Non-medical ultrasounds: Two viewpoints

Published on October 1, 2009

Martha Morgan is the founder and owner of little sprout imaging in Towson, Md. The non-clinical ultrasound business provides keepsake three-dimensional ultrasound images and ultrasound video (4-D) for expectant parents, their families and friends.

Martha Morgan

The company little sprout imaging proudly proclaims on its website that expectant parents and their families can get 3-D/4-D ultrasound in a "non-clinical environment." It's meant as an assurance to would-be customers who pay up to $290 to watch and record their unborn child's every move for 20 to 30 minutes in a relaxing setting. "In our office, we have the time to spend with the mother and her family and also to answer questions she might have," Morgan says.

But because it's not medically necessary, the burgeoning industry has come under fire. Morgan uses only state board-certified sonographers to operate machines, she limits customers to two sessions per pregnancy and she takes other precautions, such as requiring proof that the pregnant woman has already had a second trimester medical ultrasound, but she admits she's in the minority in her industry. Connecticut recently passed a ban on non-medical ultrasound for keepsake purposes only, and Morgan worries other states might follow. "There's definitely a storm brewing out there," she says.

Morgan sees inherent value in what she does. Apart from catching some anomalies, such as an abnormal kidney enlargement that can require surgery after birth, she says expectant moms, dads and siblings spend the relaxed session bonding with the unborn and that this can lead to changing bad habits, like smoking, that could hurt babies. She also cites a 2006 study from the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine's scientific journal that found parents, particularly mothers, felt more bonded with the unborn child after having a 3-D/4-D ultrasound.

Dr. Jacques S. Abramowicz is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, the director of Ob/Gyn Ultrasound, and co-director of Rush Fetal and Neonatal Medicine Program at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He serves on several American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine committees and on the editorial board of the institute's scientific journal.

Dr. Jacques S. Abramowicz

Dr. Jacques S. Abramowicz is familiar with the findings from the 2006 study touted by Morgan but says other research shows it can happen just as well in a doctor's office, even with 2-D ultrasound. Like the FDA and other medical associations, he opposes the non-medical use of ultrasound to create keepsakes. "It's a medical device," he says. "The fact that we haven't demonstrated in humans ill effects of ultrasound does not necessarily mean that there aren't any."

Fifty years ago, he says, X-rays were used in shoe stores as a gimmick to tell shoe size. "Obviously we know today X-ray can cause serious problems, including cancer," he says.

Ultrasound hasn't been proven to cause harm, cancer or otherwise. But Abramowicz is concerned that most who use it commercially don't have formal medical training and says it's unknown whether ultrasound could have subtle effects, such as causing mild delays in motor skill development, if used for non-medical reasons with the machine on high power over long periods of time.

Today, stronger-than-ever demand for entertainment ultrasound supports about 225 businesses in the U.S., according to 4d-ultrasounds.com, up from less than 20 listed in 2003.

Some doctors operate commercial keepsake businesses as well. Abramowicz isn't among them. But - like many doctors - he makes an exception to his rule on non-medical ultrasound, spending 2 to 3 minutes showing patients images of their unborn in 3-D after a routine 2-D exam. "I've always given pictures to the parents," he says - even when only 2-D ultrasound was available.