Ultrasound scans are commonly used to monitor fetal development, but concerns exist about their safety. While low-frequency sound waves used in ultrasound equipment are not harmful, there are fears that they may negatively impact brain development. However, there is no evidence of any impact on brain function in humans, although tests on animals have produced some negative results. Ultrasound is primarily used to monitor developmental progress or identify sources of pain or discomfort in the mother.
Ultrasound scans are procedures used by obstetricians to identify the presence and development of a fetus. Often referred to as ultrasound or ultrasonography, ultrasonography is used extensively, especially after the fetus is eight weeks old. While use of the procedure is widespread, there are some continuing concerns about the safety of ultrasound in general and its use in pregnancy screening in particular.
One of the major concerns related to ultrasound is the use of sound waves to transmit images that can be used to assess the state of the unborn baby. There is certainly evidence that the use of sound waves can create heat that is harmful to human tissue. However, this type of activity requires the use of very high frequencies of sound waves. The equipment used in ultrasound only requires the use of low-frequency sound waves and so far there is no evidence that they cause harm to the fetus.
There is also some concern that while sonograms do not cause any apparent tissue damage, they may negatively impact proper brain development. Specifically, there is a fear that the sound waves cause some type of neurological damage that will manifest as a learning disability later in life. Because it is not uncommon for obstetricians to order an ultrasound examination during the sixteen to twenty-two week period in which brain development takes place, some question whether the invasive sound waves could somehow impair that development.
To date, there is no evidence that sonograms cause any type of learning disability or brain defect. Tests carried out on human subjects were conducted using increasingly sophisticated methods and found no evidence of any kind of impact on brain function, positive or negative. However, tests with some animals have produced some situations where there is apparent brain damage related to the use of ultrasound. Because of these test results, research is ongoing into the possible negative effects of ultrasound scans on human fetuses.
While many people view ultrasound as a test to determine the sex of an unborn baby, the procedure is more often used to monitor developmental progress or to identify the source of unusual pain or discomfort experienced by the mother, such as pain accompanied for bleeding. This means that some women may not have an ultrasound until the last trimester of their pregnancy, or perhaps not have the procedure at all. Even most people concerned about tissue damage tend to admit that the fetus is usually resilient enough by the third trimester not to be adversely affected by the emission of low sound waves used in this type of test.
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