Ultrasound Technology

Why have an Ultrasound

What are some reasons for having an ultrasound?

Ultrasounds are used to do several things, including:

To confirm pregnancy
To check the baby’s age and growth. This helps a provider figure out a due date.
To check the baby’s heartbeat, muscle tone, movement and overall development
To check to see if a woman could be pregnant with twins, triplets or more

To screen for birth defects, like spina bifida or heart defects. Screening means seeing if the baby is more likely than others to have a health condition; it doesn’t mean finding out for sure if the baby has the condition. After an ultrasound, the provider may want to preform some diagnostic tests, to see if the baby has a birth defect. Birth defects change the shape or function of one or more parts of the body. They can cause problems in overall health, in how the body develops, or in how the body works.
- Here is where technology has the societal affect for a woman. The choice they make is based on this information the ultrasound tool provides, the ultrasound is a catalyst to knowledge.
- The society in which they are raised may affect that decision

To help with other prenatal tests, like chorionic villus sampling
To examine the ovaries and uterus (womb).
To check for pregnancy complications, including ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancyand miscarriage.

Featured post

November 3, 2016 0

One item that has not been discussed lately is Zika.

This mosquito born illness has become more rampant but less talked about in the daily news as we near election day. 60 minutes last night, had a segment on Zika and how it is spreading. Not only are woman who plan to get pregnant or are already pregnant, at risk from a bite; now the disease is also passed via sexual activity. It almost seems that Zika is a blood born disease now as well, increasing risk for all.

The segment is here if you would like to watch 60 minutes Zika

Here is a perfect example of the impact on a woman’s life who is having a child. Zika babies main symptom is microcephaly; smaller heads and under developed brains and even stop growing after birth. Not all babies will suffer from these symptoms listed here by the CDC but without an ultrasound how would you know what kind of life would that child have.

Knowing if your baby has Zika in advance has an impact on the decision the woman chooses. This is a powerful tool to decide what would be best for the child or the mother.

Ultrasound provides the knowledge to decide; that in itself impacts society based on
If the woman makes a decision to terminate a pregnancy it has a societal impact on her and what those around her think.
If the woman makes a decision to keep a possibly disabled child there is a societal impact on another life that needs extra attention and care.
1. See Patient 1 with Zika in the photograph below; from Biggies Boxers

It was not until the 1970’s when ultrasounds were widely used in America according to 5 Fascinating Facts About Fetal Ultrasounds

Glasgow Scotland was where ultrasounds were first used in a clinical setting in the mid 1950’s. It’s interesting to think that this technology took so long to make its way to the American medical practices! It has continued to evolve over the last 20 years and with the way our society also growing and changing; and the continued development of improved medical care.

Just in the 1930’s the the use of pulse-echo ultrasonic metal flaw detectors became the jumping point for the first obstetrician to develop the first prototype system of the ultrasound machine.

This short video of an inspection of welds, for detecting weaknesses or missed connections Sonotron Isonic 2006 Angle Beam Pulse Echo Inspection of Welds

In 40 short years this technology becomes a mainstay of the prenatal medical visits. The history on this is short and highly aggressive. See the timeline here!

The quick history of Sonograms and Ultrasounds.

Societal Changes as the Ultrasound Develops

Ultrasounds brief history

November 4, 2016 0

Societal Changes for Women and Ultrasounds

Imagine what it must have been like to not know anything…

As a woman you are creating life, having no idea if that life will be sustainable, if that life will change the world, if that life will be more than you are.

Would you want to know if your baby is ok? Would you want to ensure that the life you are creating will be healthy and live a fulfilling life?

This site is not about religion, this is not about pro-life or pro-choice, the focus is about how technology changed the way a woman can understand what is happening. There are valid arguments for all sides of this topic but again I want to reiterate that the focus is knowledge, societal change and safety.

November 3, 2016 0