A growing trend among pregnant women who can’t wait to meet their babies is scheduling a 3-D “keepsake” ultrasound. The “keepsake” ultrasound isn’t performed by a doctor and it’s not medically required. Instead, the ‘keepsake” photos are designed for the scrapbook and they’re part of a commercial enterprise. It’s just like your everyday family photographer, but with a very specialized camera. Problem is it could be dangerous, according to the FDA.
While the idea of getting a cool-looking early image of the fetus is catching on in our photo-heavy age of the selfie, the chance that it could pose an unnecessary risk to mother and child has the FDA speaking out about the practice. According to CBS news, the FDA says: “The long-term effects of tissue heating and cavitation are not known. Therefore, ultrasound scans should be done only when there is a medical need.” Connecticut is so far the only state to have banned the use of non-medical prenatal ultrasounds.
