Is Fetal Ultrasound Safe?

If you are pregnant, chances are you will be getting a prenatal ultrasound, a test that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce video or photographic imagery of your baby. The benefits and excitement of seeing your developing baby can be offset by concerns over the safety of the procedure.

Theories/Speculation

• Although there is a faction of the medical community that questions the overuse of ultrasounds, no definitive harmful side effects have been proven to cause harm to the baby. According to Dr. Marjorie Greenfield of DrSpock.com, ultrasounds have not demonstrated any risks to the fetus in its 25 years of common use.

Midpregnancy Monitoring

• Ultrasounds are commonly performed on pregnant women at the 20th week of pregnancy in order to monitor the development of the baby.

Sound Waves

• Prenatal ultrasounds are usually performed on the surface of the abdomen using a gel and a transducer (a device that uses crystalline properties to change electrical energy into sound waves) to produce the image. Echos are returned that convert into energy and produce an image. Excessive energy is safely absorbed by the surrounding tissues.

Features

• Images of the fetus, placenta, amniotic sac and ovaries can all be viewed via an ultrasound.

Benefits

• Birth defects and any major anatomical abnormalities can usually be seen on an ultrasound.

Misconceptions

• Doctors commonly use the ultrasound to predict the gender of the fetus but the results can be misinterpreted; it is not a foolproof method of determining the sex of the baby.