Is Ultrasound Scanning During Pregnancy Worth the Risks?
While ultrasound scanning doesn’t pose the same dangers to human and fetal health as ionizing radiation, it is a mistake to think that ultrasound is entirely safe for a baby growing in your womb. Ultrasound scanning works by sending sound waves into your tissues. As these sound waves bounce off of your tissues, a picture is created. These sound waves are capable of producing the following physiological effects: • Increase in blood flow and temperature in local tissues • Production of gas bubbles that can put pressure on local tissues • Mechanical effects like movement of the fluid that surrounds your cells, which can also put pressure on local tissues The conventional view on ultrasound scanning during pregnancy is that the intensity and duration of sound waves that are used for scanning are not enough to produce these physiological effects at a level that is harmful to a fetus. I believe that this conventional view is influenced by the number of dollars that are being made by this ind
