Has anyone else had a lot of ultrasounds? Sonographer worried me!

[LookAtMeImJennyDee]

Hi all -

Have had a bumpy start to my pregnancy as was suspected ectopic to start with, then my GP told me I was likely to miscarry & then, whilst I was in floods of tears and told him I had another hospital appointment, changed his tune and told me "oh, well then wait and see what happens".

Anywhoo after that bumpy start I was being monitored from early on in my pregnancy so I had an internal scan at about 5 weeks to determine the location of the pregnancy (luckily all is growing in the right place!) and then had to come back 2 weeks later at 7 weeks to find the heartbeat (which again, was there. So thankful!). As I suffer from Acute Anxiety Disorder anyway and am managing this via counselling I was understandably very nervous and paid for a private scan yesterday at 9 weeks.

That works out at 3 scans in the space of 6 weeks and the sonographer told me she thinks women should only have 2 ultrasounds in their whole pregnancy as the heat from the ultrasound could cause issues. I'm assuming she means issues with development as opposed to causing miscarriage but this has worried me now. I also have my 12 week scan booked in in three weeks time and am wondering if this is now too many scans!?

Have done some Googling and found people who had difficult pregnancies and needed constant scans but am just wondering if anyone else had a lot of scans in their first trimester?

Am sure am worried bout nothing but as its my first its always lovely to hear reassuring things! Sorry for the long drawn out story too, just didn't want to miss any details!

[mssleepyhead]

I've never heard that before! I had one at 7 weeks at the EPU, another private one at 12 weeks after spotting, then my NHS one at 13 weeks, then a gender scan at 18 weeks, then my NHS 20 week one. All of those are recorded in my notes and the midwives/sonographers haven't commented once. At 20 weeks, baby boy was reported to be growing healthily, so they don't seem to have caused any damage.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and enjoy the scans! They're magical : )

[CheesyBadger]

I didn't think there were safety issues with ultrasounds. I know lots of people who have been scanned every few weeks and all has been fine

[SilverSixpence]

Sounds like nonsense I had a number of scans to check growth and no one mentioned any concerns and everything was fine in the end.

[laura2323]

I think the sonographer is talking a lot of bs to be honest with you. If there was a risk they wouldn't scan! But Thats just my opinion.
I had 5 scans in 12 weeks, only because I had a bump at 8 weeks (which I was told was ibs by the dr but found out I was pregnant at a routine asthma appointment the next day) they thought there was a hidden twin, and when there wasn't they were worried about growth because I was "big" for a first time pregnancy.
If everything is showing fine I.e heartbeat then I wouldn't worry and just take it as you get to see more of your little one than normal! I liked it as I could see for myself how much dd was developing.

[IShallCallYouSquishy]

I had 7 scans throughout my 2nd pregnancy but the extra 5 were after the standard 2 so not early ones iyswim?
Everything was fine. I was induced at 38+2 but DS was perfect in every way. Lots of scans don't always mean something wrong.

Congratulations on your pregnancy

[aliciagardner]

Total bollocks. They have loads of scans as standard in the US. Don't let this worry you in the slightest (and if you see that sonographer again, tell her to check her facts before spouting rubbish to understandably anxious women!).

[Slh122]

I had 8 scans in total - 2 early ones as like you I had a suspected ectopic, the standard 12 and 20 week ones, I had to go back at 23 weeks as baby was laid funny and they couldn't check his spine on the anomaly scan, one at 32 weeks for reduced movement, a presentation scan at 36 weeks as the midwife thought he was breech (he wasn't) and another one at 37 weeks for reduced movement. DS arrived a week later perfectly healthy :)

[aliciagardner]

In fact, I would even go so far as to inform the hospital of this through PALS. Not a complaint as such, but so that the sonographer can be spoken to and informed this is a) incorrect and b) a totally inappropriate comment to make. So it doesn't happen to another person!

[eurochick]

I've had 6 so far (6+1 by my IVF clinic as standard to look for a heartbeat, 7 and 8 weeks due to bleeding, viability scan at 10 weeks before the Harmony test, 12 week nuchal, 20 week scan). And I've been told that because of some concerns I will need more scans. My dr friend who is pregnant has been known to give herself a quick scan during down time at work, so she has had loads! Try not to worry. There is no evidence that they are harmful.

[wonkylegs]

Absolute rubbish.
I had loads and loads of scans throughout pregnancy due to my medical condition & meds. My DH is a dr & thanks to his medical training was hyper aware of all the risks in my pregnancy (& he's rubbish about keeping quiet about them) - the number of scans wasn't something to worry about.
I would look at the scans as an opportunity to be reassured that they are keeping an eye on things & to say hi to your LO. Hope things continue to go well & just ignore daft comments.

[squizita]

In all honesty, I would mention this to a supervisor. What a worrying and stupid thing to say!

2d NHS ultrasounds are safe - some of the private 3d 4d video ones are less tested (but neither are there proven risks).

