BR Poll: Extra ultrasounds?

inamra · March 2010

So I have an opportunity to participate in a study for pregnant women where you can get 3D and 4D ultrasounds done for your baby for free because the company is testing their new u/s software. I was interested at first but MH is really uncomfortable with it, especially after we asked my OBG, who really didn't recommend doing more ultrasounds than medically necessary. I did my masters in medical imaging and I know some of the technology behind it and I know that whereas it's considered safe for pregnant women and their unborn babies because there is no X-ray radiation or anything, it's still unknown whether the effects of sound waves (which is what u/s is) have any other effects (and how sensitive is the variation of the u/s frequency), considering that all waves either reflect, pass through, or are absorbed. There just aren't any extensive studies conducted on pg women. Although I would LOVE to have videos and 3D images of our boy (we only got 2D images from the 20wk u/s) and I'm sure it would be very safe overall, especially if I only do it once (which is what I considered in the first place), I think I probably won't get it done because MH is uncomfortable with it. But I'm just curious/wondering what you girls would do if you had the opportunity...
[Poll]

lola808 · March 2010

I would do it once. We were lucky enough to get the 3D/4D imaging for our 18 week ultrasound and it was AH-MAZING. Our next ultrasound wasn't until 32 weeks and that was 2D in the OB's office, and we could not make out a thing!

I am so glad we had the opportunity to see our tiny baby up close and personal in that way. It's a cool experience to at least have once. And considering I've only had 3 ultrasounds this entire pregnancy, whereas other women have many more to monitor things, I'd think one extra time would probably be OK. If I were having constant ultrasound monitoring, I wouldn't do the additional 3D/4D.

Btw, when they say they are "testing" the new software, does that mean it's different than the kind that have been tested so far? If it were the same technology as those currently in use, that's probably OK, but if it's new stuff that hasn't been evaluated as closely, I might also decline.

redshoegirl · March 2010

I'd probably do it...but then, with this pregnancy I've had an insane amount of ultrasounds (not 3D/4D, but a large number of regular ones, especially lately because they're monitoring the babies closely to make sure they keep growing at the same rate), so I'm pretty comfortable with scans at this stage.

From what I understand, the primary reason that some docs don't like doing extra ultrasounds is because they tend to be annoying to the babies, not from any safety concerns. I could be wrong though, so if I am, someone please correct me! Smile

This is a question I also have though:

lola808:
Btw, when they say they are "testing" the new software, does that mean it's different than the kind that have been tested so far?

If it's basically the same technology that's already in use, I'd be all for it - if it was something experimental, then eh, probably not.

Surfinbride · March 2010

I would do it. I have the plain old grainy grey print from the U/S of 2001 ... oh, and a VHS! With that comparison, I think you have an amazing opportunity that most mamas don't (and in the future still won't b/c of the cost). Fantastic!

You know more than I do about safety. That's not my field. U/S has been around for a while, not just for imaging, but for healing in physical therapy. Do you have information that you can share with your H to help him feel more comfortable?

My only consideration would be if you don't want to know something... ranging from the sex of the child to medical problems.

vanilla15 · March 2010

I voted no just b/c I read this in my Dr. Oz "You Having a Baby" book. If the technician is licensed & in a medical practice, I am sure it would be safe, but just in case, I thought I would pass it along.

http://ask.doctoroz.com/question/get-ultrasound-outside-medical-settings

(I have never linked in text so I posted the link again...just in case!!)

inamra · March 2010

redshoegirl:
>This is a question I also have though:
lola808:
Btw, when they say they are "testing" the new software, does that mean it's different than the kind that have been tested so far?
If it's basically the same technology that's already in use, I'd be all for it - if it was something experimental, then eh, probably not.

So I sent the person conducting the study this question so I'll hopefully hear back on what they're really testing. IMO, if it's just testing ONLY new software, then it's not a big deal *unless* the software is used to control the frequencies of the hardware and the hardware doesn't limit it in any way. If they're testing new hardware, then that's just plain scary to me (don't test it on PG women yet!). With that said though, I know the FDA's stand on u/s is to not to do more than medically necessary. But like pp noted, many have done more than 2 (which is how many I've done so far) and it's been safe still. But that's because I haven't had any medical reasons to do more. And that's MH's view on it (he's a physicist so he knows what u/s is capable of doing). Yes, u/s is capable of being strong enough to create air bubbles in our bodies and heat soft tissue--there are new washing machines that use u/s to remove dirt from laundry and u/s can be used as medical treatments, so it's not a purely diagnostic technology. Of course they should have prenatal and other diagnostic u/s machines set on diagnostic levels so it's not strong enough to cause damage...

Heh, the more I talk about u/s, the more I feel like this may not be a good idea, especially since I haven't received a response on what they're testing yet...the poll is split super evenly too!

Married2MrWright · March 2010

I had an u/s every week from my BFP confirmation at 7 weeks until the last appt. before induction at 38 weeks. That said, it was always done by a doctor in their medical office and aside from the 20 week Level II one all of them were less than 5 minutes. The Level II was closer to 45 minutes. I didn't want to pay for the 3D one and would have been hesitant to get the ones offered here since they are not done on doctors offices but more in a "spa setting."

MauiWedding08 · March 2010

call me crazy but I think ultrasounds (especailly the 3/4d ones) are a little creepy. But the real issue is I think they should only be done when medically indicated and necessary. They are "safe" but still carry some effect to the baby so the way I think about it is that the benefits outweight the risks when medically necessary but otherwise why do anything that might disturb the baby? Just my opinion...

I only had ultrasounds that were medically necessary and even then I declined a couple. I had to have the 20 week one to birth at the hospital and then I had 2 amniotic fluid checks in the last weeks before birth in order to avoid an automatic induction. I also avoided the doppler when it became possible to hear the baby through a fetalscope.

Just on a personal note - I'm so happy I didn't have a "size" ultrasound (again, it wasn't necessary for me because I didn't show any signs of GD) because I recently read you are more likely to end up with lots of interventions if your baby shows up to be over 8lbs. Glad I didn't know I was growing a 9lb baby. Many of the nurses asked me "how big is your baby" during labor and I just said I don't know - we didn't have a size ultrasound. I think it sould have been demoralizing to have them say things like good luck getting that big baby out and other stuff like they said to my friend.

BR Poll: Extra ultrasounds?

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