is ultrasound neccesary?

[passthemanna]

i'm TTC and planning on a homebirth. I'm trying to decide if I should do an ultrasound or not. I'm very doubtful that I'd do an early u/s just for dates...but is it neccessary to have an u/s to diagnose placenta previa or other complications?

[MyFillingQuiver]

I planned on not having any u/s for this pregnancy. It was just a personal choice.

However, at 21+ weeks, my midwife did suggest that *if I wanted to* that I have an u/s to find the placental location, since I obviously had an anterior placement. She wasn't sure if it was high enough away from my scar..she said it would be more for her to discern the difference between bleeding from that as a cause vs VBA2C rupture vs accreta, etc. She's so laid back, and everything is my choice.

Ultimately, we decided to do it, and the placenta is anterior but up so high..now we know that a placental position wouldn't be the cause of any issues should they arise.

I think placental position can sometimes be determined by the midwife, and whether or not to do the other scans for issues with the baby is personal...

Have you discussed it with a m/w yet?

Blessings to you!

[weliveintheforest]

not necessary, but sometimes useful.

I don't think a routine scan is necessary. If you are experiencing any complications or problems it is a useful tool for diagnosing things.

[Paige, CPM]

For genetic testing an early ultrasound 7-9 wks to measure the nucal fold of the fetus, in conjunction with the quad or triple bloodwork around 16 wks makes for more accurate information...so if you are interested in this testing you would want to schedule an early one. Or if you are really unsure of your dates, it might be a good idea to do one before 12wks (if you can figure that out).

As far as previa goes, most of the time they resolve so if you don't have bleeding, which would cause you to go and get an ultrasound, then you may never know and worry needlessly.

If you have a family history of congenital anomalies, heart conditions or the like then you may want to get an anatomy screen around 18wks.

In general u/s are far from perfect and can not catch everything, they are not 'gospel', but if you feel the need they can give some good reassurance.

I would say in my practice about half of my clients get them and half don't. Do what you feel is right for you.

[dannic]

I've had two pregnancies with one u/s each and one and a half pregnancies without, lol.

With my last I decided to opt out of the u/s and I've not had one this time either. If something were to occur that caused concern, then I would, but I don't feel that routine u/s are necessary.

that said, I did have to go back and renegotiate this when a dear friend of mine (who had no previous signs) ended up finding out her baby had chromosomal problems that would not allow baby to live. However, I came back to the fact that this is rare, and not really something that I need to be concerned about for my pregnancy. Again, if anything were to come up (even a feeling) I would get one. Until then, I'm all for trusting the process.

Good luck with your ttc!

[passthemanna]

thank you for your answers. I'm still interviewing midwives. I'm pretty sure I won't be doing an early u/s. I'm still considering having one around 20 weeks.

[laughymama]

I'm due in August and will not be getting any ultrasounds done for this pregnancy unless there are complications or signs pointing to something concerning.

But yeah...basically what all the PP have said.

[ColwynsMommy]

I don't think there's any need for an early ultrasound unless you have no idea when you conceived.

We opted to do the anatomy scan at 18 weeks these last two pregnancies because I felt better planning a homebirth with some reassurance that there weren't any major anomalies that would require us to be at the hospital. Is it necessary? Nope, not at all. But it made me feel better, and feeling safe when you give birth is a big thing.

[erin_brycesmom]

It's not necessary, it's just personal preference. Both ACOG and AIUM advise that ultrasounds should only be performed in low risk women when there is a medical indication. So that means the 20 week diagnostic/anatomy ultrasound is not recommended. My insurance (tricare) won't even cover those 20 week diagnostic scans even if I'm having a hsopital birth. They'll only cover an ultrasound if a medical indication arises (and one that they approve of).

[MommyMatsumoto]

I was just going to ask this question too! I've been reading a lot about the dangers of ultrasound and have decided that I don't want to have any ultrasounds next time around if it's possible. (I think I had about 8 or so with my DD!) However, I'm a big planner and I really want to find out what gender of the baby is. Does anyone know if there's a blood test or something that will identify the baby's gender??

[rad]

No they're not necessary at all, just a preference. My first 3 I didn't have any u/s. My 4th I opted for a 20 week scan. My 5th baby had so many scans since I ended up having a subchorionic hematoma and first they had to diagnose what was causing all my heavy bleeding. Then they monitored it. I finally stopped going in since it had pretty much resolved itself and the number of scans was getting crazy.

[passthemanna]

Originally Posted by MommyMatsumoto

I was just going to ask this question too! I've been reading a lot about the dangers of ultrasound and have decided that I don't want to have any ultrasounds next time around if it's possible. (I think I had about 8 or so with my DD!) However, I'm a big planner and I really want to find out what gender of the baby is. Does anyone know if there's a blood test or something that will identify the baby's gender??

i've seen a gender prediction test in the "family planning" section at Target. The "draino test" has always been accurate w/in our circle of family & friends

[passthemanna]

i think i still may do one around 20 weeks just for peace of mind-because this will be my first homebirth and I don't want to get nervous at the end or anything...but I still have plenty of time to think about it!

[averlee]

My medical insurance wouldn't cover the cost of an ultrasound unless it was deemed medically necessary, and since I had a low risk pregnancy with no issues, I never had one.

[jennica]

I don't believe they are necessary because they don't pick up every problem, and sometimes they do pick up issues that turn out not to be a problem. However, I did opt to have the nuchel translucency ultrasound at 12 weeks which is usually accompanied by a blood test to determine your specific risk factor for a chromosomal issue. I am 35 and started to get really nervous about the age thing at that point, but they couldn't get the measurements anyway because I have a retroverterd uterus, so it was all for nothing. Well, maybe not nothing, I was comforted by seeing the baby, and maybe it's just me, but I do have a hard time bonding or even believing their is a baby in there until I see the ultrasound so I am glad I did it. I decided not to have the 20 week scan because I do have concerns about too much ultrasound. I don't feel there is conclusive evidence against it, but there is enough to make me want to limit it as much as possible.

[yeahwhat]

I didn't have routine ultrasounds in my pregnancies. I was open to the possibility of ultrasound being useful though, just not a matter of routine.

I did have one in my first pregnancy, because at 14 weeks, the dr. told me I couldn't be more than 10-12 weeks. She wasn't concerned and figured I was wrong on dates. Because I had a positive test at 4 weeks, I was concerned and had an ultrasound. She was wrong, I was right, everything was fine. That was my only ultrasound in 5 pregnancies. The other 4 I went saw a midwife rather than family dr. There was never any other cause for concern that would make an ultrasound useful.

[Jodie]

I have had 2 homebirths and no ultrasounds.

I do not believe that routine ultrasounds are nessesary.
If I would have developed a problem I would have had one in a heartbeat, if it were needed.

Trust your instincts do what you feel you should do.

[phathui5]

I only had an ultrasound with my first baby, because I thought that was "what you do."

No ultrasound with kids 2-4, and everything went well anyway.

[CookAMH]

I personally would just to ensure the placenta is in a good place.

[MommyMatsumoto]

Originally Posted by passthemanna

i've seen a gender prediction test in the "family planning" section at Target. The "draino test" has always been accurate w/in our circle of family & friends

Thanks for the tip! And I'll have to look-up the "draino test" because I have no idea what that is! LOL