“A review of over 50 medical studies shows that ultrasounds do not pose any danger to moms or fetuses. They do not cause birth defects, childhood developmental or intellectual problems, or cancer.”
Some women — including those with high-risk pregnancies or women carrying twins — have more scans. Ultrasounds have been used to monitor pregnancy for decades, and there's no meaningful evidence that they can cause harm to a developing fetus.
Most healthy women receive two ultrasound scans during pregnancy. "The first is, ideally, in the first trimester to confirm the due date, and the second is at 18-22 weeks to confirm normal anatomy and the sex of the baby," explains Mendiola.
Can ultrasound scans harm the baby? There is no evidence that having a vaginal or an abdominal scan will cause a miscarriage or harm your baby.
You will have at least two ultrasounds during your early and middle pregnancy, and in the later parts of your high-risk pregnancy, you may have ultrasounds as often as once a week based on your health needs and situation.
While some may have concerns about the safety of frequent ultrasounds, studies have shown that there is no evidence of harm to either the mother or the baby. In fact, frequent ultrasounds can be a vital tool in detecting potential complications early on and ensuring a healthy outcome for both mother and baby.
Is it safe to do an ultrasound every month during pregnancy? While ultrasounds are safe for you and your baby, most major medical associations recommend that pregnancy care providers should only do ultrasounds when the tests are medically necessary.
Yes you can if you wish to. Ultrasounds are harmless during pregnancy. They are safe for both mother and baby.
Ultrasound waves can heat the tissues slightly. In some cases, it can also produce small pockets of gas in body fluids or tissues (cavitation). The long-term consequences of these effects are still unknown.
“It's actually not routine to scan at every visit,” Herta says. “They've done a lot of studies that it hasn't improved the baby's outcome or maternal outcomes. There's not any medical benefit.” Instead, a doctor should measure the woman's stomach and check the heartbeat—and that's it.
In high-risk populations — usually due to weight, age, or medical problems — weekly ultrasounds may be recommended during the final month of pregnancy. For these patients, these quick ultrasounds are used to assess amniotic fluid and fetal movement to make sure all is well with the pregnancy.
When will I have an ultrasound scan? You should be offered at least 2 scans: an early pregnancy scan (dating or booking scan) between 11 and 14 weeks. a mid-pregnancy scan (also known as a fetal anomaly scan) between 18 and 21 weeks.
The general recommendations are to wait two weeks if we only see a gestational sac and at least 11 days if a gestational and yolk sac are seen without a fetal pole. I prefer to wait two weeks for the next ultrasound in both of these scenarios.
Are There Risks Of Getting Too Many Ultrasounds? But how many ultrasounds are safe during pregnancy? Currently, there are no known risks of getting ultrasounds.
The only effect that ultrasound may have on the fetus is the increased incidence of non-right handedness, although this seems to occur mainly in male fetuses and has minimal statistical significance.
3D and 4D ultrasounds are just as safe as 2D scans since there is no form of radiation. While not considered a true risk, the rise in temperature caused by the sound waves that are used to create an image of the baby concern some parents.
Ultrasound therapy can be used as often as necessary, there are no limits.
What are the risks of a pelvic ultrasound? There is no radiation used and generally no discomfort from the application of the ultrasound transducer to the skin during a transabdominal ultrasound. You may experience slight discomfort with the insertion of the transvaginal transducer into the vagina.
As shown, DNA damage occurs when intense ultrasound is used in vitro, such as in aqueous solutions and in the cultured cells. However, it is unlikely that diagnostic ultrasound can induce DNA damage to cells in vitro or tissue in vivo due to the relatively low intensity being used.
Once an abnormality is confirmed, additional repeat ultrasounds may take place in the third trimester, once fetal development is nearing completion. There are a great number of fetal abnormalities that a very common and may be corrected on their own as intrauterine growth and development takes place.
Your sonographer may advise you to have a second scan two weeks later, because babies tend to grow in spurts. Your doctor may even recommend several scans to track your baby's growth. Don't worry about having extra scans - the benefits more than outweigh the risk to your baby's health (NICE 2021, RCOG 2013).
As pregnancy progresses, the accuracy of an ultrasound for predicting due dates decreases. Between 18 and 28 weeks of gestation, the margin of error increases to plus or minus two weeks. After 28 weeks, the ultrasound may be off by three weeks or more in predicting a due date.
When is ultrasound offered to pregnant women? Most women will be advised to have at least two ultrasound scans during their pregnancy — the first and second trimester scans.
A high-risk pregnancy is one in which a woman and her fetus face a higher-than-normal chance of experiencing problems. These risks may be due to factors in the pregnancy itself, or they may stem from preexisting maternal medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, or lupus.
Disadvantages of ultrasound:
Ultrasound results may identify a potential area of concern that is not malignant. These false-positive results could lead to more procedures, including biopsies, that are not necessary 8 .