How Ultrasounds are Used

When most people think of ultrasounds, they think of one of their major uses, which is to detect any problems in the developing fetus. It is usually a joyous moment for any new mother or father to be to see their baby for the first time, even if the image is more like an x-ray than a photograph. Ultrasounds are generally done several times in even a healthy pregnancy to determine the exact gestational age of the fetus so a due date can be guessed and again towards the expected due date to check for any complications that the developing baby may be experiencing.
And as nice as it is to see your developing baby grow inside the womb and have the assurance that your little one is developing healthy it is also an important part of prenatal care.

For women who are experiencing a high risk pregnancy due to health complications or multiple babies developing, ultrasounds are an effective and non-invasive tool that can detect medical problems early and help both the parents and doctors be prepared for any complications at birth. For women who are in this category, ultrasounds are done on a more regular basis to check the developing babies health and monitor them more closely against any dangerous conditions.

Thanks to advances in medical technology, it is now possible for women who were once considered past their prime child bearing years or who were not able to conceive without medical intervention to get pregnant and give birth to healthy babies. And as you have probably seen from watching reality television shows like "Kate Plus 8", sometimes those miracle babies turn out to be not just one or two miracle babies, but multiple babies!

And a multiple pregnancy can place both the mother and babies in jeopardy with a higher percentage of health problems that can result in a premature birth for the babies and health issues that can make a pregnancy dangerous for the expected mother as well.

Ultrasounds take the guess work out of trying to determine things that are important to know about the babies' health in order to make a decision that is the right one for the baby in real time. This technology can help a doctor see the position of the baby which can be important if a breach birth seems likely and it can also let the doctor be better prepared for birth defects that could be dangerous if not detected such as the formation of an irregular heart or a hole in the heart.

Technology has kept up with medical advances and the end result is more babies who are born healthy and alive despite high risk pregnancies thanks to the ability of doctors to catch developing problems earlier than ever before and give the baby the best chance at a normal and healthy life with the help of technology.