like cancer from the radiation. I was told to have another level 2 one tommorrow (it will be my second one, had one at 19 weeks already) and I'm 34 weeks now. The ob wants em to do it to make sure my baby is growing correctly. I told her I didnt feel that comfortable with it, esp since this time I was measuring correctly, (but last 3 times wasnt) and bc it has radiation, and she said it's just sound waves. I really doubt a doctor would admit to a patient "yeah dontg et it bc it has radiation". so, is too many ultrasounds harmful? maybe not cancer but other problems like learning difficulties etc.?|||I don't think so, if your Doctor thinks you should have the ultrasound, it must be for a good reason. I had several in my pregnancy also, but they were definitely necessary and I was happy to get them. My daughter was born healthy and beautiful.|||First of all there is no radiation involved in ultrasound. Ultrasound is done by using sound waves to create the image. I have never heard of too many ultrasounds causing problems in the unborn child though. Various pregnancies have different amounts of ultrasounds for different reasons. My 1st pregnancy I had about 6, due to the fact that I had gestational diabetes, my 2nd pregnancy I had 3 or 4, pretty much a normal pregnancy, my 3rd pregnacy I had 3, also normal pregnancy, my 4th I had 3, pretty normal pregnancy also, and this pregnancy, I have already had 4 and I know that I will have more in the weeks to come, maybe at least 2. I really don't think that there is any reason for concern. Congratulations on your pregnancy and best wishes!|||Where did you get the idea that ultrasounds cause cancer?
"A pregnancy ultrasound is a method of seeing the fetus and female pelvic organs during pregnancy. The ultrasound machine sends out high-frequency sound waves. These waves bounce off body structures to create a picture."
"There is no documented effect on patients and their fetuses with the use of current ultrasound techniques. No ionizing radiation is involved. "|||As far as I am aware ultrasound is safe and it is not radiation like when you have an xray. It is only sound waves being bounced around and there have been no proven side effects of using ultrasounds. I would rather have an ultrasound than an xray and I would rather know that everything is alright with my baby than take the risk.|||My chiropractor told me that ultrasounds can cause problems if you have a lot of them and at long periods of time each time (like when people get the 3D and 4D videos done). He said that the child can have inner ear problems later on in life. I'd never heard that before, but it's definitely changed my mind about getting a 4D ultrasound done with this pregnancy!!|||i get your concern but if it is for the health of your baby just do it - my son was 9 weeks prem and I had heaps of ultrasounds before he was born to keep an eye on him that he was doing okay (i had placenta previa), they honestly are soundwaves and did him no harm at all - you have more of a chance of your baby being harmed by not having them, incase it is not growing well. its not radiation..|||No, in over 30 years that ultrasounds have been used for pregnancy, there have NEVER been any reports of harm being done to the mother or child.
I had 6 ultrasounds with my son, hes perfectly healhty. A friend of mine was high risk and had weekly scans from 16 weeks to birth [[36 weeks]] and her twins are perfectly healthy!|||There is NO radiation. That would be an x-ray. Think about it ultra"sound". Its sound waves and it is totally safe. If there was radiation, your doctor is not allowed to lie to you.
But I know how you feel. I'm pregnant w/ my first and super careful about everything. Suddenly everything I do is second guessed, "is this OK for the baby"?|||Look how many of us turned out alright with ultra sounds:) Your baby is fine and your dr wouldn't lie to you. It is for the safety of you and your baby.|||ive had 5 ultrasounds when i was pregnant and nothing bad happened to my daughter she is very healthy...i dont think it can hurt your baby...but to be on the safe side i would ask your doctor...you know better safe than sorry...good luck!|||There are some pregnancies where women have to get ultrasounds every two weeks, and their babies come out perfectly healthy.|||If it could hurt your baby, they would not do it. Don't worry, you have a better chance of radiation posioning from a microwave:)|||no no n no|||Ultrasounds are harmless. Don't worry about it.|||its just sound waves .it canot harm your baby|||They don't know
It has been prover that sounds can be distructive|||Ultrasounds have been proven safe! Your doctor is required by law to tell you the risks of having a procedure done. I'm only 13 weeks, and I've already had 6 ultrasounds (I'm having some bleeding problems). And, with my very healthy 2 year old I got an ultrasound every week from 25 weeks on (I had high blood pressure). He turned out fine. Lots of research has been done, and none have shown that ultrasounds harm your baby in any way. You have to trust your doctor over stuff you hear from other people. That's why she's the doctor!
I recommend getting the book What to Expect When Expecting. It talks about a lot of the myths and wise tales of pregnancy and which ones have truth. It is also written by a group of doctors.
