Ultrasound Done If Asked....

I need to comment on Lisa K's answer. Ultrasound is done by sound waves, not radiation. X-rays and CT Scans use radiation, not ultrasound. Sorry had to correct the misinformation.
I agree with the rest. Mostly the number of ultrasounds is for medical reasons and the insurance companies can and sometimes do refuse to pay if they feel there was not a valid medical reason. Having said that, ask your OB if you can have an ultrasound. Sometimes there is a reason they can legitimately write, but if you hadn't asked they would not feel strongly about getting the ultrasound. If the insurance company decides it's not medically indicated, you will pay the bill.

O.k.

First of all insurance is a picky piece of business. so everyone most likely gave you an answer on that.

In europe the ultrasound is done every visit, saves on the growth charting of the fetus and on health issues as the arise. If your family....or hubbies (or boyfriend etc) have herditary issues...then an ultrasound could be required at the doctors discretion and charged to any insurance every time. Ask alot of questions, fearlessly. My daughter was on ultrasound from week 7 onward every two weeks with the visit. I generally had only two minutes to watch the tiny little picture show, studies have shown two minutes are not health risks to fetuses sooo do your own research and pester your doctor. ALOT.

Also...the fda releases all kinds of stuff, ultrasounds are safe when done with discretion and under small amounts of time. The soundwaves do not harm fetuses! the european medical journals have proven that without a shadow of a doubt. ADHD and autism are being diagnosed better thats why there is a rise! People are surviving more childhood dieases too! More people who could never had had children are surviving childbirth with the children too! The numbers are actually not as horrible as people think...for the population numbers and the numbers of people not testing for genetic problems are not in account.

Ultrasounds are NOT done by radiation! In fact, doctors and dentists go out of their way to keep you from radiation when pregnant -that's why they always ask if you could be before giving x-rays!

Usually you can't have one done on demand due to doctor's office scheduling, insurance, etc. However, you can go to one of those 3 D ultrasound places and pay for one. Check w/your doctor. Most give one between 12 and 16 weeks anyway, so you're probably due to get one soon. I had my first at 9 weeks to confirm the viability of the pregnancy with both of my pregnancies. Different offices do it differently though.

Have you heard the heartbeat. My doctor does an ultrasound at about 8 weeks primarily to see if the heart is beating since it can't be detected by the doppler yet. If you haven'ty heard the heartbeat, I would ask for an ultrasound.

I would also consider asking why some doctors do the ultrasound early - there may be other reasons - and if it is for a good reason, then tell them you want that too. Ask why they don't do it. Or see a different practitioner if you feel they shoudl have done one.

Keep in mind, it might be based on your insurance - do they cover a 1st trimester ultrasound?

FInally, it never hurts to just ask. Your curiosity is normal and it may not be a hard thisng to do.

Ultrasounds cost money and unless you are paying completely out of pocket the cost has to be warrented for the insurance to compensate the Dr for the expense.
I highly doubt the Dr will just give one just because you want it.
I got to have a bunch with my first pregnancy, but it was because I a number of complications and things to watch for which ultimately resuslted in a c-section.
This pregnancy I have only had 2. I have had an exceptionally healthy and perfect pregnancy and also knew from the begining that we would have a scheduled c-section so there were much less things to watch for.

From my understanding there are specific reasons why ultrasounds are given. I'm 31 weeks pregnant and have only had 2 ultrasounds - the first to make sure everything was where it's supposed to be; second to check for growth and anatomy of the baby. If you have some issues with your pregnancy then they will give you more, just to make sure everything is going well otherwise I believe they give them for specific reasons. Also, there are some studies that show having too many ultrasounds can be stressful and sometimes harmful for the fetus. We chose to have the bare minimum just in case.

It depend on your insurance, some only cover one at around 22 weeks or so, so if you want one early it may cost you out of pocket. I had one done with an internal vaginal wand at 8 weeks, but I guess that is not common practice at all clinics. It was just to help determine my due date.

It all depends on your insurance and if it is medically necessary. If your pregnancy is higher-risk then the doctor may want/need to do earlier and more frequent ultrasounds. The ultrasound isn't for you; it is for the doctor to ensure that the fetus/placenta/gestational sac is developing properly.

No unfortunately you can't just ask for them. But, I know some Dr's offices are more willing to do ultrasounds than others. I also know it depends on what your insurance covers too. You can also call your insurance company and ask how many they allow.

