Repeated Prenatal Ultrasounds Safe
December 3, 2004
(Ivanhoe Newswire) –Repeated ultrasound exposures during pregnancy may not cause long-term harm to infants, according to a new study.
Researchers in Australia evaluated 2,700 children, half of whom had been exposed to repeated ultrasound and half of whom had only one ultrasound exposure before birth. The children were followed up at 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8 years of age.
While researchers note there may be a slight effect on fetal growth among infants who had been exposed to multiple ultrasounds, results show the physical sizes of the infants were similar at ages 1 and older.
The study also shows no significant differences in speech ability, language, behavior, and neurological development.
Lead investigator John Newman, M.D., from the University of Western Australia at King Edward Memorial Hospital, concludes, “Exposure to multiple prenatal ultrasound examinations from 18 weeks-gestation onwards might be associated with a small effect on fetal growth but is followed in childhood by growth and measures of developmental outcome similar to those children who had received a single prenatal scan.”
SOURCE: The Lancet, 2004;364:2038-2044