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ULTRASOUND in Pregnancy
Informative text by S.I.E.O.G. (Società Italiana di Ecografia Ostetrica e Ginecologica)
Synonyms: Ultrasound, Echography, Ultrasonography
What’
s echography? The
echography is a technical that allow us to see the inner organs of our body
using ultrasounds (not audible by the human ear) that across the wowen.
This
principle is the same used to localize the submarines. The
probe on the maternal abdomen sends ultrasounds impulses to the body . These
wawes are partially reflected from the abdominal wall and from the wall of the
uterus, creating echoes. When the ultrasounds arrive to the fetus, they send
other echoes (or wawes of return)
which are transformed in images on the echograph’ s monitor. This
means that an echography allows us to observe in a detailed way the fetus.
What’
s possible to see with ultrasound? In
the first and second months, measuring the lenght of the fetus, it’ s
possible to estimate if the fetus’ development is regular. The doctor can
estimate this by looking at the date of the last menstruation. The woman might
not remember exactly this date, or may be menstruations aren’ t really
regulars, but if she has an ultrasonograph in the first three months, she can
know exactly the age of her pregnancy. From the end of the second month, it’ s
possible to visualize the heartbeat’ s activity, the fetal movements and the
number of the fetuses. From
the fourth month the doctor can measure the
head,
abdomen
and femur’
s lenght and compare them with the reference ones (the normal dimensions). In
the same period it’ s possible to visualize the placentar insertion, the amount
of amniotic fluid and some of the inner organs. The fetus’
sex can be recognized from the fourth month: from this moment the fetus’
position can (or not) allow us to define it.
This means that sometimes it isn’ t possible to define the fetus’ sex
even in the last month, if the fetus’ position isn’ t
adapted.
It’
s possible to estimate the inner organs? Yes,
it’ s possible to estimate the bladder,
the kidneys, the stomach and the head’ s structures. The echography allows us
to see the heart,
too, but these kind of examinations can be executed only with a specific
indication. The possibilities to find an anomaly depend on the fetus’
position, from the amount of the amniotic fluid, and from the thickness of the
maternal abdomen’ walls: this means that sometimes it’ s impossible to find
a lesions, important or not.
It’
s the echography innocous for te fetus? Yes,
the ultrasounds are used in the obstetrician since 25 years and they have never
provoked harmful effects, even in long term, on the fetus. Because of these
reasons the echography is completaly safe.
How
many examinations should I do during the pregnancy? In a normal pregnacy you should have three examinations, one for each trimester: anyway, if the doctor suggest you to do more echographies, it’ s better you to do them. Sometimes it’ s necessary to repeat the same examination many times over. Remember to ask to your Gynecologist for every problem or doubt that you might have.
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