Ultrasound during pregnancy: harmful or not, expert opinion

At the present stage of technological development, ultrasound is the most common diagnostic method, which is painless, accurate and effective. During pregnancy, a woman undergo ultrasound quite often. Therefore, future parents have a question: is ultrasound during pregnancy harmful or not? In modern science, there are a number of arguments confirming the harmfulness of research. Is ultrasound so dangerous?

What is an ultrasound scan?

Before moving on to the question of whether ultrasound is harmful to the fetus during pregnancy, we determine what it is. Ultrasound examination is the diagnosis of organs, tissues, and the fetus, which is carried out using ultrasonic waves. They are able to easily pass through tissues and shine through a particular cavity quite clearly and in detail. The sensor captures all the changes that the waves experience and translates them into a graphic image. It is him on the screen that the specialist sees and immediately carries out diagnostics, making the necessary measurements. During the period of gestation, the study allows you to trace the presence of pathologies of the embryo, uterus or placenta, find out the gender of the baby, see all stages of its development. There is even a modern three-dimensional examination, which makes up a full-fledged model of the baby. Is it harmful to do an ultrasound during pregnancy? Let's figure it out. There are a number of arguments for and against ultrasound.

General characteristics of the study

Is ultrasound during pregnancy harmful or not? The question is quite relevant. An ultrasound examination for expectant mothers is done in all cases of pregnancy and to all women without exception who are registered in the antenatal clinic. This is done in order to exclude pregnancy pathologies and threats to the expectant mother and baby. Is it harmful to do an ultrasound during pregnancy? More likely no than yes, after all, the detected diagnosed harm from ultrasound for a woman and a baby was not found. A limited number of procedures is not associated with harmfulness, but rather with the popularity of ultrasound and increased load on equipment:

• The first examination can be done already in the 3rd week from the moment of conception - thanks to the study, you can determine the fact of pregnancy. It is for this that an ultrasound is necessary during this period, because nothing else can be seen except for a fertilized egg.
• The end of the first trimester, namely the 10-12th week. This is a planned ultrasound, which must be done. During this period of embryo development, organs and systems, both nervous and vascular, are already being laid. At this stage, genetic diseases of the fetus are diagnosed, and multiple pregnancy, if any, is determined.
• Ultrasound on the 13-16th week of pregnancy shows the limbs of the baby - legs, arms and even fingers. There already appears a full-fledged heart of 4 cameras, which is actively beating, so you can hear the heartbeat of your crumbs.
• The 17-20th week allows you to study the condition of the placenta and amniotic fluid. You can see the sizes, the place of attachment, which will indicate the state of health of the baby.
• The 22-24th week is the date of the second mandatory screening, which determines the structure of the spine, the work of the brain, heart and other organs of the developing fetus. At this moment, you can create a three-dimensional model of the child, which will allow future parents to see the full size of their baby and look at him from all sides.
• The 25-28th weeks show the emotional state of the child, he already shows his dissatisfaction, facial expressions are visible, for example, a look, wrinkled lips and so on. At this time, you can determine the gender of the child.
• The 29-32th week is the time of the third, final mandatory screening. The child is not just perfectly visible. It is allowed to make a video in which the baby is active and emotions. After the 32nd week, it will increase in size, but can no longer move, so making a video will be pointless.
• Ultrasound at 33-36 weeks helps to see the location of the child, his head, as well as to see in detail the development of the kidneys, the pathologies of which can be traced exactly at this time.
• At weeks 37-40, the baby is already full-term and childbirth can begin at any time. Ultrasound is necessary in order to see the location of the fetus and check the entanglement of the umbilical cord, is it or not.

So, now we turn to the question of whether ultrasound during pregnancy is harmful to the baby. Earlier it was said what an ultrasound scan is for and what are its features for each period, and now we proceed to determine the danger of the procedure. Consider the basic points of view of opponents of ultrasound.

Ultrasound can not be done in the early stages

At the time of conception, a cell appears in the woman’s body, it gradually turns into an embryo, which then grows into a fetus. Is Ultrasound Pregnancy Harmful? No, scientists, starting from the 70s of the last century, constantly conduct research and did not notice a harmful effect on the embryo. Even on the first devices, which were less perfect, the radiation did no harm. Attention was drawn that men whose mothers did ultrasound during pregnancy were mostly left-handed people, they were one third more than those whose mothers did not have ultrasound.