My Dr's office only does one at around 11 weeks. Its the initial appointment and to tell how far along you are. You don't get anymore than that unless you have complications or you pay for them.

At my 9 week appt, my dr brought in a little portable ultrasound device. It was like a little laptop that showed the baby, but not like the real deal at 20 + weeks. Basically, the only reason she wanted to do it was because it was too early to hear the heartbeat, but she wanted to see it to make sure all was well. (it put my mind at ease as well). Definatly check with your insurance to see if more than one is covered! They are expensive if you have to pay out of pocket!

Only way I had one that early was because there was a question of due date.
It depends on your insurance if they will pay for more than one or two.
We had one at the 20 week mark and then we had another at the 36 week mark because I was measuring so large.

Ultrasound does not cause ADHD or autism.That's just rediculous. ADHD and Autism have been found to be genetic. I know this because I've read the studies and I'm ADHD and my daughter is ADHD , an my mom is ADHD, and my sister is ADHD, need I go on? The rise in ADHD diagnosis is from advancements in science and from people actually recognizing that these kids aren't just bad , under disciplined kids , it's actually a chemical imbalance in their brains. Their brain cells aren't talking to each other the way they should.
And I think you'll find that the study that Lisa K referred to used a much high dosage of ultrasonic ( ones that can't be heard) sound waves than what is used in an actual routine ultrasound. I've heard it described as the same as standing next to your refrigerator for 5 mins.
This is from an actual ultrasound tech
"Extensive studies over 35 years have found that ultrasound has not shown to cause any harm to mother or baby. Routine scanning of all pregnancies is now normal throughout the United States. Ultrasound is above human hearing hence the name "ultra". The baby does not hear or feel anything. They do feel us poke on them and the movement and pressure of the probe on the belly. If your session is performed by a registered diagnostic medical sonographer then there is no need to worry about safety. They know to make sure the machine settings are set at safe power levels and other tricks to make sure to keep you and your baby safe. There are so many things are that detected on ultrasound to make your screening so beneficial to you and your doctor. "

http://www.ehow.com/facts_###-###-####_sonograms-bad-baby...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/jun/23/thisweekssc...

See if you have an ultrasound school near you where the students need patients to "practice" on. Usually it takes longer because they are new, but you will get some info and be able to see your baby for MUCH less than if you pay out of pocket.

Also - why you are so impatient to see your baby? You can't tell gender at this age or many other things that would tell if things were ok (or not). You can get all the info you need from hearing the heartbeat. Any other info you get at this age wouldn't be decisive anyway and might change from day to day.

Good luck!

It really depends on your insurance and how many they will cover during your pregnancy. I have full maternity coverage (and I pay OUT THE NOSE for it), so my doctor does one at every visit. Most women only have a few done throughout the entire pregnancy. Has your doctor recommended a Nuchal Translucency Screen? It's done through ultrasound around 11-12 weeks and is a Down's screening where they measure the Nuchal fluid space at the base of the neck. Covered by my insurance, but not sure about others. I would ask your doctor about that and when you can have an ultrasound. Good luck with your pregnancy!

With my last two pregnancies I was healthy and the baby was growing on track so I did not have any ultrasounds. I chose not to subject my child to possible damage from the heat of the ultrasound. I think the reason we are seeing such a huge increase in ADHD, ADD, Austism can be linked to the number of times the baby is filled with ultrasound waves while developing. The ultrasound heats up tissues and this does cause damage. Wait about 30 weeks and you will see your baby. If you are healthy there is no reason at all to have an ultrasound. Ultrasound is very uncomfortable for the baby. Just be patient.

Here is an excerp from an article and the risks of ultrasounds:

"As the FDA warned in 2004, "ultrasound is a form of energy, and even at low levels, laboratory studies have shown it can produce physical effect in tissue, such as jarring vibrations and a rise in temperature."(9) This is consistent with research conducted in 2001 in which an ultrasound transducer aimed directly at a miniature hydrophone placed in a woman's uterus recorded sound "as loud as a subway train coming into the station."(10)

A rise in temperature of fetal tissue—especially since the expectant mother cannot even feel it—might not seem alarming, but temperature increases can cause significant damage to a developing fetus's central nervous system, according to research.(11) Across mammalian species, elevated maternal or fetal body temperatures have been shown to result in birth defects in offspring.(12) An extensive review of literature on maternal hyperthermia in a range of mammals found that "central nervous system (CNS) defects appear to be the most common consequence of hyperthermia in all species, and cell death or delay in proliferation of neuroblasts [embryonic cells that develop into nerve cells] is believed to be one major explanation for these effects."(13)

Why should neurodevelopmental defects in rats or other mammals be of concern to expecting women? Because, as Cornell University researchers proved in 2001, brain development proceeds in the same manner "across many mammalian species, including human infants."(14) The team found "95 neural developmental milestones" that helped them pinpoint the sequence of brain growth events in different species.(15) Therefore, if repeated experiments show that elevated heat caused by ultrasound damages fetal brains in rats and other mammals, one can logically assume that it can harm human brains, too."

