Ultrasounds May Not Be Safe For Your Baby’s Development
Studies reveal a link between ultrasounds and Autism and ADHD.
By Mavi Gupta, M.D., C. C.Ht.
Co-creator - The Birth Relaxation Kit™
There are very few women I know that have not had an ultrasound, including myself. They are so common. There is no true standard. Some women have one or two during the course of their pregnancy, while others have as many as one a month.
To be honest, ultrasounds are often unnecessary with exception to high-risk births. Even the American Pregnancy Association says there is not a recommended number of ultrasounds that should be performed during routine prenatal care, since they should only be used when medically indicated.
Ultrasounds have been shown to harm the fetal brain and ultrasound effects are being studied in connection with setting up risk factors for disorders like autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Knowing that has made me want to minimize, if not eliminate altogether, the number of ultrasounds I get in my next pregnancy.
Autism is increasingly common, affecting one in 110 U.S. children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), autism is only one of a group of developmental disabilities that is increasing in U.S. children (Boyle, et al, 2011).
Once Rare, Now All Too Common...And More Intense
Health Science Consultant, Nancy Evans, best known for her work on environmental connections to breast cancer, believes there is a link between ultrasounds and autism.
She says that prenatal ultrasound was once a rare medical practice, reserved only for women with high-risk pregnancies. Today, prenatal ultrasound is routine for most pregnant women in developed countries. Often the first picture in the baby's photo album is the grayish sonogram taken at 16 weeks.
Have you noticed ultrasound boutiques popping up in strip malls? Our culture seems to be encouraging ultrasounds for perfectly healthy babies and moms. And there are no studies yet to monitor damage that these high definition ultrasounds, the 3D and 4D versions, may cause.
Today, prenatal ultrasounds are used more frequently in each pregnancy and can be eight times more intense than they were 30 years ago. And most of the studies setting the bar for ultrasound safety were conducted almost 20 years ago. In fact, most of those clinical studies were done prior to 1993, which was the year the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) increased the allowable output of ultrasound machines by eight times.
Ang, et al, scientists at Yale, found that exposure to pulsed ultrasound waves affects the movement of neurons in the brains of rodents. Neurons, or nerve cells, are generated in one area of the developing brain and migrate to the cerebral cortex. This movement of neurons is one of the most delicate, complex and critical processes during fetal development. Anything that could change how and where brain cells grow and develop also may change basic brain functionality and all processes that depend on this phase of nervous system organization.
Additionally, researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that the audible effect of a typical ultrasound scanner was equal to 100 dB, which is about as loud as the sound of a subway train entering a station (Fatemi, et al, 2005). Why would you want to subject your baby to that during a critical time of development?
Finally, According to the World Health Organization and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, "It is not clear at this time whether ultrasound fetal monitoring is beneficial to the mother or fetus in terms of pregnancy outcome...If there is no generally acknowledged benefit to the monitoring, there is no reason to expose patients to increased cost and risk. The question of benefit has not yet been resolved...and the potential for delayed effects has been virtually ignored."
Consider these important points:
1. You need to think critically and ask questions when your OB-GYN recommends an ultrasound, particularly early in the pregnancy. You should ask why they recommend it.
2. In low-risk pregnancies, ultrasounds do not benefit mother or fetus, and can potentially cause harm.
3. You may want to speak with your care provider about reducing the number of ultrasounds you get, or not getting them at all.
4. Some operators of ultrasound equipment may not even be adequately trained to safely use it.
At the least, consider the "keepsake" ultrasound picture unnecessary. After all, is a photograph worth potential harm to your baby?
I urge you to share this article with any expectant families you know. Thanks!
