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| Ultrasounds |
| At one time ultrasounds were considered safe. Sometimes they are even used as a type of entertainment at doctors visits. However, contrary to popular belief ultrasounds are not as safe for our babies as we think. With the use of ultrasounds on the rise certain forms of childhood cancers like leukemia are on the rise in children who had ultrasounds used on them as a fetus. Delayed neurological development, suppression of immune response, behavourial and emotional affects, blood and vascular changes, and congenital malformations in fetuses are also linked to ultrasounds. Changes to the amnotic fluid were also found after being exposed to ultrasound. Some studies have shown ultrasound to be connected to low birth weight also with disorders such as ADD. Most of the problems mentioned about are just being proven now, but there are some adverse effects of ultrasounds that have been proven. Ultrasounds produce heat and can cause a process called "cavitation." In cavitation bubbles are created that expand in contract in response to sound waves. Ultrasounds are the same kind of raditation as an X-ray. If you have a normal pregnancy, avoid unnecessary ultrasounds or avoid having them at all. Be very careful of the assignment of a "high risk" pregnanacy as these are given out to often. Also, the Doppler stethoscope uses ultrasound to find the fetal hearbeat, if you are monitored inisit that they use a traditional fetal stethoscope. Fetal monitors are also ultrasounds. Routinely ultrasounds are used once or twice during a pregnancy. The medical profession has believed they are safe for many years now. This false beliefe in safety is the result of early studies which didn't reveal adverse affects of ultrasounds. Later studies reported a diverse array of adverse affects. As our research becomes more sophisticated then we are finding more and more affects of ultrasounds that are proving they are not as safe as once thought. |