Good luck with your pregnancy and I hope everything turns out okay.|||There is current discussion going on that doctor's don't KNOW for certain whether repeated, extended ultrasounds are truly safe or not. Even the FDA admits this : "the long-term effects of repeated ultrasounds on a fetus are still unknown".
As with all tests, you should ask the doctor what will we do with the results? If the baby is growing incorrectly, how will that change the care? Will we deliver immediately? If not, perhaps you can choose to delay the ultrasound until such time as delivery may be recommended. It may be a valid risk or it may make more sense to do a later one.
I personally feel that two ultrasounds are perfectly safe. The primary concerns seem to be ultrasounds performed prior to 18 weeks, which makes sense given that the fetus is developing, not just growing.
Contrary to other posters, physicists know that sound waves can cause damage. It is not perfectly harmless.
Finally, if you have really good insurance, it might be interesting to find out if this extra is added on or just 'part of the package'. It pains me to say that some tests are not as medically justifiable as they seem if you only had Medicaid.
[edited to add] Here's a link to keep for questions to ask before a test.
http://www.stronghealth.com/questions/Te鈥?/a>|||If this is only your second ultrasound, I wouldn't be too worried. Ultrasounds are believed to be safe, but have not been *proved* to be safe. They haven't been proved to be unsafe, either.
The only effects of an ultrasound on babies that seem to be generally accepted are in women who have had frequent ultrasounds throughout pregnancy. Those babies were slightly smaller on average at birth, but caught up by age one, and were slightly more likely to be left handed.
Have a look at the websites in my sources. The first one gives links to a lot of scientific papers about ultrasound, and at the bottom gives a summary of current belief about the likelihood of cancer, dyslexia, changes in handedness etc.
The second one is a bit more readable and outlines theories about how ultrasounds could cause harm. It also gives a summary of the history of research on the matter.
I think that having a few ultrasounds in pregnancy is OK, although I'm not rushing out to get a pretty picture from a 3D ultrasound place.
You have every right to say "no thank you" to the scan if you are not comfortable with it. Ask your obstetrician what can be done if the baby is not growing correctly. If there is not much to be done anyway, and you are not comfortable having another scan, then go with your instinct.|||Well, first off, I want to say that Drs do things that will harm us. They do it all the time. It's happened to me and many people I know. Remember thalidomide and pelvic x-rays on pregnant women or how about hormone replacement therapy and all the harmful drugs the drug companies are getting sued for lately? People, please don't just assume that because a Dr says to do it, it's okay.
As far as your question goes, there's no radiation in an ultrasound, but you're right to question it. I read a book about 4 years ago and it said that it actually hadn't been studied much at all. That means we and our babies were the guinea pigs. They're testing it out on us. :(
I wish I'd known this. I got ultrasounds without any good reason for my first 3 pregnancies. After learning that there were risks, I stopped getting them for routine use, but with my last baby it had to be an option we kept open since my fourth child had died. We were planning on getting one if she showed signs of having some of the same issues my son did.
I think you're right to be concerned. Especially with the amount of ultrasounds you've had. I agree with some of the others here: ask your Dr if the ultrasound would help the baby in any way. Would they take the baby now if baby is not growing well? Would it make a difference in your baby's health? You do have to weigh the benefits and risks here. If you're measuring correctly this time and the concern is baby's growth, then it doesn't seem like you'd need one this time. Maybe the previous ones were necessary, but probably not this one. I think you should talk to your Dr about it.
I'm sorry, I don't want to scare you, but you could google "dangers or risks of ultrasound". I'm sure some hits you get from that search will go a bit overboard, but stick to the ones that cite research and medical journals, then maybe see if you can find something on it at your local library. Really think about the statistics that are given and then weigh the benefits against the risks in your particular situation.
Here are a few I found by searching on goodsearch:
http://www.compleatmother.com/ultrasound鈥?/a>
http://www.vaclib.org/basic/ultrasound.h鈥?/a>
https://www.asrt.org/content/News/Indust鈥?/a>
I'm sure I'll get a bunch of thumbs down for this but please understand what I'm saying- there ARE times when ultrasound is a wise thing to do. It may be the only way certain problems are diagnosed, but that doesn't mean it should be used casually. Like the 3D ultrasounds just to get a better look at the baby before birth. I'd say those are definitely a no-no.
I think in your situation, probably most of the scans were necessary but some may not have been.
Also, there may be problems that crop up later from ultrasound that we don't connect with ultrasound because we didn't know they were related. It's best to just avoid them whenever possible and be aware of the risks.
Don't be scared mama. You're doing the best you possibly can for your little one. Just your asking this question shows that you're thinking things through. You are the best kind of advocate for your baby. You did those other scans because they had to be done, yet you're cautious about doing anything unnecessary. I think you've handled it in the best way possible.
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