Ultrasounds

Ultrasounds (a.k.a. obstetric sonography) are a medical technology which use high-frequency sound waves to produce an image of the inside of your body. These images are called sonograms and because they are in real time you can observe movement occurring inside of your body. That means you can see your baby moving!

Ultrasounds, like any other type of technology, are not 100% accurate, but are very good for tracking your baby’s development and identifying potential problems.

Ultrasounds are used to:

• determine your due date
• determine the location of the embryo (intrauterine or ectopic)
• determine the location of the placenta in relation to the cervix
• check if you’re carrying multiples
• check for major physical abnormalities in the fetus
• assess fetal growth, movement and heartbeat
• determine the sex of your baby

Ultrasounds are a relatively safe medical technology, because they do not use ionising radiation which can be damaging to cells. However, ultrasounds do heat tissue, therefore it is important that you make sure only trained competent professionals perform ultrasounds on your belly and that you avoid frequent exposure, which means you must avoid that temptation for a weekly ultrasound to check on your baby.