Too many ultra sound scans - dangerous?

[AndBeholdAWhiteHorse]

I booked a 17 weeks gender scan for yesterday. I paid a deposit so I haven't lost any money yet as I can "cash" it in at a later date. But has anyone heard of having too many ultra sounds being dangerous? My DP said (when I told him) that our sonographor at the 12 week scan said we were still in the "safe" number of scans even though I had already had 3 due to complications. Whilst I'm not particularly worried (because I cannot change the situation!) it has bothered me sufficiently not to go the gender scan I booked. Has anyone else got experience of this? Or heard this?

Iv had scans at 9,11,13,21,25,27,29,31,33,35 so far so I hope not 🤣🤣

I also had scans at 5/6/7/8/9/12/15/20/26/32 with no mention of concern

There's zero evidence that they aren't safe. I'm carrying MCDA twins and have been scanned every two weeks, at least, since 16 weeks. Plus some emergency scans. Just be grateful we have the diagnostic technology to give your baby /babies the best care

An ultrasound isn’t harmful, it doesn’t use radiation but high frequency sound waves.
Many women have a lot of extra scams when they’re high risk so you should be absolutely fine to go for another. Do you think you misheard the Sonographer?

I'm not sure. I honestly don't remember her saying that it's what my partner heard. But I was just a bit nervous about things and just wanted to know if the baby was ok and worried about the NT scan. It's possible he had misheard but I just thought it would be a strange thing to mishear on. What else could she have said that might have been similar?

Tbh there’s not much research been done iirc.

I haven’t checked the lit for ages but about 10 years ago there were some studies that showed us did affect a developing foetus, but as trials would be unethical there can’t be investigation into how and why.

In the end it’s all about risk/benefit. If there is medical need then obviously that outweighs the very slight risk from the us.

However bonding/3d/gender scans are purely for the parents. There’s no medical need, and you’re exposing the foetus to US for no reason.

So personally I would only have a scan at a dr’s instruction. To me, it’s the same as having a glass of shandy or similar- the risk is likely absolutely tiny, but why would you?

One of the midwives told me that the baby doesn’t like being scanned and to avoid if unnecessary. Something to do with noise levels I think. Don’t know how true this is?
I didn’t have a gender scan but I’ve had to have more than usual for medical purposes. Didn’t think twice about having them.

Its fine some people get scans every week from early on x

The only people I've heard say this are also anti-vaxxers, think WiFi is killing is all unless you wear a magic crystal bracelet and consider a garlic clove in the ear and homeopathy a better cure for a toddler screaming with an ear infection than antibiotics.and calpol.

I thought that they said that there's an unknown small risk so it's on a risk benefit basis. I would not have one "just because "

I wouldn't worry too much OP. A lot of women have regular scans if their pregnancy is high risk. Some even weekly/two-weekly etc.

It's X-rays that they don't tend to like doing especially in the first trimester due to radiation etc. I had to have a wisdom tooth out 2 weeks ago (at 9 weeks pregnant) and they had to go in blind as they wouldn't X-ray me.

If you're concerned ask your midwife :) x

Unhelpful dappled. As blue said, there is very little evidence on the effects of scans. Obviously, if needed as a diagnostic, they are fantastically beneficial and marvellous. Personally I wouldn't have "recreational " ones. There is, however, plenty of evidence that small amounts of alcohol have pretty much no effect, especially in later pregnancy, so I would have the shandy.
There is also decent evidence that lots of stress in pregnancy can have an effect on the baby (and on the mother's postpartum health), so if an extra scan is going to help your mental health, then I'd go for it.
You have to do your own weigh up!

Jesus, no. You're fine.

Thanks everyone. I have previously had counselling for excessive worrying etc and it worked wonders. Now I'm pregnant old worries and some very relevant new ones are creeping in. I don't like being a nuisance so I don't want to keep contacting my midwife but I'm seeing her Friday so will mention it then. She has also offered me the MH midwife which I refused but maybe I'll see about asking for some extra assistant. I don't actually want to know the sex yet I just want someone to say 'baby is still fine and alive'. I know everyone worries but I can afford the scan so thought my mind will be at rest if I pay for it. I'll see what MW says Friday. I don't want to add unnecessary risks to something I already worry about.

China has funded a lot of dodgy research into ‘proving’ that ultrasounds have caused brain cancer amongst Chinese kids rather than genetic conditions or poor pollution / health controls. Don’t believe a word that’s been published.

I had a lot of ultrasounds (sometimes more than one a week) and two MRIs when pregnant with DS. He is perfectly healthy.

I work in ultrasound. It is complete bullshit and dangerous to suggest to any worries parent that ultrasound is dangerous! I actually can't believe a sonographer would ever suggest that so if you heard it yourself you should be filling in a PALs form. Are you sure your partner heard something else and has got the wrong end of the stick?

@honeyplop it is entirely possible he misheard or is spinning me BS as he thinks I'm being ridiculous wanting to check in on the baby (his third!). I think I'll probably try and rebook for next weekend and put my mind at ease. What is PALs?

@AndBeholdAWhiteHorse Anything that puts your mind at ease is good. And just picking up from your reply, I’d say if you’ve been offered the support from a MH midwife definitely take it now. I am further along than you and have found it invaluable as pregnancy has sent my anxiety through the roof. They have been brilliant.

My doctor has been giving me a scan each month. The only thing he mentioned was that he just listens for heartbeat very quickly because the baby "doesn't like it", something to do with the frequency I guess. He still does it each time so it though.

I had about 20 scans in total and 10 were very detailed lasting 30-45mins. Baby is perfectly healthy :). In most cases the benefits of a scan greatly outweigh “risk” (if there is any), even if the benefit is solely for your own mental health such as having reassurance or a photo of your baby.

I'd be very concerned if a sonographer was talking about 'safe numbers' of scans. There's no evidence that US carries any sort of risk at all. Suggestions that it does are very much in the anti-vax conspiracy woo bullshit arena.

My doctor has been giving me a scan each month. The only thing he mentioned was that he just listens for heartbeat very quickly because the baby "doesn't like it"

Ask him for the double-blind, peer-reviewed trials clearly deomstrating this.

The risk is poorly understood because it would be ethnically too dodgy to do placebo controlled trials, which is the medical gold standard.
I wouldn’t have a scan that wasn’t medically indicated, but plenty of people do.

Ask him for the double-blind, peer-reviewed trials clearly deomstrating this

There aren’t any, because it’s not ethical to subject foetuses to unnecessary intervention for the sake of a clinical trial.

But lets ignore ethics for the more dramatic sounding science speak.