Lisa

Since it is considered a routine medical screening (typically between 18 and 22 weeks), your doctor could probably request one but your insurance probably will not cover it. I had an ultrasound done at what turned out to be 6 weeks because I had very irregular cycles and pregnancy symptoms early, so we needed to confirm the due date. I just had my routine ultrasound at 18 weeks and have to have another at 20 or 21 because somebody didn't cooperate and they weren't able to get all the images they needed. As mentioned, you can see if you have any training schools or agencies that offer free ultrasound just for a peek, but other than impatience (which I totally understand) there is no reason your doctor would order a medically unnecessary one. There are also places you can pay for the "special" ultrasounds, like 3-D ones (which I find so creepy), but again that is not for medical screening and I'm not sure how expensive they are. Good luck and worst case, just mention to your doctor that you are impatient--he or she will totally understand that. :)

They normally do one at about 16 weeks. I don't think they will do one on demand.

I think it mainly depends on your insurance. If you have insurance through the state you live in (like medicare) they usually only cover 1 ultrasound. I know that from experience. With my 1st born, he is now 19 months, I had an ultrasound at 10 weeks to find out how far along I was, and I had one at 20 weeks to find out the sex. Im 30 weeks pregnant right now and had one at 14 weeks because of complications and one at 16 weeks for the purpose of having an amniocentesis done. Im not allowed anymore for the rest of my pregnancy unless there is a problem of course. Most doctors only do one at 20 weeks just to see how baby is doing, but thats it. Dont be too down if you have to wait 9 more weeks.

Did they do one during your first visit? If so, they probably won't do one again until week 20 when you can find out the sex. But it never hurts to ask!

You can also go to a non medical ultrasound company for fun and get a three-D image of your baby. Costs around a hundred dollars but they usually give you a couple of pictures and a CD. They recommend a certain week for the 'best' pictures but I can't remember what week that is.

Good luck!

It might depend on your doctor, but I would recommend against u/s this early in pregnancy. There have been few long-term studies that look at the safety and effectiveness of u/s -- it's basically been presumed safe, and most studies that were done, were done back in the 70s when most women didn't get u/s, those that did usually only got one, and the machines weren't as strong as they are now. The FDA has issued a warning against non-medical u/s -- specifically the "keepsake" u/s done at places like malls, but also those done in doctors' offices.

Although you and I can't hear u/s, that doesn't mean that babies can't hear it, nor feel the disturbance of the amniotic fluid. One doctor determined that u/s makes the amniotic fluid make a noise like the sound of a subway train coming into the station. Wow. How do you know that doesn't affect how well your baby's hears when he's 3 or 5?

From my personal experience, my midwife used a Doppler u/s (hearing only, no visual) to hear the heartbeat when I was pregnant the first time. [I didn't know it was a form of u/s at the time.] The first time she tried, I was 9 weeks, and we didn't hear anything; she wasn't concerned since babies are pretty small at that age and can be difficult to find. Then at the 13-week appt, she tried again and still couldn't hear it, but was reassuring that they still sometimes "hide." Finally at the 15-week appt (she scheduled me for 2 weeks instead of 4 because of wanting to confirm the heartbeat), we heard it but only fleetingly. We joked about the baby running away from the Doppler. Little did I realize that that was probably exactly what was happening -- it was bothering my unborn child, and he was moving away from the source of discomfort. Even after that, we had a hard time getting the heartbeat, because every time the Doppler was on, he would react -- when he got too big to "run away", he would squirm and kick, trying to get away from it. No, I don't recommend getting a medically unnecessary ultrasound.

i had mine at 7 because i was high risk with my second. with my first they did it at 20 weeks. im surprized they havent done one yet normally they do them 2 times early like your first ob visit then 20 weeks to tell the sex and more often if you are high risk obviously.