I am nervous about ultrasound scan

Is it the same as an X-ray? during which trimester is it safe? Will it harm my baby?

When  I went for my first ultrasound scan I was very nervous,’ says Nancy Bartilol who is expecting to deliver in October 2006. Every mother has reason to be afraid of any procedure she thinks will harm her baby. An ultrasound scan is one of the misunderstood procedures, primarily because many people associate it with the X-ray.

An ultrasound scan is not the same as an X-ray procedure which uses electromagnetic waves to produce picture of a part of the body. X-rays are capable of penetrating many substances, including body tissues. X-rays are absorbed by bones and some metals (platinum and lead). That is the reason for wearing a lead jacket when one goes into an X-ray room so that the rays do  not penetrate those parts of the body that are not being X-rayed. Radiography is examination by means of X-rays. A picture taken by X-ray is a radiography  whose results are interpreted by a radiographer. X-rays are also referred to as Rontgen rays, after the discoverer, German Physicist Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen.

Even though radiography may yield valuable information during pregnancy and labour,the X-rays can be very harmful to the growing fetus. This however, does not mean that a pregnant mother cannot be taken for an X-ray if the situation calls for it. During your pregnancy, you can still get an X-ray examination but safety measures have to be observed. X-rays are only applied to a pregnant woman under specialized care and advice of the doctor as they may cause malformations in the unborn child. Whenever you go for a radiological examination, inform the radiologist of your pregnancy status so that your abdomen can be protected.

END:PG 03/11