3D / 4D Ultrasound Scans
Is it safe?
There's no evidence that ultrasound scans can harm either mother or baby, although some respected experts point out that a lack of evidence of harm is not the same thing as it being proven safe.
As a 3D/4D scan is essentially for pleasure rather than medical reasons, there hasn't been the same rigourous testing as would be needed for drugs, for example. Little is known about the effects of repeated scanning, and many medical experts advise that scanning should be kept to a minimum, and used only for medical purposes, to be on the safe side.
There has also been research in Sweden that suggested women who underwent repeated ultrasound scans were more likely to have left handed babies.
To sum up, it's fair to say that no one knows for sure whether ultrasound - whether 2D, 3D or 4D - is 100% safe, although there has never been any evidence of harmful effects.
Discoveries
Although this kind of scan is medically unneccessary in most professionals' view, the increased clarity of the images has nevertheless uncovered behaviour previously unknown in gestating babies, including:
- Stretching, kicking, and other movement from 12 weeks, even before mum can feel it
- Eyes opening from 18 weeks, where it was previously thought the foetus' eyelids were sealed until 26 weeks
- A wide range of post-birth behaviour from as early as 26 weeks, including smiling, crying, sucking and hiccupping. It was previously thought that many of these behaviours were not present for even a number of weeks after birth, never mind months beforehand
Costs and where to go
Although the cost of a scan will naturally vary depending on which clinic you choose, it will generally be in the range of £250-£300. For this price you'll get a one hour appointment, and you'll leave with a DVD containing around 10 minutes of moving images, plus a CD-Rom with a selection of still 3D pictures, and maybe a few printed pictures too.
The new generation of ultrasound was pioneered by Professor Stuart Campbell who set up the Create Health Clinic in London, but now there are 4D ultrasound serices offered by around 20 other clinics around the country.
