Extra Scans

[endlesslove]

Just wondering how safe it is to have extra ultrasound scans during pregnancy.

I am 17+2 weeks and wanted to have a private gender scan carried out this weekend. Three weeks later I am having an NHS one. Want one done earlier as am such a worrier that don't think I can wait over a month to see if everything is ok!!!

But can extra scans cause birthmarks, or birth defects - are they generally safe?

Thanks
xx

Hi there, check out news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6320767.stm.

endlesslove- .. with my first pg I had in excess of 30 scans due to probs in the pg..
with DS I had 9 scans..
I have already had two scans (am 21/22weeks) and have another two booked one for next week and one for 17th April..

Wouldn't know the answer myself, but I also tend to worry about too many scans in pregnancy. Interesting thought about birthmarks...my daughter ended up having a strawberry mark on her arm (no other example in either of our families) and she was scanned 5 or 6 times in total. Hmm , could there be a link?! Luckily, this birthmark tends to disappear by the time they're five yrs old. She is 17 months and it's positively fading.

Ultrasounds have been used since 1958 and this means that literally 10s of millions of babies have been scanned and no risks of any sort have been demonstrated during this time. However even though no problems have ever arisen from having ultrascans done the general recommendation by the medical community is to only have them done for medical reasons and not "for fun" if you know what I mean. Some women obvoiusly need to have routine scans if they are having a problematic pregnancy or for other similar reasons and they do not have any additional risk. I would say there's nothing at all wrong with an additional sexing scan but personally if you are 17+ weeks I would just wait another few weeks to have the 20 week anomoly scan and find out the sex then. I understand really wanting to know the sex already, I'm at the same stage as you are but I decided to wait another few weeks and find out at my 20 week scan.

neither of mine have obvious birthmarks.. ds has none and dd has a faint one on her back identicle to one I have under my boob!!!

I had a total of 7 in 9 months ..all pretty routine and dd has no visible birthmarks.

no definitive answer, as they haven't scanned routinely for long enough to know

i would say that if there are any risks/concerns, then a scan is worthwhile

i had 3 pregnancy losses before ds1. had 9 scans when pg with him. am 21wks pg now and have already had 7 scans with this one!

Thanks for replys - my main concern is not really birthmarks, just something that crossed my mind in that I would want to cause harm or things like birthmarks unnessarily. Sorry if I have offended anyone with children who have birthmarks, this was not intended.

Although the scan is called a gender scan, the main reason I want this done is to check the wellbeing of the baby. As I cannot feel baby move yet, i just don't know if little one is safe and happy IYSWIM, so thought having a scan would provide reassurance.

xx

ps i had a gender scan at 17+6 this time

If I go for it, it will be on Sunday so I'll be 18+1.

The waiting game of pregnancy is so annoying!!! Why does time slow down?!!! If time would hurry then I'd be happy to wait!

i had a lot of medically indicated scans in both my pregnancies and both children are fine. but i wouldn't have had them just to have a look at the baby (i have diabetes & needed to have growth monitoring).

i am 16+5 and already has 6 scans, due to going private for some and also had some bleeding! i had a m/c last year and the scans have keep me calm as i know that everything is going fine! They thought my ds had downs syndrom so i think i had over 10 scans in the first 18 weeks with him , he is fine no birth marks etc, do waht ever will make you feel calmer!

HTH

If it makes you feel at all beter, it is very normal to not feel the baby move until after 20 weeks so I definitely would not take that as a point to worry over.

I know what you mean about wanting to have a little "peak" in to see baby is ok, it's a very stange feeling to just sit around and wait to have another scan or to feel good hard kicks to reassure yourself it's still in there and ok! If it gives you reassurance then I'd say go for it and have a gender scan now but keep in mind you will at some point have to just trust that all is ok b/c you won't be able to keep going back for scans throughout the rest of the pregnancy.

Maybe consider getting one of those doppler things where you can listen to the baby's heartbeat? Altho a lot of people say it can be difficult to find the heartbeat with those things which might add to the stress so not sure if that's such a good suggestion actually. Either way, it's absolutely normal to not feel the baby yet but I think if it's really worrying you then go for the sexing scan now and then go separately to have the 20 week scan.

Thank you all. Will speak with DH tonight and then if we both think its worth it then will book tomorrow. I really want to try to hold out as I know that after the 20 week scan you don't routinely have anymore so perhaps we could have a scan later on rather than now privately. I'll discuss with DH and go from there but your views have made me feel better.

Thanks
xx

I had fortnightly scans with my twins (sometimes more often than that). No obvious effects so far (they are 4).

I had lots of scans with DS and read up a bit about them as I was worried. They must have some effect as aparently more boys who were scanned turned out left handed in some Swedish study - no effect on girls. I decided that if that was all they could find after all these years and millions of babies, I wouldn't worry about it.

when I had my dd1 she had 10 scans in total - including the last one that led to her emergency c-section when they realised my placenta had packed it in - thereby saving her.

No ill effects.