Baby Scan, Why Ultrasound?

When comes to scanning check up, many parents may have the same questions:

Is ultrasound safe?
Any radiation incurred by ultrasound scanner?
Too many scan done may increase risk of radiation?

The answer is simply:
Yes, ultrasound scanning is safe for you and your baby.

You might be wondering why ultrasound is safe and different from any other imaging modalities, i.e., X-Ray, CT or MRI scan, so here is some basic information the author would like to share with the readers:

Unlike other imaging methods which include using ionising agents and electromagnetic radiation, ultrasound images are basically formed using sound waves. An ultrasound machine continuously sends out sound waves through the body, the sound waves will then be reflected back by our body/baby at different depths to the detector in the machine, in which the ultrasound machine will convert the reflected signal into images to be visible on the screen.

In the past 30-40 years, a lot of research has been carried out yet up to this date, there is still no scientific evidence of any negative effects from ultrasound on the developing baby nor the mother.

So you may ask again:
If it is using sound waves, why are we not hearing it?

The answer is:
Yes, it is using sound waves, but there is a limitation in our hearing ability.
The ultrasound machine for scanning usually used the sound waves with the frequency of 3-7 mHz.
Our normal hearing ability is only up to 20 kHz, which is much lower than the ultrasound waves, and that is the reason why we cant hear it.

So is the ultrasound scan safe for your baby and can we do scan repeatedly?
Yes, indeed it is safe, but every now and then we encourage to do a scan with a purpose and discouraging parents just frequently do the scan for non specific reasons or purposes.

Are you pregnant? Have you got your baby scan today?

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