Are Ultrasounds Bad for Baby During Pregnancy? (Risks vs. Benefits)

Despite ultrasounds being required during prenatal care, there are risks to the baby when it comes to ultrasounds and doppler use, yet that has become standard practice throughout pregnancy and used more and more frequently. 3D and 4D ultrasounds are also increasing in popularity but are the most dangerous and pose the most risk to baby. Ultrasounds are usually used to verify that baby is developing properly, but sometimes they're overly used. Because of the risks, it's advised by most health agencies and professionals to only be used when medically necessary and only to be used by trained and licensed sonographers.

Dopplers actually have higher levels of ultrasound waves which are actually stronger. Ultrasounds have been deemed safe, yet the risks are not often spoken about and even the FDA says to limit them to only medically necessary.

Most practices will not allow you to refuse getting any ultrasounds and I personally was trying to avoid the 20 week survey because of the risks and the length of exposure.

In this video, I talk about the risks and the benefits, questions you need to ask yourself and your partner, and things you may want to discuss with your provider when it comes to ultrasounds. I'll discuss some of the risks of opting out entirely, although most practices will probably not give you that option. I'll also talk about a few different types of ultrasounds - dating ultrasounds, early pregnancy ultrasounds, limited ultrasounds, the biophysical profile, and 3D or 4D ultrasounds - as well as ways to minimize exposure if you choose to get them or are forced to.

I'll let you know a few of my experiences in both getting ultrasounds and my attempts at opting out as much as possible, which is mostly frowned upon, and created a few challenges in getting just the necessities done.


Risks include: (study links below along with more info)
Deforming cell membranes
Ultrasounds generate heat and may heat above maximum safe levels, especially when the want is held in place for longer than 2-3 seconds. The brain is very vulnerable and heating the brain to this level can affect brain development.

Higher presence of autism has been found in at least one study
Higher perinatal death has been linked miscarriage or preterm birth
Chinese studies point to ultrasounds increasing risks for Autism, ADHD, genetic damage, jaundice, childhood cancers and allergies
One study found brain hemorrhages in mouse fetuses, when they were exposed to ultrasound at doses similar to those used on human babies. Another found a 22% reduction in the rate of cell division and twice the rate of cell death in the small intestine when exposed to ultrasound.
False positives causing stress to mom
Increasing interventions due to estimated baby size among other things



Ways to decrease risk:
Limit the number of ultrasounds you get (get only what you are comfortable with or what is deemed absolutely necessary by your provider)
Ask your doctor to use a fetoscope instead of a doppler to check heartbeat
Ask if you can wait until 22-23 weeks to get the full survey so there are less false positives (if you want to get the survey)
Ask the sonographer to get quickly in and out
If you are at a teaching hospital, ask to be scheduled with an experienced sonographer to limit the time your baby is spent getting exposed
Don't get 3D or 4D ultrasounds - these are not necessary and are usually not performed by a registered sonographer. Even the FDA warns against getting them
Don't purchase a doppler for home use. You are not trained to use this device.

Studies and links referenced:

University of Washington study (higher presence of Autism) - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/f...
Studies from the 90s (increased risk of miscarriage or preterm birth) - https://midwiferytoday.com/mt-article...
UK study (increased risk of perinatal death) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1360032/
Chinese studies (increased risk for for Autism, ADHD, genetic damage, jaundice, childhood cancers and allergies) - https://amzn.to/38ei7MO
Mouse study showing impact on brain development - https://www.pnas.org/content/103/34/1...

Fetal weight increasing risk of c-section - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22902...
FDA on ultrasound - https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consume...
Mama Natural Blog Post which has all this information and more - https://www.mamanatural.com/baby-ultr...