Pregnant Canadians, too many ultrasounds

With the World Health Organization recommending only 1 ultrasound, around 18 weeks of pregnancy, for uncomplicated pregnancies, the 2 or 3 ultrasounds that pregnant women in Canada seem to be getting is many more than ideal.

The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Maternity Experiences Survey, based on interviews by Statistics Canada, involved 6,421 women. Virtually all women had at least one ultrasound, but the average was 3. If that’s the average, it means several women had more than 3. If you look at the comments in the article linked below, you’ll see that some women have them routinely once a month.

Although it’s fun to see your baby with ultrasound technology, the long-term effects of these tests aren’t known. They may seem harmless, but they are an intervention, which really shouldn’t be done unless there’s a good reason.

There are other interesting findings from the study as well. According to the CBC article, Canadian women receiving extra ultrasounds: maternity report , while women in the territory of Nunavut experienced more abuse, less folic acid before pregnancy, and postpartum depression, they were found to be more likely breastfeed exclusively for at least six months after birth.

Women in the rest of Canada reported over 25% had Cesarean sections, hospitals are still doing enemas, shaving, and using stirrups, and very few (4.1%) of women used midwives. On the bright side, 92.3% of low income women drank no alcohol compared with 88.2% of higher income women.

What was your experience like?

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Images: Newscom and iStock