At a 1982 World Health Organization (WHO) meeting sponsored by the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) and other organizations, an international group of experts reported that “[t]here are several frequently quoted studies that claim to show that exposure to ultrasound in utero does not cause any significant abnormalities in the offspring. …However, these studies can be criticized on several grounds, including the lack of a control population and/or inadequate sample size, and exposure after the period of major organogenesis; this invalidates their conclusions….”(4)
Early studies showed that subtle effects of neurological damage linked to ultrasound were implicated by an increased incidence in left-handedness in boys (a marker for brain problems when not hereditary) and speech delays.(5) Then in August 2006, Pasko Rakic, chair of Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Neurobiology, announced the results of a study in which pregnant mice underwent various durations of ultrasound.(6) The brains of the offspring showed damage consistent with that found in the brains of people with autism. The research, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, also implicated ultrasound in neurodevelopmental problems in children, such as dyslexia, epilepsy, mental retardation and schizophrenia, and showed that damage to brain cells increased with longer exposures.(7)
Just one example. Read the informed consent documents AND do a little med library research. Some Obs don’t think that you will understand all of information so they sugar coat. Others don’t understand it themselves
Interesting. Thanks for the info.
Our dyslexic son—no ultrasound. Our Aspberger-ish child (not diagnosed but scary smart with almost no social skills)—no ultrasound. I always read the materials given to me by obstetricians. I don’t recall any info about ultrasounds. I do recall having to sign 3 times in pregnancy #8 that I did not wish to have an amniocentesis(sp?). The same with pregnancy #9. But no warnings about ultrasounds. As a matter of fact, with #9, my ob had new computer equipment hooked to his ultrasound. He made a DVD for me of baby in utero. He was thrilled with his new gadgets and couldn’t wait to share it with me and my husband.