TLC ultrasound (i.e. extra ones to reassure) are clinically proven to improve outcomes in risk-of-loss pregnancies. They think its psychological, but it's a proven positive link.
As a result almost every recurrent miscarriage clinic in Europe ultrasound frequently.

I had 5 so far, and will have 3 more in the late 2nd to 3rd trimester. This was decided by the top NHS consultant for preventing miscarriage: she knows her stuff and wrote the book on healthy pregnancy.

The correlation between ultrasound and loss is simply because pretty much anyone turning up to a hospital with pain/bleeding will be diagnosed via ultrasound... The ultrasound doesn't cause the losses, its part of the diagnoses.

Tbh I am shocked a professional sonographer doesn't understand the risks in the same way as every other sonogaphe I've met, all the published research and NHS guidelines. She/he is there to reassure and comments like that could really distress someone seriously! I would mention it (with a name/description) to a MW or Dr ... She could cause utter distress to some poor woman!

[EvilHerbivore]

I had them every fortnight from 6 weeks to birth with DS1 who is now 3 and swinging off the sofa with a mouthful of Easter egg absolutely fine!
Congratulations

[Gileswithachainsaw]

It's BS!

I had loads of scans due to complications. Not once was anything about heat mentioned

It's sound waves that's all

[DebH1975]

I've been having weekly scans now for nearly 3 months (all ordered by my consultant). I can't imagine he would be giving me these if there was any danger to the baby or I

[beebop100]

As far as I understand, an ultrasound raises the fetal tissue temperature. Over the course of a day it would fluctuate by about one degree, but the rise is compressed into a short amount of time during a scan so that's why scans are generally only done if there's a clinical need. As lots of the ladies have said, you can have regular scans and it's completely fine, I'm sure your sonographer is just being hypercautious.

[flippyflapper]

thats so silly.

I like you had exact same thought mc and ectopic had loads of scans I also had private one.
They found out we were having twins and I was then scanned every two weeks after.

[hubbahubster]

My friend gave birth in France and was scanned every week. As I have a low placenta I'll have four or five bun the time this one's born, same as with DC1 and he's fine. Sounds rubbish to me!

[hubbahubster]

*by not bun!

[BiscuitCrumb]

Your sonographer is an idiot and unprofessional. Nothing is risk less in life but ultrasound is the safest method of imaging for pregnancy.

I had 9 (3 internal, 6 external) in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy and at least 4 more by the time I had DS. He's 4 and perfectly fine.

[RedPony]

I have had 5 scans by the time I was 20 weeks! went for my 12w scan to be told I was 10 weeks so was too early to do the nuchal test and had to go back two weeks later for that. I then had a private gender scan at 17 weeks and had to have my 20w scan done twice as baby was in an awkward position and they couldn't see and measure everything they needed to the first time. Not once have I been told that too many scans is something to worry about, if it was then they wouldn't do it! Try not to worry op and congratulations on your pregnancy

[Iggity]

I had them every fortnight from 16 weeks in the fetal care unit of the hospital I was at with my DS. That was because of a previous complicated pregnancy (IUGR, serious early onset pre-eclampsia) where my daughter was delivered at 29 weeks to save my life and then died at 6 weeks. My DS was a bouncing 9lb 2er. It was useful in helping me to decide to definitely have another c-section when I saw the size of his head. Also meant I didn't have to bother with midwife appts in the hospital and sit for 4 hrs at a time. On the weeks, I didn't have a scan, I saw midwife at GP surgery.

[NearTheWindymill]

Yes pg with dd was very high risk.

6 weeks
8 weeks (some spotting)
10 weeks to put my mind at rest
12 weeks nuchal
20 weeks - identified 3rd degree placenta praevia
28 weeks - to check placenta which had started moving in the right direction
32 weeks - check placenta again but baby breech
35 weeks - another placenta check - baby still breech and anticipated big
36 weeks - attempted and failed ECV
37 weeks - another attempted and failed ECV
38 weeks - arrived for CS and baby had turned naturally admittedly I had quite an uncomfy night when I thought I was having contractions and timing but then it all calmed down (she was breech the previous Friday) - went home
41.5 weeks - arrived for planned induction - quick scan to check position.

Didn't quite get round to the induction - perfect bright pink whopper ended up being born in under two hours. She's nearly 16 - haven't found any problems so far because of those scans but they helped keep my sanity.

[RueDeWakening]

The sonographer may think that, but is talking rubbish.

My pg with ds1 is my record for ultrasounds. Last count, I'd got to more than 40 (he's a surviving triplet, I'm a type 1 diabetic, we had twin to twin transfusion syndrome at 22 weeks...) and he was delivered by EmCS at 31 weeks! Including 6 scans in a single day. Obviously most people wont get close to that, but he's now 4, about to start school, and I was repeatedly reassured that the only known side effect of frequent ultrasounds is an increased chance that he would be left handed.