Are These 14 Myths about Ultrasounds Stopping You From Enjoying Your Baby?

Being pregnant can be a joyous occasion for many parents-to-be. For many, there is a sense of excitement and wonder as they get ready to welcome their newborn. But for others, the 9-month journey can seem like an eternity fraught with stress, anxiety and worry with parents-to-be finding it hard to wait that long to meet their baby.

The advancements in live, high definition ultrasound scans allow expecting parents the opportunity to check on baby whenever they like, making their pregnancies much less stressful.

That said, there are quite a few myths about having ultrasound scans doing the rounds and as much as parents would like to have extra scans, they are apprehensive. So, let’s put some of these myths and misunderstandings to bed so you can schedule your 2D/3D/4D/5D ultrasound scan appointment with a clear mind.

Can’t Accurately Predict Baby’s Sex

Ultrasound is a visual media which means we have to be able to see what we are looking for on the screen. Many places will tell you that gender can’t be predicted accurately until 20 weeks where in reality, the new advancement in technology allows us to determine gender as early as 14 weeks with absolute certainty.

How do you know if the centre you want to go to has the latest technology? Ask them if they can transfer movie clips and still images straight to your phone. New machines come with built-in WiFi. If they tell you that they download images onto a USB or a CD/DVD, keep looking!

Ultrasounds are Unsafe

Ultrasound technology produces an image by using sound waves, like a battleship pinging a submarine and poses no risk for your baby, unlike X-Ray which uses radiation to produce an image. So, don’t worry about how many times you can have a scan during pregnancy, you can have as many as you like. 

Some private obstetricians that have small ultrasound scanners in their rooms will scan the baby at every appointment.

An Early Gender Scan is often Wrong

This used to be true in the old days but scanners have come a long way in the past few years. The new machines produce exceptionally clear images making gender determination much more accurate.

Of course, a lot does still depend on the position of the baby, the amount of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby and the skill of the technician, but centres whose reputation are based on accuracy rates will look at the gender from 2 or 3 different angles before telling Mum and Dad what they are having

They are Not Invasive

In most cases, the technician will apply a gel onto your stomach and use a probe along your abdomen to produce the images.

However, when a foetus is being scanned very early (less than 7 weeks) or if Mum is carrying a lot of weight, a transvaginal ultrasound may be required where a probe is inserted into the vagina to produce images.

I Will Always Get a Scan if I go to the Emergency Department at the Hospital

It depends! If your life is being threatened of course you will get a scan but, in most cases, where a Mum is complaining of pain, has bleeding or spotting (especially after hours) you may well find they give a blood test to check levels, keep you sitting around for hours whilst they get the results before sending you home without having had a scan.

I Can Only Have a Scan after 12 Weeks

This is completely untrue. Many Mums-to-be are being scanned as early as 5 weeks to date the baby and to check for ectopic pregnancies. Many more are choosing to make sure that the baby is okay, there is a heartbeat, and the baby is growing properly from 7 weeks onwards.

3D/4D/5D ultrasounds are better than 2D

2D scans are the common black and white images you get when you go to the hospital for your 12 and 20 weeks scans. 2D, black and white scans are still the way that sonographers measure the baby to check for defects. 3D/4D/5D scans show the baby in a completely different way.

A 3D image is a still image with depth and perspective which allows us to see the baby in detail, in colour and from any angle. A 4D and 5D image shows that 3D image being updated many times per second to show live-action and the new 5D Live scanners greatly enhance the detail of the still and moving images (like watching the difference between Analogue and HI-DEF TV)

It can cause Miscarriage in the First Three Months of Pregnancy

Absolutely untrue. Ultrasound cannot cause a miscarriage at any time during the pregnancy

“Ultrasound” and “Sonogram” don’t mean the Same Thing

Yes, they do. Sonogram is the American word for an Ultrasound. After all, a Sonogram is technology based on sonar.

Ultrasounds are Quick Procedures

Not always true. Although many Mums-to-be who have ever had an ultrasound will know that the wait in the lobby for your ultrasound to take place can be longer than the scan itself.

All ultrasounds rely on the baby to cooperate just a little and if the baby is not co-operating, your scan can take a while. Getting baby to move, uncross the legs, turnover etc… can all take a while so have a little patience with the process.

You can’t Eat before the Ultrasound

Not true. There is no relation between scanning babies and eating.

You Can Only Have a Scan with a Full Bladder

We know most people associate having a scan with being told to drink a lot of water and to sit with a full bladder for long periods.

A full bladder is useful in 20-week scans when the technician is taking measurements to check the baby’s health. The full bladder adds some buoyancy which can make the baby easier to scan. For all other scans during pregnancy, a full bladder doesn’t matter at all.

You can Only Get a Scan with a Doctor’s Referral

For all medical and diagnostic scans, that is absolutely correct. But for those looking for a scan to relieve stress, worry or anxiety or for those looking for reassurance that baby is okay, gender scans and all 3D/4D/5D scans a referral is not needed.

Ultrasound Centres are Only Open 9:00 AM -5:00 PM

Generally, this is true. Some centres do have extended hours but mainly they are open during weekdays. However, there are centres that are now saying they are open 24/7 and will even scan you in the middle of the night without a doctor’s referral. Type in 24/7 pregnancy ultrasounds into your browser to see if there is one in your area.

 

About the Author

David Portnoy Managing Director of Early Image Pty Ltd has been providing 3D/4D/5D Ultrasound services in Australia for the past 15 years. With a team of dedicated personnel and using only the very latest technology, Early Image has introduced over 70,000 parents-to-be to their unborn babies in a luxurious and memorable experience.