The advent of sonography has made obstetrics a much more precise science and pregnancy a much less worrisome experience for many expectant parents.  Using sound waves so high they can’t be heard by a human ear, sonography allows visualization and examination of the fetus without X rays.  Though sonography tends to be fairly accurate for most uses, in diagnosing birth defects, the test can yield some false negatives (it seems as though everything is fine but its not) and some false positives (it looks as though there is a problem but there isn’t.  A level 1 ultrasound is usually done to date a pregnancy and is performed before 12 weeks.  A more detailed, or level 2 ultrasound, is used for sophisticated diagnostic purposes and is usually performed between 18-22 weeks.  Besides dating a pregnancy and looking for abnormalities, ultrasounds may be used for:

1) Determining the cause of bleeding in early or mid late pregnancy

2)  Locate and IUD that was in place at the time of conception

3)  Locate the fetus prior to CVS or amniocentesis

4) Determine the condition of the fetus if no heart beat has been detected by the 14th week with a Doppler device, or if there has been no fetal movement by the 22nd week.

5) Determine if the mother is carrying more than one fetus

6) Measure the amount of amniotic fluid

7) Check for fibroids if uterine growth is abnormal

Measure the size of the fetus when preterm delivery is being contemplated or when the baby is believed to be late

9) Detect cervical changes that might predict preterm labor

10) Identify the location, size, maturity, or possible abnormalities of the placenta

11) Evaluate the condition of the fetus through observation of fetal activity, breathing movements, and amniotic fluid volume.

If you are interested in earning a sonography degree, this is an excellent source to learn more about becoming an ultrasound technician.

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