Muirhead1

Colee Muirhead
Mrs. Hensel
English 4
09 November 2015
Ultrasounds and Pregnancy
The use of an ultrasound can produce positive and negative feedback to the mother about
the fetus during her pregnancy. The use of ultrasound has been around for a while and the
advancements in the technology have led to more efficient information feedback. On one hand,
ultrasounds provide you with good and positive information about the baby such as everything is
normal of even later determine the gender. While on the other hand, an ultrasound can detect any
minor and major issues with the fetus or pregnancy such as developmental problems and risks of
premature birth. As much as ultrasounds are promoted to be safe and harmless there was a study
done that ultrasounds can negatively affect the woman and the baby. The baby can suffer from
neurological damage due to the exposure to the radiation of the sonar technology. Women have
to take in all the benefits and consequences of having an ultrasound to get the information she is
asking about her baby.
Ultrasounds have been around for a while and werent as advanced as they are now in the
present. Before the technology became as advanced as it is now, the use of ultrasounds would
create question on whether it was safe or not to use sonar technology. When the advancements in
ultrasound technology progressed ultrasound imaging became more efficient and safe. The use of
ultrasounds in pregnancy can help give information feedback to the mother about her baby
whether it be good or bad. The in depth imaging of the ultrasound can retrieve information that

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there would be no other way to get without using ultrasound. Scientists want to further expand
the technology of ultrasound imaging to get more enhanced and in depth feedback and imaging.
(Beech)
As much as it is portrayed to be harmless there are harmful side effects of having an
ultrasound done. According to Goldbas the exposure to the radiation of the sonar technology in
the machine can cause neurological issues with the fetus and cause issues with the baby later in
life. Children have had symptoms of nerve damage, brain stimulation, and mental development.
Women also are concerned with the fact that there are non-qualified individuals operating
machinery that is concentrated on the information about their child. Since women have brought
this worry to attention an effort has been made to try to improve the quality of the ultrasound
both with personnel and the technology. (Goldbas)
Even though ultrasounds can have negative consequences the overall use of them is
beneficial to a woman and her pregnancy. Ultrasounds are intentionally used for determining first
signs of pregnancy using imaging. Mcclure says that later in pregnancy ultrasounds become a
resource for information on the development of the baby. Ultrasounds not only just provide
images but can determine the approximate length of limbs and weight. Before ultrasounds were
being used there was no way to receive such feedback about the baby, all you got was to hear a
heartbeat. There was no way to know the gender before the baby was born, now with ultrasounds
you can even learn the gender of the fetus once to a certain point in pregnancy. Women say that
ultrasounds are resourceful when they have questions or concerns about the baby. (Mcclure)
The use of ultrasound technology has been proven to be beneficial to a woman and the
fetus along with non-beneficial to them. But the improvements that have led to the latest
technology in the imaging today have come a long way from what they were years ago. There

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have been more beneficial aspects of an ultrasound rather than non. Women are pleased to have a
resource that is able to provide them with information on their child such as development, health
status, gender, and even gestational age. Even though ultrasounds are helpful they are also
harmful sometimes causing issues with the woman or child. Ultrasounds can be a resource for
good information, but also be a time bomb for consequences.

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Works Cited
Beech, Beverley Lawrence. "Ultrasound: Prematurity and Potential Risks." Midwifery Today 105
(2013): 26-67. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 5 Nov. 2015.
Goldbas, Abbie. "Obstetric Ultrasounds Are Not Necessarily Safe." International Journal Of
Childbirth Education 30.2 (2015): 67-71. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.
McClure, Elizabeth M., et al. "First Look: A Cluster-Randomized Trial Of Ultrasound To
Improve Pregnancy Outcomes In Low Income Country Settings." BMC Pregnancy &
Childbirth 14.1 (2014): 1-18. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.