Prenatal Ultrasound: Not So Sound
Prenatal ultrasound is considered a basic component of modern maternity care. American women routinely undergo 4-5 ultrasounds per pregnancy. Despite the absence of demonstrated benefits, there is a trend towards more applications earlier in pregnancy which increase the unborn baby’s radiation exposure manyfold. Few parents realize that ultrasound is based on non-ionizing radiation, as are cell phones, cell towers and wifi. In the mid 1980s the World Health Organization declared that concerns about ultrasound’s clinical efficacy and safety “do not allow a recommendation for routine screening.” A series of studies published in the late 1970s and early 1980s found that a “single exposure to ultrasound produced cellular and DNA damage similar to 250 chest x rays.” There are findings that ultrasound produced damage to DNA, cytokine signalling, red blood cells, neurons and mitochondria. Questions persist as to the potential exponential effect of combining ultrasound with vaccines, antibiotics and other stressors.