Every expectant mother usually has at least two diagnostic ultrasounds during her pregnancy. Currently, the most common ultrasound diagnostic instrument is B-ultrasound or color Doppler ultrasound. In recent years, more advanced three- and four-dimensional color Doppler ultrasound has emerged. So which is better for expectant mothers to have B-ultrasound or color ultrasound during normal prenatal check-ups? Will doing too much B-ultrasound affect the health of the fetus?
Ultrasound examination can help doctors observe the development of the fetus, determine the size of the fetus and the more accurate due date of the expectant mother. Therefore, ultrasound examination is of great significance to ensure the health of the fetus and the smooth delivery of the expectant mother. We have summarized some of the most frequently asked questions about ultrasound examinations that expectant mothers encounter to help expectant mothers learn more about ultrasound examinations and reduce misunderstandings.
1. What does ultrasonic examination refer to?
Ultrasound is a form of non-ionizing radiation. It is a physical factor and an energy. Ultrasound waves emitted by ultrasonic instruments such as B-ultrasound or color Doppler ultrasound will be reflected back when encountering human tissue to form an image, which is helpful to observe and discover whether the fetal body structure development is abnormal, and determine the size of the fetus and the actual number of weeks of pregnancy of the expectant mother. wait
2. How many ultrasounds should be done during pregnancy?
Ultrasound examination can help observe and detect abnormalities in the fetal body structure, determine the size of the fetus and the actual gestational age of the expectant mother. It is recommended that pregnant women undergo 23 ultrasound examinations during pregnancy.
3. Will too many B-ultrasound examinations have any impact on the development of the fetus or its future health?
The clinical application of ultrasound in medicine began more than 70 years ago. Unlike X-rays, there is not enough evidence to date that ultrasound has a teratogenic effect. However, since humans have not accumulated long-term data on the impact of ultrasound on the human body, experts suggest that general prenatal ultrasound examinations should be based on the principle of minimization, and multiple ultrasound examinations should not be performed for unnecessary reasons. Medical diagnosis.
But this does not mean that the fewer B-ultrasound examinations, the better. In addition to these two necessary examinations, necessary examinations must be carried out according to the physical condition of the expectant mother and as directed by the doctor. For example, when an expectant mother shows symptoms of miscarriage, the doctor may need to use B-ultrasound to confirm the condition of the fetus. Once upon a time, there was an expectant mother who suffered from bleeding during pregnancy. The doctor wanted to use B-ultrasound to confirm whether the baby was still alive, but the mother-to-be refused and continued to keep the baby. As a result, the tragedy of stillbirth occurred.
Expectant mothers don’t have to worry too much because they have had one or more ultrasounds done before others. In fact, the impact of psychological stress and poor mood on the fetus at this time is far greater than the impact of ultrasound itself on the fetus.
4. What types of ultrasonic flaw detectors are there? What\’s the difference?
The most common ones are B-ultrasound and ordinary color ultrasound. There are also three-dimensional and four-dimensional color ultrasound, vaginal B-ultrasound, etc. In addition, ultrasonic liquid level gauges and ultrasonic liquid level gauges are also mainstream products of ultrasonic instruments.
B-ultrasound: two-dimensional black and white imaging, through which the fetus’s biparietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference and other data can be measured to further determine the baby’s expected date of delivery. It can also help doctors observe whether the fetus is viable or malformed, whether there is too much amniotic fluid, etc. The price is relatively cheap, about 90 yuan (it will fluctuate depending on the specific conditions in different places).
Ordinary color ultrasound: In addition to observing everything that can be observed by B-ultrasound, color ultrasound has intuitive imaging, clearer display, and faster results. It can detect abnormal blood flow and provide diagnostic basis for the diagnosis of fetal congenital heart disease. The price is more expensive than Super B, about 150 yuan (it will fluctuate according to the specific conditions of each place).
Three-dimensional color Doppler ultrasound: It is a color Doppler ultrasound diagnostic instrument with three-dimensional dynamic display. It not only has all the functions of two-dimensional color ultrasound, but can also perform three-dimensional imaging of the fetal head and face. Assist doctors to directly diagnose fetal congenital malformations, including superficial malformations and visceral malformations, especially craniofacial malformations that are difficult to show on two-dimensional color ultrasound. And can determine the precise positioning of the fetus in the womb. The price is relatively expensive, probably twice as expensive or even more than an ordinary color Doppler ultrasound.
Four-dimensional color Doppler ultrasound: It is based on three-dimensional color Doppler ultrasound images with time dimension parameters, which can observe the real-time dynamic movement of the fetus. Currently, there are relatively few clinical applications in obstetrics and gynecology.
Vaginal B-ultrasound: It is an intracavity ultrasonic examination instrument that places the ultrasound probe directly into the vagina for ultrasonic examination. Most of them are used to assist doctors in diagnosing gynecological diseases, such as cervical problems, and are basically not used for prenatal examinations of expectant mothers.
5. Is the more expensive the ultrasound examination, the better?
You can\’t just use price to make generalizations. Ordinary prenatal examination can be completed with B-ultrasound or ordinary color ultrasound, without the need for three-dimensional or four-dimensional ultrasound. In other words, no matter whether you use three-dimensional or four-dimensional color ultrasound, the results will be the same as B-ultrasound or ordinary color ultrasound, so why spend twice as much money?
In addition to routine health examinations, if you really want to observe fetal behavior, such as finger sucking, you can only use a three-dimensional color ultrasound in the third trimester at most.
6. What can an ultrasound scan tell an expectant mother?
Usually after an ultrasound examination, the doctor will issue an ultrasound examination report, which often contains the following items:
BPD: fetal head BPD. It can help determine whether the size of the fetus is consistent with the month of pregnancy.
HC and AC: fetal head circumference and abdominal circumference. Can help determine fetal size.
FL: femur length. Work with the BPD to help determine if fetal development is appropriate for the month of pregnancy.
Amniotic fluid: Determine whether the amount of amniotic fluid is normal.
These items are very important for doctors to determine the weight of the fetus and whether the mother-to-be can try to give birth naturally.
7. produceDo I need to hold in my urine before the B-ultrasound examination?
Under normal circumstances, prenatal ultrasound examination is only to observe whether the fetus is normal, and there is no need to hold in urine. When the doctor needs to check the expectant mother\’s liver, kidneys, spleen and other organs, she needs to hold her urine in advance.