On many occasions we have talked about ultrasounds or ultrasounds performed during pregnancy as a medical control, and also other "voluntary" ultrasounds that are usually done to have more memories of the baby. Now, gynecologists seem to be against what they have called "show ultrasound".
In recent years, 3D and 4D ultrasound techniques have been developed that perform three-dimensional reconstructions of the image and make it possible to see the baby's appearance quite clearly.
With this, numerous centers have emerged that offer this type of ultrasound to prospective parents, who do not seek any diagnostic purpose, but to know the appearance of their children before they are born and develop an album of photos and videos of the baby. The French Gynecologists and Obstetricians College is against these ultrasounds that are not necessary for pregnancy monitoring.
Although, according to the WHO, there are studies that indicate, after long-term follow-up of children undergoing routine ultrasound examination, that it does not produce detrimental effects on their school performance or neurological functioning, specialists say in a statement that using ultrasound techniques for no medical purpose may not be as safe as previously thought.
According to statements by Bernard Broussin, a member of the French National Commission for obstetric and fetal ultrasound,
The real risk of prolonged exposure to ultrasound has never been studied accurately (...), so as a precautionary measure, it is recommended to limit exposure to medical use only.
Ultrasound is usually used in the diagnosis and monitoring of pregnancy using high-frequency sound waves that allow, among other things, to control the development of the fetus, as it offers clear images of its characteristics and the state of its organs.
Normally, ultrasounds performed at a medical center are brief; However, these 'playful' tests can be extended for more than half an hour, and they are repeated frequently if the image or the recording does not come out as they wished at first, a fact that especially concerns French specialists for possible thermal and mechanical effects of ultrasound.
On the other hand, the Gallic gynecologists also lament that a large part of the people who carry out these "show ultrasound" lack the necessary knowledge, since they are not doctors or midwives. Both the French Academy of Medicine and the French Agency for Health Safety and Health Products already issued a few years ago two separate notices warning of the risks of using ultrasound for non-medical purposes.
In general, the specialists point out that, although there is no evidence of risk in the medical literature (perhaps not enough has yet been studied), the extension of the "show ultrasound" banalizes the diagnostic and medical value of ultrasound, which should be limited to the healthcare environment.
