Screening ultrasound: are you for or against?

To date, every pregnant woman needs to undergo a screening ultrasound and transvaginal ultrasound. The latter, in turn, is assigned only at the earliest possible date and only for the direct purpose of the doctor, since the transvaginal is the placement of the sensor in the vagina of the future woman in labor.

In theory, screening ultrasound is a regular routine procedure. It is approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

In particular, the first screening ultrasound is performed when the gestation period varies from 12 to 14 weeks.

It is interesting that in Europe (as in Russia), the ultrasound procedure is standard, but it is banned in the United States of America. Why and so is it dangerous? Let's understand.

The arguments of opponents:

- Screening ultrasound can be administered only if suspicion of placenta previa, polyhydramnios, placental abruption, fetal development retardation, or undeveloped pregnancy ;

- any information about the course of pregnancy can be obtained without the use of any special means, including without the appointment of ultrasound.

Of course, one can not argue with the fact that screening ultrasound for today is a fairly young procedure that is only to be studied, but its harmlessness has been proven for certain. In particular, earlier, in order to determine the size of the head in the fetus and pelvis in the mother, X-rays were used, the harm of which is certainly many times higher.

As a rule, the main goal of screening ultrasound is to detect any genetic defects in the fetus at an early stage of fetal development and, accordingly, have time to make the necessary actions. Thus, this procedure is more of a psychological nature, removing any fear of a future mother that the fetus will be with anomalies in development.

Especially it is worth considering that the second screening ultrasound is performed when the gestational age is already 21 or 22 weeks, but the third, the last, ultrasound - with a period of 32 to 33 weeks.

It is also believed that no reaction to ultrasound occurs in humans, but children in the womb move very actively after the study, and this point is often used to stop the mother from worrying about the child being without movement for a long time.

It should also be taken into account the important fact that only after the procedure of ultrasound can determine more accurately the duration of pregnancy, which, as often happens, may completely not coincide with the calculation of the woman in childbirth.

So, it is important only to determine the exact period of time to "get into that period", which is shown at the first examination of ultrasound. In addition, you need to calculate the time yourself, starting from the first day of the last menstrual cycle, but it should be remembered that this will not be accurate, but only averaged data.

After the ultrasound, the obtained data will be compared according to a special table with those taken, and if the development of the fetus is found to be delayed for about two weeks, additional research will be needed and the question of delaying fetal development and the causes associated with it will arise.

Do you still doubt the benefits of screening ultrasound?