a foetus at 24 weeks new advice from the royal college of obstetricians and gynaecologists rules against so called souvenir scans before 10 weeks  souvenir scans of the unborn baby should not be carried out in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, say doctors such keepsake images are shown off by proud parents to be, who can buy special wallets and photo frames to mark every stage of pregnancy but new advice from the royal college of obstetricians and gynaecologists rules against the growing trend when there is no medical reason for doing an early stage scan a new scientific review says ultrasound – which uses high frequency sound waves to provide images of the foetus – could expose it to unknown risks although there is no evidence of harm, the ‘precautionary principle’ should apply, it says dr christoph lees, reader in obstetrics and fetal medicine at imperial college london and lead author of the paper said the review looked specifically at the first 10 weeks in the womb normally a scan would be ordered only for a potential problem identified by a clinician and in those circumstances it was perfectly safe, he said but an increasing number of clinics were offering keepsake images from as early as six weeks, he said he said: ‘ultrasound scanning in the embryonic period is an invaluable resource in several important scenarios where the embryo is at possible risk ‘there are presently no grounds for questioning the safety of diagnostic ultrasound in this context ‘however, ultrasound imaging is increasingly being used without obvious medical justification and we have to be aware of the possibility of subtle long term adverse effects, particularly in the first weeks of gestation when the embryo is potentially the most vulnerable’ a pregnant woman looks towards a scan of her unborn baby an increasing number of clinics are offering keepsake images from as early as six weeks  dr christoph less of imperial college is the lead author of the paper which advises against scans of foetuses during the first 10 weeks in the womb unless they are done for medical reasons  the review was produced by the scientific advisory committee at the rcog to provide doctors with up to date information about the issue the us food and drug administration issued similar advice in december, saying excess ultrasound at any stage in pregnancy should be avoided dr lees said one of the possible harms might come from the slight heating effect produced by ultrasound which was more easily dissipated by the placenta after 10 weeks of pregnancy he said the safest period for taking souvenir scans was 20 weeks of pregnancy and beyond the review highlights the various types of ultrasound, including b mode – the most commonly used form of ultrasound in obstetrics – colour and pulse wave doppler colour and pulsed wave doppler involve greater average intensity and power outputs than b mode and are not recommended at all during the first 10 weeks additionally, there has been a move to perform 3d and 4d ultrasound scans earlier in pregnancy, states the paper colour and pulsed wave doppler scans have such intensity and power output they are not recommended at all during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy  4d ultrasound is ‘real time’ scanning and involves higher power outputs as the scanning time is longer, typically by several minutes, and should not be the sole purpose of souvenir images or video recordings in early pregnancy dr sadaf ghaem maghami, chair of the rcog’s scientific advisory committee, said ‘b mode ultrasound used for clinical reasons from conception to 10 weeks of gestation is safe and the benefits outweigh any theoretical risks ‘we are adopting a precautionary approach and are highlighting the small but possible risks to women so that they can make informed choices ‘we also emphasise that any healthcare professional involved in the use of ultrasound is aware of the safety principles of ultrasound’
first 10 weeks royal college of obstetricians as early as six weeks
royal college of obstetricians and gynaecologists rules against trend  some clinics are offering keepsake images from as early as six weeks  advice says early stage scans should not be done without medical reason  slight heating effect produced by ultrasound is one subtle side effect  colour and pulsed wave doppler scans have such intensity and power output they are not recommended at all during first 10 weeks 