<p>Nrdsb4- to answer your questions about ultrasounds, and medical tests in general, is that every test is a risk/benefit measure. You assess the risk of the test against the benefit. For instance, amniocentesis carries significant risks, so it isn’t offered in general to young healthy women who have a very low risk of having a child with genetic problems. After a certain age in the mother, the risk goes up to the point where the risk of amnio is less than the risk of finding something genetic. At this point, the mother has a choice. Some women would choose not to terminate a pregnancy- and could refuse the test. Another mother might make a different choice and want the test. A mother with a family history of potentially lethal genetic illnesses might want the test. There could be many reasons, all different and personal that would make parents lean to one side or the other. For some families, peace of mind that the baby is OK is a reason. </p>
<p>There are no known risks of harmful effects of ultrasound to the fetus or mother, but medicine is a constantly evolving science- what we know today, we will know more tomorrow. Since ultrasound seems to be very safe, the benefits of using it to asses the health of the fetus are many. However, doing ultrasounds at the mall for fun and games is using a medical test for no medical benefit. Doctors shouldn’t condone this kind of thing.</p>
<p>Years ago, before ultrasound was as useful as it is today, I knew of two very religious families for whom terminating a pregnancy was out of the question. They refused ultrasounds. Now though, some conditions can be treated if discovered by ultrasound so perhaps they would have chosen one today. For one family, everything was fine. Sadly, for the other, the infant had a life threatening birth defect and did not survive. Still, they would have not done anything different. They did have healthy children after that, and I think chose ultrasound because it gave the mother peace of mind during her pregnancies, and that is worth the risk of a test too. </p>