Gynecologist expert D. Zherdev is convinced that it is not harmful to do an ultrasound, because there is no evidence of a negative effect, but it often makes no sense to do an investigation. Despite the fact that there is no evidence of harm, in the early stages there is a laying of organs and the formation of the body, so any external factor can influence the process.

So, is ultrasound in early pregnancy harmful or not? Experts say that there is no evidence of harm, but you should not abuse the procedure in the early stages. One or two examinations will be enough until the 22nd week. It is up to this period that a child is formed. Of course, if there are indications and deviations in the analyzes, ultrasound is performed more often, there is nothing wrong with that.

Research Affects DNA

Is ultrasound harmful to the fetus during pregnancy and does it affect the baby’s DNA? Proponents of the version that spoke of the negative effects of ultrasound on DNA refer to the scientist P. Garyaev. He pointed out that ultrasound affects genes and leads to their mutations, as a result of which children are born with pathologies. Also, the scientist in his studies came to the conclusion that ultrasound causes damage to genes not only mechanically, but also by the field method. That is, any change in biological fields forms damage to the tissues of the unborn child. As a cure for such damage, Garyaev called for prayer.

More modern arguments are established in the experiments of Pasco Rakic. He conducted experiments on pregnant mice. In those animals that underwent ultrasound before birth for 30 minutes, pathologies in the brain were detected. There are no external deviations, the pathology consists in deviations of the movements of neurons.

To refute this theory, we indicate the following arguments:

• Modern equipment is licensed and tested internationally. There are specifically defined safety limits to which the equipment must comply.
• The waves mainly do not reach the cells of the embryo, they are reflected from or absorbed by other organs of the woman.
• Ultrasound works in the mode of short pulses, they last a microsecond, during this period of time it is impossible to harm the child.

Let us turn to the opinion of the obstetrician-gynecologist L. Siruk. He points out that ultrasound really causes a thermal effect and tissue vibrations. But for people, a sensor with a safe radiation frequency is used. Ultrasound lasts for several minutes, usually no more than 10, so most of the energy just does not reach the baby. Is ultrasound harmful or not during pregnancy? The scientist replies no. A routine examination cannot harm a mother and her baby, especially during the period when the baby is already formed, and this is a gestational age of more than 20 weeks.

The child reacts negatively to ultrasound

Many mummies doing an ultrasound scan probably noticed that during this period the child begins to actively move, show a violent reaction. Even at the stage of embryonic development, a change in position at the time of ultrasound is observed. Proponents of the theory of the harmfulness of ultrasound believe that this proves the negative reaction of the embryo to the harmful and dangerous effects of ultrasound waves. Yes, many babies really begin to actively move, turn away and hide from the sensor, with the help of which the abdominal cavity is visible. Studies show that the child begins to react like that because his mother strains during the procedure, and there is also a touch on the stomach, which acutely senses the fetus.

Is ultrasound harmful to the fetus during pregnancy? Here is what obstetrician-gynecologist E. Smyslova notes: "Yes, the uterus begins to contract actively with ultrasound, hypertonicity appears. This can be a reaction to ultrasonic waves. But besides this, there are many reasons why the body behaves this way. The emotional attitude of the future mother full bladder, dehydration and more. "

Ultrasound contrary to ethics

This theory appeared recently, it was invented by those who did not find a scientific explanation for their beliefs and switched to ethical and moral motives. Is ultrasound harmful or not during pregnancy? Proponents of unethical research provide the following arguments:

1. The uterine development of the child from the moment of fertilization to birth is an intimate process. It should not be watched by outsiders, including the mother of the child, what can we say about the doctor, and he is even more forbidden.
2. An invisible connection is established between the mother and the child, which arises from the moment of conception and continues after the birth of the baby. Ultrasound destroys this connection and does not allow mom and child to be one.
3. Ultrasound, like any other study, has a strong effect on the emotional state of the child, he is experiencing serious stress. All this subsequently leads to disturbances in mental development.

