[ozmidwifery] Ultrasounds

[Ross W Timbs]

Dear Jodie & List,   I agree with Marilyn that there are lots of other signs that make the pregnancy real - fetal movements are not the only ones.  There are plenty of changes in your body & mind.   Another negative aspect of ultrasound that hasn't really been discussed is the amount of times they get it wrong, or see something 'unusual' but have no idea what it means.   Here's just a small selection of ultrasound stuff-ups that I have seen in my practice   - a baby with only two chambers in it's heart - this was missed on 2 ultrasounds - a woman with a Grade 4 placenta previa - missed on 3-4 ultrasounds - a baby that had 'ascites' detected on ultrasound - this woman was transferred to the capital city thousands of kms away from family & friends, and the baby delivered prematurely.  It didn't have ascites or any other detectable abnormality, but now has a host of problems resulting from prematurity and long separations from its mother. Imagine the different scenario if she's never had the routine ultrasound in the first place. - a baby that had 'shadows' on its heart on ultrasound.  No-one could tell the woman what this meant.  This considerably increased her anxiety levels - not reduced them.  The baby was and is perfectly healthy. - There have also been a number of cleft palates that have been missed, countless heart defects that have either been missed or are not detectable on ultrasound, a missed spinal defect. - Weight predictions that are often wrong - by up to 1.5kg.   These were done by a variety of ultrasonongraphers using a variety of equipment.   How can anyone be reassured by ultrasound, when they are so unreliable?   They are not a perfect tool, but their use is sometimes warranted when there is an indication - then they are not used alone in diagnosis, but as one part of a complete assessment.  I don't believe that they should be used routinely or for social reasons.  We don't give people the choice of having social xrays, CT scans etc - because there are potential negative aspects of their use.  We only use these technologies when we have an indication, not because someone wants to see a picture of their brain, etc.   Routine use of ultrasounds only serves to fill the pockets of private companies.   Well, that's my say.   Jacky