Risks of doppler?

[TranscendentalMom]

I've been reading about Ultrasound and have seen enough to decide that I'm not going to have one this time. But what about doppler? Is that just as bad? Should I ask my midwife to use a stethescope or something?

[AmyG]

Since the doppler uses U/S technology, it does have the same risks. In fact, some people think that it's actually worse. With U/S, the waves come in 1:100 pulses so that there are U/S waves for a fraction of a second and then nothing for 999 times as long. I think it works out so that you have to have about 16 minutes of a scan to have the same amount of exposure as you get in one second of a doppler.

So, if you are worried about it (and it probably is something to be concerned about, especially if you don't have a medical need for either type of exposure), you probably should avoid the doppler. Your midwife should be able to use a fetascope, which is like a stethascope with a different shaped thing on the end for picking up sound waves.

[Munki'sMom]

I have not heard this about the doppler before. Interesting. As for U/S we ONLY do the minimum (2) and none that are not medically needed.

[Quirky]

I'm not doing doppler this time around for prenatals (although if my midwife wants to use it in labor that's probably OK). There's really no good reason to use it - a fetoscope works as well (although not as early).

[theelfqueen]

What I decided was no U/S without specific medical cause -- the routine ones according to US stats are as likely to miss anomaly as to find it -- right at 50/50, and even the ACOG doesn't recommend them as standard of care)... I will accept doppler until will pick up the heartbeat with fetoscope, then only fetoscope until labor, where a doppler may result in quicker and easier monitoring... I don't LIKE being monitored, holding still that long was a killer for me in my other labors... so I will accept intermittent use of a doppler during labor.

[wasabi]

I feel similarly. Since the doppler is a very fast check I was ok with doing it for that first check. Now that the heartbeat can probably be picked up on featoscope we'll try that. To avoid monitoring during labor I'll stay at home as long as possible but once I'm there I'll let them use the dopple to keep them molified.

[mwherbs]

I have not heard this about the doppler before. Interesting. As for U/S we ONLY do the minimum (2) and none that are not medically needed.

What are the 2 minimum ultrasounds that are medically needed?
A doppler is the thing that they are listening to your baby with when you hear the heart beat at the prenatals. ( i am guessing that is what they use since there are 2 routine ultrasounds)