Saturday 22 February 2014

Are their legitimate risks in getting a prenatal ultrasound? During 1st trimester? 2nd?

After the excitement of finding out you are having a baby comes the time to get your first ultrasound. Ultrasound technology uses high-frequency sound waves to view the muscles and internal organs in real-time so you can see movement and blood flow. The question is, is prenatal ultrasounds safe or is there risks? And what about ultrasounds in the first and second trimesters?

Ultrasound has been used for over 20 years. The technology can be used to help athletes or to check on the health of your growing bundle or joy. The non-ionizing radiation has the same risks associated with x-rays. No known risks are attributed to ultrasound imaging, but there can be minimal effects to the body, such as the body tissue being heated or producing small pockets of gas in body fluids or tissues.


Although no long-term effects of ultrasound have surfaced, it is recommended that you get ultrasounds sparingly throughout the pregnancy. They are important to help discover any abnormalities and routine ultrasounds have shown no harm to mother and baby, but it is discouraged to keep getting ultrasounds just for keepsake memorabilia.

If you have experienced problems within the first few weeks of your pregnancy, your doctor may refer you for an early ultrasound when you are six to nine weeks pregnant. If this does not pertain to you, you will have two ultrasounds during your pregnancy.
The dating ultrasound usually takes place in the first trimester between ten weeks and thirteen weeks, plus six days, and this will tell you more accurately when your baby is due, reveal the number of babies you are carrying, and will check your baby’s heartbeat. The next ultrasound will be when you are about sixteen to twenty weeks along to check for any abnormalities, reveal the baby’s sex, and measure its size.


the twins at 12 weeks

Ultrasounds do have their limitations. For instance, an ultrasound may not detect all birth defects or it might suggest a defect that is not actually present. Either way, the pros of having a few ultrasounds done throughout the course of your pregnancy outweigh the few negatives it may possess.

Of course, each pregnancy is different and some women may have more ultrasounds done for many different reasons. Whether you have just two, or if you have more, ultrasounds are a safe and easy way to check your baby’s progress and health. There have been no legitimate risks associated with prenatal ultrasounds.

the twins at 20 weeks


This post was written for funasagran.co.uk by Glenn Josephik. Glenn is an account representative and the marketing coordinator at MedCorp, the industry leader and premier business source for used ultrasound machines. You can follow Glenn Josephik on Google +

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