By: Nancy Evans, BS, Health Science Consultant
Autism was once a rare diagnosis. Today it affects 1 in 110 children and 1 in 70 boys.
Ultrasound was once a rare medical procedure, reserved for high-risk pregnancies. Today ultrasound is routine in almost all pregnancies in developed countries.
· More scans are done in each pregnancy than ever before.
· The intensity of exposure is nearly 8 times higher than in 1993 and the medical professionals who operate the equipment may not be adequately trained on the newer machines.
· There is a wealth of scientific evidence from international experts suggesting a need for caution in the use of prenatal ultrasound. Highlights are summarized in the enclosed document.
But most disturbing is the fact that ultrasound is also being performed by non-medical personnel in shopping malls across America. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of these facilities, aggressively marketing “keepsake” sonograms to expectant parents as an early bonding experience with their unborn baby. FDA has warned against use of these facilities but it is clear that most parents haven’t heard or have chosen to ignore the warnings.
In 2009, Connecticut became the first state to ban these keepsake ultrasound boutiques. But in most states, these facilities are very profitable franchises that may be doing irreparable harm to babies and families.
Read the Report: Autism was once a rare diagnosis
7/13/2011 update: Could Prenatal Ultrasounds Contribute To Cases Of Autism?
Specious reasoning, at best. The rise in environmental pollutants, increased UV radiation exposure, and a host of other very real and very damaging agents are much more likely to blame than bouncing sound waves off a fetus. Sound waves, people.
Don’t fertilize your lawns with petrochemicals, don’t spray your yard for bugs, don’t use bug spray, avoid blacktop driveways, excessive RF radiation, contaminated foods, mercury, lead, etc. etc. etc.
From the NEW SCIENTIST:
Childhood autism spikes in geek heartlands http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20589-childhood-autism-spikes-in-geek-heartlands.html
“Childhood autism is two to four times as common in Eindhoven, the centre of the Dutch information technology industry, as it is in two comparably sized Dutch cities with far fewer IT employees.”
I am pushing for research and for reduction in fetal ultrasounds through “Ultrasound Autism Connection?” The website (www.ultrasound-autism.org) is building an objective collection of literature on the subject. The supposition is that unsafe ultrasounds (eg. machines out of calibration and operator errors) is causing brain damage that can result in autism spectrum diseases. It may not be so, or another factor such as timing at a critical stage of development of the fetal brain may be at play. The literature assembled to date raises suspicion.
Please refer me to any pertinent info you have that is not on my site. I am seeking input from manufacturers, the FDA, physicians, etc.
I am very interested in this.
I remember my own scans with my babies now 25, 23 and 21.
They all became very active both during and after the scan.
My eldest slept very badly from birth and it was 18 months before she slept through the night. The next child was very hyperactive and very dairy intolerant. I ow have serious concerns that she has multiple chemical sensitivity (as I do) and my third child had unexplained ear infections from a baby and is till having health problems. (she was born in UK in 1989)
My eldest is now expecting her first baby in 3 weeks.
This issue is very important to me. I have an 8 year old who has sensory issues, eating and sleeping problems and now as of last year is epileptic (benign rolandic epilepsy). Loud noises, sirens were of particular distress to her as a young child.
We were living (sleeping) in a home with high EMF, plus I had two ultrasounds, same day at 6 months, the DR used a fetal doppler at 5,6,7, and 8 months and another test (not sure if it was ultrasound) at 9 months to confirm the baby was in the right position. They left me on the machine too long and I became extremely uncomfortable and had to call out for them to remove it. My daughter was born with a low apgar score and failed to gain weight till three weeks.
I am a health nut and worked hard to have a healthy pregnancy. My first child was robust, healthy and had no problems, no ultrasounds. I was also 25 when she was born. This time at 42, and under the care of a regular doctor, rather than midwife, and I was cautious. I have suspected the effects of ultra sound, on my daughter’s behavior, sleep, appetite problems. I believe it is a contributor.