FDA warns pregnant women away from recreational ultrasounds

Expectant mothers may long for a peek at the little life inside them, but they usually have to wait until the 20th week for their doctor to order an ultrasound. Even then, many women are disappointed with the experience. The main purpose of medical ultrasounds is diagnostic screening, not opportunities for family bonding. They are performed in sterile offices by technicians more focused on getting accurate measurements than baby’s most photogenic pose. A woman may have difficulty seeing the screen, may get only a few moments at the end of the appointment to admire her precious baby and often goes home with grainy, 2D black-and-white pictures in which the baby is barely recognizable.

All that is changing with the advent of 3D/4D ultrasound technology, often ordered by physicians only if they suspect a problem. It offers much clearer, more detailed images than its 2D predecessor, and entrepreneurs are taking advantage of its appeal.

Businesses that offer “keepsake” ultrasounds for purely recreational purposes are popping up across the country. But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends women stay away, warning untrained employees operating equipment in a way it wasn’t designed for could end up harming mother or child.

Ultrasound is a valuable medical tool to monitor fetal growth, determine age and position, assess amniotic fluid levels, and screen for birth defects. To date there is no known harm to mother or baby, but that applies to ultrasound used under medical supervision. Last month, the FDA renewed its warning against the use of ultrasound for recreational purposes. The agency recommends ultrasounds only be performed when there is a medical need and only by appropriately trained operators under the supervision of a physician.

“Ultrasound can heat tissues slightly, and in some cases, it can also produce very small bubbles (cavitation) in some tissues,” said Shahram Vaezy, a biomedical engineer at the FDA. The long-term effects of tissue heating and cavitation are not yet known.

Commercial ultrasound businesses allow expectant mothers to purchase 3D pictures, live-action DVDs, and other novelty items. Family and friends can come along for a gender-revealing party in a room with all the comforts of home, including a large flat screen TV to watch real time video of baby thumb-sucking, yawning, or even smiling.

But recreational ultrasounds may result in prolonged or increased exposure. Some vendors use the ultrasound machine for as long as an hour to get good images, and some moms return frequently for ultrasounds to track baby’s development. “Furthermore, the number of sessions or the length of a session in scanning a fetus is uncontrolled, and that increases the potential for harm to the fetus and eventually the mother,” Vaezy said.

The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) cautions there may be risks from inappropriate use of color, pulsed Doppler ultrasound, or excessive thermal or mechanical index settings.

Despite FDA warnings, the popularity of keepsake ultrasounds is growing. The warnings haven’t hurt business at all, Lori Dunkman, owner of The Belly Factory in Frankfort, Ill., told The Chicago Tribune. Her facility continues to scan about 250 women a month, she said.