Can a scan hurt my unborn baby

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asks H Gray:
A. At the moment, there's no evidence to suggest that ultrasound scanning will physically hurt you or your baby. Routine scanning hasn't been happening long enough to find out if it causes any long-term effects. The biggest study done so far was in Sweden, and researchers found that seven-year-olds who had been scanned in pregnancy had no increased risk of hearing or sight loss. Research is continuing. It's interesting that babies who are being scanned often move out of the way when the probe reaches them, which suggests that they are aware of it.

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Q. Why are pregnant women scanned
A. Almost every hospital will routinely scan women when they are 18-20 weeks pregnant. This is to:

• measure the baby's head which can give an accurate date for the birth
• check hands, feet and limbs for abnormalities
• check the heart, other organs and the spine to ensure everything is developing normally
• find out if there is more than one baby
• check the position of the baby and the placenta to see if there's a low-lying placenta which would need further checks.

Q. Can you tell the baby's sex at this stage
A. Yes, but hospital policies on telling the parents vary. And mistakes have been made, so nurseries shouldn't be decorated pink on the strength of this information!

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Q. How many scans should I have
A. It depends where you have your baby and on your individual needs. Most women have one scan, but you may be given extra scans for all sorts of reasons: a dating scan if you're not sure when you became pregnant, for example; some hospitals offer a 12-weeks scan to assess the baby's size; others like to do one later in the pregnancy, too.

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Q. Do I have to have a scan
A. No, you don't have to have any kind of test while you're pregnant: the choice is yours. However, many women find it reassuring to have their unborn baby checked over. Plus you get to see your baby on a screen before it's born!

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Q. What about the new 3-D scanners
A. This new machine (which costs �120,000) uses conventional ultrasound to build up a 3-D image of the baby in the womb. One of these machines is in the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London. At the moment, it's being used to help doctors spot foetal abnormalities, such as cleft palate, spina bifida and foetal tumours, more easily. But it won't replace conventional ultrasound scans for a long time yet.

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By Sheena Miller

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