The Pros And Cons Of Ultrasound Testing

Although about 85 percent of expectant parents want to know the gender of their baby before the infant is born by undergoing an ultrasound test, more couples also want to wait until the child comes out. The reason why they prefer to keep it a secret is the sex of the baby is the last great surprise left.

Some expectant parents who want the gender unknown, nevertheless undergo an ultrasound test, but they ask their obstetrician to write down the sex and place the answer in a sealed envelope. The envelope is then opened in a gender-reveal party for family and friends, Dr. Stephen Carr, the director of the Prenatal Diagnosis Center and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Diagnostic Imaging at the Women & Infant Hospital of Rhode Island in Providence, said.

It is a genetic condition wherein the baby girls may have reproductive organs that look more masculine than feminine.

There is also the matter of family balancing for parents who used in-vitro procedures for the woman to conceive and the couple may have other children before the current pregnancy. The issue, though, is controversial and brings out ethical concerns.

Other medical reasons

Carr revealed that the ultrasound test, a prenatal scan, was not introduced in the late 1970s and early 1980s to know in advance the gender of the soon-to-be-born infant. Looking at the image of the developing fetus was intended for other medical reasons.

Usually done during the first trimester of the pregnancy, the ultrasound test is usually done to confirm a pregnancy, detect the heartbeat of the fetus, and determine the due date of delivery. The test, though, can be done at any point during the pregnancy.

Between the 18th and 22nd weeks of the pregnancy, a second ultrasound is often done to determine the placenta’s location and the umbilical cord. The test can also identify certain birth defects such as Down syndrome and spinal abnormalities. The ultrasound can also investigate pregnancy complications such as