Scans

[kizzie]

Dear all
Seen stories in papers this morning re. new research suggesting that scans can affect unborn baby boys. Think that they can affect nervous system and potentially lead to problems like learning difficulties and epilepsy. I normally try and treat these things with a pinch of salt but for various reasons I had 8 scans during my pregnancy so I'm a bit concerned. Does anyone know any more about it?

Kizzie, this is not new! The research that shows scans can affect whether your child is left or right handed has been around for a while now (at least before I had mine - 6 yrs ago). There has been little research into whether scans are safe or not. However, at the moment there is no evidence to suggest they do any harm, just that they can have an effect. There appears to be approx 30% greater chance that a boy (not sure what the %ages are for girls) will be born left handed if the mom has had more than 2 scans, late on in pregnancy, but there is no evidence to show any other effects.
BTW, I had 6 scans with my youngest dd and she's fine.

I also read a few months back that a mother who had alot of scans COULD affect whether the baby is left handed (more so if a boy). But it didn't say anything worse than that....

For the record I had untold scans in my pregnancy due to various reasons.....My son was born 22 months ago and yes he appears to be left handed at MOST things but will use his right hand as well but we are sure he will eventually end up left handed as he favours it so much for eating, drawing, ball throwing etc

Thankyou for replying! Feel better now.

I often wonder whether someone, somewhere, takes great delight in scaring us half to death!! Our son was born in Belgium and they scan you EVERY visit - so we're talking approx. 12-14 scans. Yes, my son does appear to favour his left hand and I initially panicked. But then I'm left-handed and there are several others in the family the same so maybe it's hereditry? Just a note to other mums who have kids who are, or will, be left-handed.....when they learn to use knife and fork try to teach them to eat left-handed - it'll probably prove easier for them when cutting their food. I changed over in my mid-teens - I realised it didn't make any sense trying to eat right-handed (I wouldn't slice bread or chop veg using my right hand). What a difference - at last I no longer pulled my food apart, I could actually cut it!

I'm left handed myself, and so is my brother, but both my mum and dad are right handed! Maybe this is the answer - then again I don't know if ultrasound was even in existence in the mid to late sixties was it?!

Still, I take offense at the implication that left-handedness is a kind of "brain damage". For heavens sake, how ridiculous. The only difference I am aware of is that lefthanders primarily use the right side of their brain, (rather than the left as right handers do), which makes us more creative and so on.

So if you ask me, us lefties are the only ones in our right mind! Lol! :8

I think all this stems from the fact that some countries still see left-handedness as a "defect" and "abnormal". It is increasingly more common, but so what?! Do we really need to find out why and how and to whom this is happening? Some of these places who run these studies obviously have nothing better to spend their money on - I can think of far more valuable research that could be completed instead.

PS My dd had 2 scans and my ds had about 5 after threatened early labour, and both are right-handed!

PS Merrysam yes of course there is a hereditary link to left-handedness, so I wouldn't be too worried about all the scans you had being a major factor! And as you say, being left handed yourself you already know a few things you need to teach him "the lefty way"!

The stuff about scans did strike a chord with me too. I had a late scan at 36 weeks to prove that my son was breech - he absolutely hated it, and was really unsettled inside me all day. I think that they can definitely feel something. However, for me the benefits are so huge that I would still have scans again.