About Obstetric Sonographers
Obstetric sonographers interpret ultrasound images taken of developing human embryos. It is a common procedure during pregnancy. Obstetric sonographers are also known as ultrasound technicians. They use ultrasound scans to take pictures of human fetuses in vitro and chart their development.
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The Facts
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Ultrasounds are a common, and oftentimes exciting, part of a woman's pregnancy. Obstetric sonographers not only take the ultrasound images but also interpret the images they take. Obstetric sonographers can work in hospitals, private practices and for specialists.
Benefits
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Ultrasounds can be used to help deduce exact due dates for the birth of the child and can discover developmental issues that would not otherwise be discovered until the child was born. In many cases the obstetric sonographer can tell the sex of the child with varying degrees of accuracy.
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Risk Factors
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Ultrasounds are not an exact science. The obstetric sonographer plays a major role in interpreting the images they gather. In some cases abnormalities in the fetus have been overlooked by the obstetric sonographer. By the same token, in some cases the obstetric sonographer has reported seeing abnormalities that are not actually present. This type of false-positive could lead some pregnant to abort healthy fetuses in the mistaken belief hat the child is deformed or could cause them other health risks.
In recent years the practice of using ultrasounds merely to discover the sex of the developing child has become controversial. Parents have sued obstetric sonographers for incorrectly predicting the sex of their child. Insurance companies often will pay for only one standard ultrasound. They will not cover repeated ultrasounds done at the parents request simply to discover their child's sex.
Time Frame
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In the United States, it is routine for all pregnant women to receive an ultrasound exam around their eighteenth week of pregnancy. Worldwide the use of ultrasounds for pregnant women varies. In some countries, women will receive monthly sonographs, others restrict the practice only to emergency situations where it is believed that something has gone wrong with the pregnancy.
An ultrasound can be done at anytime if the doctor fears there may be some complications or danger to the mother or child.
Invented
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Sonography was developed during World War II in an effort to detect enemy submarines. Dr. Ian Donald, of Glasgow Scotland, was the person to pioneer its use in obstetrics in the 1950s. He is also the same doctor to first use sonography to detect and examine abdominal tumors inside the body.
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