11-18-2010, 05:49 PM
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BirthoBabyPedia
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Joined on: Mar 2006
Location: Albany GA
Messages: 4,031
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Ultrasound info
As promised in another thread somewhere...
I am not by any means saying "No, don't have any ultrasound" because I plan on having the standard 2 and only 2, provided there is not a major high risk issue. It is all about moderation and cost/benefit analysis, and sometimes the images are needed. However I do not get "excited" at the prospect of more/longer ultrasounds... in fact, it scares the living crap out of me. Same thing with the doppler, which I plan on allowing the OB to use at two visits only and by then I will be able to use the fetoscope.
Anyway, without further ado. 
Quote:
"Prenatal exposure to ultrasound waves impacts neuronal migration in mice," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2006 103: 12903-12910.
There is evidence that the exposure of pregnant mice and nonhuman primates to ultrasound waves may affect the behavior of their exposed offspring. Additionally, studies have shown that the frequent exposure of the human fetus to ultrasound waves is associated with a decrease in newborn body weight, an increase in the frequency of left-handedness, and delayed speech.
Because ultrasound energy is a high-frequency mechanical vibration, researchers hypothesized that it might influence the migration of neurons in a developing fetus. Neurons in mammals multiply early in fetal development and then migrate to their final destinations. Any interference or disruption in the process could result in abnormal brain function.
In the study, researchers injected more than 335 fetal mice at embryonic day 16 with special markers to track neuronal development. Exposure to ultrasound waves for 30 minutes or longer caused a small but statistically significant number of neurons to remain scattered within inappropriate cortical layers and in the adjacent white matter. The magnitude of dispersion of labeled neurons was highly variable but increased with duration of exposure to ultrasound waves.
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The Dangers of Prenatal Ultrasound
(There are more/longer quotes and references on the website from a book by Henci Goer)
Here is a great article by the American Society of Radiological Technologists
https://www.asrt.org/content/News/In...ows062408.aspx ... basically most of this I just quoted above.
And from here:
ULTRASOUND - JUST LOOKING CAN HURT: ultrasound pictures, dangers 3d ultrasound fetus, 3d fetal ultrasound dangers - Green Health Watch
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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that ultrasound cannot be considered harmless, even at low levels, and is considering regulatory action against these [commercial ultrasound] companies
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Quote:
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When 1,246 UK women were given a monthly Doppler ultrasound scan of their umbilical and uterine arteries from the 19th to the 32nd week of pregnancy, seventeen of their babies died at or around the time of birth, as opposed to only seven in the 1,229-strong unDopplered control group.
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Quote:
AIMS Journal’s Jean Robinson is concerned that no research has ever been done on the effects of:
exposing even younger foetuses to ultrasound, an increasingly common practice
submitting foetuses to exposures of an hour or more of ultraasound, as in the commercial applications described above
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And here
Questions about Prenatal Ultrasound and the Alarming Increase in Autism - by Caroline Rodgers
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As the FDA warned in 2004, "ultrasound is a form of energy, and even at low levels, laboratory studies have shown it can produce physical effect in tissue, such as jarring vibrations and a rise in temperature."(9) This is consistent with research conducted in 2001 in which an ultrasound transducer aimed directly at a miniature hydrophone placed in a woman's uterus recorded sound "as loud as a subway train coming into the station."(10)
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Quote:
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A rise in temperature of fetal tissue—especially since the expectant mother cannot even feel it—might not seem alarming, but temperature increases can cause significant damage to a developing fetus's central nervous system, according to research.(11) Across mammalian species, elevated maternal or fetal body temperatures have been shown to result in birth defects in offspring.(12) An extensive review of literature on maternal hyperthermia in a range of mammals found that "central nervous system (CNS) defects appear to be the most common consequence of hyperthermia in all species, and cell death or delay in proliferation of neuroblasts [embryonic cells that develop into nerve cells] is believed to be one major explanation for these effects."(13)
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Which is it??
Fetal ultrasound: Risks - MayoClinic.com
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Routine fetal ultrasounds are considered safe for both mother and baby. Improper use of fetal ultrasound, however, can't be considered entirely risk-free.
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The baby is being exposed either way....
And one more
Fetal Ultrasound Risks | LIVESTRONG.COM
Quote:
In 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning; "Ultrasound is a form of energy, and even at low levels, laboratory studies have shown it can produce physical effect in tissue, such as jarring vibrations and a rise in temperature." A rise in fetal temperature can cause birth defects and significant damage to the central nervous system. Researchers have also looked into a possible link between ultrasound screenings and autism.
Read more: Fetal Ultrasound Risks | LIVESTRONG.COM
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Quote:
A study reported in the "Lancet" suggests that frequent ultrasound scans may result in the growth restriction in the womb. During the study, 1,415 women received ultrasound scans five times during their pregnancy, while 1,419 women were scanned only once. The women who were more intensively scanned gave birth to smaller babies.
Read more: Fetal Ultrasound Risks | LIVESTRONG.COM
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Articles are a dime a dozen out there... it's not been PROVEN to be SAFE, so why are we (general) excessively exposing the most fragile members of society to it without further evidence?
I'm not saying don't get ultrasounds. I'm saying it's important to weigh the risks and benefits of more than the minimum (1 fetal anomaly scan @ 20 wks) and decide with full informed consent of the possible effects. 
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