The Role Of Ultrasounds In Pregnancy

Ultrasounds during pregnancy are usually known as the Obstetric Ultrasound. It was introduced in the late 1950s. It is one of the best diagnostic tools that we have today. In pregnancy cases, the doctors use this tool to observe the fetus in the womb of the pregnant woman. The primary reason of this observation is to make sure that the fetus is developing properly and there are no complications. If there are some potential defects, they can be identified from such observation. That is why routine pregnancy ultrasound scans are very important.

Is It Safe?

Pregnancy ultrasound is completely safe both for the mother as well as for the unborn baby. These tools do not ionize radiation as in case of radiographs. The ultrasounds use real-time scanners through which the continuous picture of the moving fetus can be seen on the monitor screen. In order to do this, a transducer is used that releases frequency sound waves of between 3.5 to 7.0 megahertz. The process involves placing the transducer on the maternal abdomen and then moving it around in order to observe the specific aspects of the uterus. The fetus is scanned with the help of the recurring ultrasound beams. These beams are reflected back onto the transducer with specific sets of information. These sets of information are then recomposed into pictures that are displayed on the monitor screen.

What Information Can Be Found?

After sixteen weeks of pregnancy, the ultrasounds can easily detect the gender of the baby. However, it will definitely depend upon the aptitude of the operator and the quality of the sonographic machine that he or she is using. Besides that, the malformations in the fetus can also be identified with an ultrasound. The movements of the fetal heartbeat can be observed and measured accurately. The ultrasound scan is also very useful in identifying the structural abnormalities in the baby, if any. Overall, these ultimate diagnostic tools play a very important role in pregnancy right from the 7th or 8th week till the end of the pregnancy.

Is It Painful?

The expectant mother who does not know how ultrasounds function may have this fear whether such diagnosis causes pain. Well, you will be glad to know that it a relatively hassle-free process and causes negligible or just no pain. The diagnosis process is safe and painless while the results are very useful for both you and your unborn child. However, you may experience some uncomfortable but harmless sensations during the procedure. You may specifically experience these uncomfortable sensations in case of full bladder ultrasound where the maternal abdomen is scanned during the early stages of pregnancy. The sensation is caused because of the use of the conducting gel that you may feel cold and damp. However, the gel is non-staining. Other than these, there is nothing uncomfortable about the fetal ultrasound procedure.