3-D Ultrasounds FDA: ‘Meet Your Baby’ Ultrasounds Can Be Dangerous Warns FDA


3-D ultrasounds have the FDA warning expectant mothers this week. According to CBS News, women who opt to have a 3-D ultrasound of their baby done in order to obtain an image as a “keepsake” could be putting themselves at risk. While many women love the idea of having a 3-D image of their baby, and look at it as a way to “meet” their child before he or she is born, there are side effects of ultrasounds that all women should be made aware of.

“While ultrasounds are considered safe, they are known to raise the temperature of exposed tissue, and can even create small bubbles known as cavitation,” reports CBS News.

Despite 3-D ultrasounds being potentially dangerous, according to the FDA, woman continue to have them done. There is a level of excitement there, especially when it’s a woman’s first baby, that seems to outweigh the potential side effects.

“I felt emotionally connected in the 2-D, but I almost cried here,” said one mother who recently had a 3-D ultrasound done.

“All of a sudden, it’s not a black and white: you see the features, you see a baby’s face and the biggest thing here is the nose. Everybody talks about the nose. ‘Who’s nose is that? Is it daddy’s nose? Is it mommy’s nose?’ ” said the owner of a 3-D-imaging company in New York.

Many doctors feel that ultrasounds should be done only when medically necessary, and that they should be done at a doctor’s office, and not at a kiosk at the mall, regardless if the procedure is “the same.” According to Mail Online, the state of Connecticut has already banned these vanity ultrasounds, and more states could follow suit.

“The FDA says that at such places the fetus could be exposed to up to an hour of ultrasound technology which is longer than most doctors spend,” reports Mail Online.

If you choose to adhere by the FDA’s warnings about 3-D ultrasounds, it’s not the end of the world — not even close. Plenty of parents are thrilled with a 2-D ultrasound photo, and feel lucky to have that glimpse into the world of their soon-to-be newborn. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, parents-to-be in the U.K. got quite the surprise on their 2-D ultrasound. Their unborn baby was seen giving a “thumbs up” during his 20-week check-up. The photo got loads of attention on the web last month.

[Photo by Michael Bradley/Getty Images]

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