babies at potential danger, experts say
Expectant mothers have the option to purchase moving images of their baby through a growing practice called “boutique ultrasonography.” While hospitals and clinics routinely offer 2D ultrasound pictures, these more advanced scans create a lifelike picture of the unborn baby or show the fetus moving in real time. However, medical bodies including the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, and the French Academy of Medicine have expressed concerns about the casual exposure of unborn babies to this technology.
The FDA specifically advises against casual exposure to ultrasound, especially during pregnancy, despite the lack of evidence that it harms the fetus. Public health experts, clinicians, and the industry all agree that precaution is necessary. Additionally, concerns have been raised about how staff at commercial clinics handle the discovery of a fetal abnormality.
Although doctors sometimes offer keepsake images after performing ultrasounds for medical reasons, there is limited evidence supporting the claim that ultrasound images enhance the bond between a mother and her unborn child. The British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS) in the UK is currently updating its guidance on non-medical imaging. Dr. Paul Sidhu, chairman of the scientific and education committee of BMUS, has noted a general sense of disapproval among his colleagues regarding this practice.
It is important to remember that 3/4D ultrasound machines are used by doctors to identify abnormalities in the baby, not for personal viewing by expectant parents. Research is ongoing to determine if 3D scans can be helpful in detecting conditions such as cleft lip. For the health of your baby, it is crucial to wait for the appropriate medical ultrasound screenings during pregnancy.
When I went in for my 20 week ultra sound, I had to go to the hospital for a specialist check to see if the baby was growing normally, during this, they took a number of “4D” scans, and gave us copies. This procedure cannot be dangerous, if the hospital specializing in prenatal care is giving it out. I think it’s disingenuous to tell potential parents that this procedure is dangerous when medical personnel can do it. Not to mention the technology that is used for 2D and 4D ultrasounds is the same. It’s just that the images are collected from more vantage points and imagined into more details. You can find this on the GE website.
As an Sonographer, I can completely understand where this article is coming from… Ultrasound uses sound waves to display an image on the machine, however most people don’t realize that sound waves can cause a vibration of the cells after long amounts of time or if the camera is not moved around often during the exam. This vibration, known in the ultrasound word as cavitation, can produce HEAT. Heating rapidly growing fetal cells cannot be good, therefore it is better to limit the amount of exposure to your unborn baby.