Ultrasound does not matter for mom, scientists need it

How does ultrasound affect pregnancy? Scientists have not found a scientific justification for the harmfulness of this process, but some believe that the absence of harm does not mean safety. That is why such theories appear as the previous one - ethical. Some also say that research is only necessary for doctors. Yes, of course, the screening results provide information about the development of the child, the pathologies that are used in genetics, anatomy and medicine. Opponents of ultrasound indicate that doctors often draw erroneous conclusions and talk about them to the expectant mother, who begins to worry very much, which affects the child. Opponents also point out that medicine is not omnipotent, and, having noticed the pathology, the doctor sometimes can not help the expectant mother and child. That is, supporters of this theory believe that it is better not to know anything before birth, and then it will be visible.

In this case, it does not take into account how useful ultrasound is. It can diagnose diseases and pathologies that really threaten the life of a mother or baby. With the help of ultrasound, you can timely see a dead pregnancy, entwining the umbilical cord or pelvic presentation, which cannot be seen in other ways.

Pregnancy and ultrasound

So, it was determined how harmful ultrasound is during pregnancy. And although its negative effect has not been proven, there are still some recommendations on the frequency of its implementation.

According to the norms of the World Health Organization, an ultrasound scan should ideally be done about 3-4 times over the entire period of pregnancy without special indications. The first study is done from the 10th to the 13th week, the second - about 20-22th, and the third - in 32-34 weeks of pregnancy. Here are the cases in which the doctor insists on making an ultrasound earlier than the due date:

1. Systematic frequent pains and urges in the lower abdomen, which may indicate abnormalities or a future miscarriage.
2. There are other signs that indicate a threat of miscarriage. This is predicted through analyzes and other studies.
3. There is such a thing as an ectopic pregnancy, which can only be diagnosed by ultrasound. The results of the tests with her will not differ much from ordinary pregnancy. Ultrasound will show the location of the embryo and its development. If an ectopic pregnancy is detected, the embryo is urgently removed from the female body, otherwise it can cause harm to the woman.
4. The presence of secretions with droplets of blood or blood secretions that resemble menstruation.

Timely diagnosis of certain pathologies can help eliminate them, adjust the pregnancy management program and, in some cases, save a woman's life.

Is frequent ultrasound harmful during pregnancy? If the expectant mother is sick, there are some deviations outside the normal range, the doctor must prescribe an additional ultrasound. Moreover, the number of procedures is not limited, it is carried out as much as necessary. So, is it often harmful to do an ultrasound during pregnancy? Not if there is evidence from a doctor.

In the latter stages of pregnancy, it is important to do a study to eliminate the risk of premature birth, pathology in the location of the fetus or other abnormalities in the position of the child.

Is an ultrasound done only according to the doctor’s testimony or perhaps at the request of the mother?

The pregnancy test showed two stripes, and here ahead a long joint development of the child inside the mother. The pregnancy is proceeding normally, and the doctor recommended only three ultrasound examinations. In this case, is ultrasound harmful during pregnancy without indications, simply at the request of the mother? No, such a study is not harmful, and even in some cases it is very useful, because at the moment when a woman sees her baby on the screen healthy and full, hope and inspiration instill in her. Many experts recommend not to resist the wishes of the mother and prescribe an additional ultrasound at her request.

Future parents can do such an ultrasound scan both in the antenatal clinic in which they are pregnant and in a private paid clinic that provides this service. It doesn’t matter at all how and where the ultrasound scan will be done, because at that moment the other thing is important - to see your child safe and sound.

Conclusion

The article presented the most common stereotypes and points of view regarding the fact that it is harmful to do ultrasound during pregnancy. Each point of view was given special attention, reasonable arguments of experts for and against this procedure are given.

Most of the opinions about harmfulness are based on outdated studies that go back to the last century. This is a serious mistake, because modern ultrasound equipment is constantly being improved and is aimed specifically at the safety of mothers and babies. Developers clearly understand that working with a child, especially in the early stages of development, is responsible, and any change can harm the embryo.

So, is it harmful to do an ultrasound during pregnancy? In the early stages, when there is still an embryo in the womb, it is better to do an ultrasound scan only 1-2 times without special indications. Despite the fact that there is no evidence of a negative effect of ultrasound on the embryo, there is no need to abuse the procedure. After all, everything is determined individually, so doctors can not 100% predict the reaction of the body to the study.

Starting from the 20th week, you can do an ultrasound as much as future parents want. At this stage of development of the baby, there will definitely not be any threats to life and health. And although there is an opinion that ultrasound during pregnancy is harmful, expert reviews confirm that this is nothing more than a stereotype. To conduct a study or not, the woman and her doctor decide.