Re: Ultrasound scans can affect brain development

[Guest guest]

,

I have triplets also and was getting weekly ultrasounds due to my high-risk

pregnancy.

One son has autism, the other boy has speech apraxia and my girl is

developing normally.

Jill

[Guest guest]

okay, that article was very interesting in that: I have triplets. Our

perinatalogist did a sonogram every other week from weeks 8 thru 24, then every

week thru week 32, when the babies were born. The 2 boys have moderate, high

functioning autism. Their sister is typical developing.

So, I want to take a simple, unscientific poll to see how many of you did an

unusual amount of sonograms. (The thought has occurred to me before about all

the sonograms and, from talking to people, it didn't seem to be a common

trigger).

Did you have more than 2 sonograms when you were pregnant with your ASD child?

in Cedar Park

[Guest guest]

I only had 2. Once early in my pregnancy when I almost miscarried, and once

when I was about 6 months.

Anne

-- Re: Ultrasound scans can affect brain

development

okay, that article was very interesting in that: I have triplets. Our

perinatalogist did a sonogram every other week from weeks 8 thru 24, then

every week thru week 32, when the babies were born. The 2 boys have

moderate, high functioning autism. Their sister is typical developing.

So, I want to take a simple, unscientific poll to see how many of you did an

unusual amount of sonograms. (The thought has occurred to me before about

all the sonograms and, from talking to people, it didn't seem to be a common

trigger).

Did you have more than 2 sonograms when you were pregnant with your ASD

child?

in Cedar Park

[Guest guest]

Advocacy issues regarding autism treatment in TexasI found this article

quite interesting. I had two very high risk pregnancies...with my daughter I

had an ovarian cyst the size of a large softball along with her (the doc

thought at first that she was twins!) that they were going to remove during

my 5th month of pregnancy. I had tons of ultrasounds...sometimes 2 times a

week, to measure the size of the cyst as it got bigger and bigger (at one

point it was so large it wouldn't all fit on the sonogram screen!) It

magically disappeared 2 days before the scheduled surgery, so I didn't have

any more ultrasounds after that.

Then, with my son, he was a very high risk due to blood incompatibility and

I had sonograms 2 times a week every week from my 4th month until he was

born at 34 weeks. Both of my children have ASD.

nna

[Guest guest]

I had a blood incompatibility with my ASD son as well and had weekly -sometimes

biweekly ultrasounds !!! Unbelievable - I have the Kell antigen - I wonder if

there is a link with that as well

nna Bond wrote: Advocacy issues

regarding autism treatment in TexasI found this article

quite interesting. I had two very high risk pregnancies...with my daughter I

had an ovarian cyst the size of a large softball along with her (the doc

thought at first that she was twins!) that they were going to remove during

my 5th month of pregnancy. I had tons of ultrasounds...sometimes 2 times a

week, to measure the size of the cyst as it got bigger and bigger (at one

point it was so large it wouldn't all fit on the sonogram screen!) It

magically disappeared 2 days before the scheduled surgery, so I didn't have

any more ultrasounds after that.

Then, with my son, he was a very high risk due to blood incompatibility and

I had sonograms 2 times a week every week from my 4th month until he was

born at 34 weeks. Both of my children have ASD.

nna

[Guest guest]

I had one sonogram with my son with autism. However, with my oldest

son....who is perfectly normal....I had 6, 7 or 8 (can't remember)

and he was not affected at all. I wonder if the type of sonogram

machine used (higher powered vs. lower powered) makes any difference.

Beth G.

Tanner's Mom

>

> Ultrasound scans can affect brain development

> Posted 8/7/2006 5:00 PM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Subscribe to

> stories like this

>

>

> Enlarge By Hellstern, The Oklahoman via AP

>

> An expectant mother gets a 3-D ultrasound in Edmond, Okla. A new

> study suggests women should avoid unnecessary ultrasounds, which

can

> affect fetal brain development.

>

>

>

>

> By Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press

> WASHINGTON — Exposure to ultrasound can affect fetal brain

> development, a new study suggests. But researchers say the

findings,

> in mice, should not discourage pregnant women from having

ultrasound

> scans for medical reasons.

> When pregnant mice were exposed to ultrasound, a small number of

> nerve cells in the developing brains of their fetuses failed to

> extend correctly in the cerebral cortex.

>

> " Our study in mice does not mean that use of ultrasound on human

> fetuses for appropriate diagnostic and medical purposes should be

> abandoned, " said lead researcher Pasko Rakic, chairman of the

> neurobiology department at Yale University School of Medicine.

>

> However, he added in a telephone interview, women should avoid

> unnecessary ultrasound scans until more research has been done.

>

> Dr. Copel, president-elect of the American Institute of

> Ultrasound Medicine, said his organization tries to

> discourage " entertainment " ultrasound, but considers sonograms

> important when there is a medical benefit.

>

> " Anytime we're doing an ultrasound we have to think of risk vs.

> benefit. What clinical question are we trying to answer, " Copel

said

> in a telephone interview. " It may be very important to know the

> exact dating of pregnancy, it's certainly helpful to know the

> anatomy of the fetus, but we shouldn't be holding a transducer on

> mom's abdomen for hours and hours and hours. "

>

> Rakic's paper said that while the effects of ultrasound in human

> brain development are not yet known, there are disorders thought

to

> be the result of misplacement of brain cells during their

> development.

>

> " These disorders range from mental retardation and childhood

> epilepsy to developmental dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders and

> schizophrenia, " the researchers said.

>

> Their report is in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the

National

> Academy of Sciences.

>

> Early ultrasound scans are done to determine the exact week of the

> pregnancy and they are also done later to check for anatomical

> defects and other problems.

>

> However, some expectant parents have sought scans to save as

> keepsakes even when they were not medically necessary, a practice

> the Food and Drug Administration discourages.

>

> The Institute of Ultrasound Medicine was particularly concerned

last

> year when it was announced that actor Tom Cruise had purchased an

> ultrasound machine for his pregnant fiancee, Holmes, so they

> could do their own sonograms.

>

> " Purchase of an ultrasound machine for private, at home use

entails

> inappropriate operation of a prescription medical device designed

> for diagnostic use by a trained medical professional, " the group

> said in a statement issued at the time.

>

> Copel, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University

> School of Medicine, did point out that there are large differences

> between scanning mice and scanning people.

>

> For example, because of their size, the distance between the

scanner

> and the fetus is larger in people than mice, which reduces the

> intensity of the ultrasound. In addition, he said, the density of

> the cranial bones in a human baby is more than that of a tiny

mouse,

> which further reduces exposure to the scan.

>

> The paper noted that the developmental period of these brain cells

> is much longer in humans than in mice, so that exposure would be a

> smaller percentage of their developmental period.

>

> However, it also pointed out that brain cell development in people

> is more complex and there are more cells developing, which could

> increase the chances of some going astray.

>

> In Rakic's study, pregnant mice were exposed to ultrasound for

> various amounts of time ranging from a total exposure of 5 minutes

> to 420 minutes. After the baby mice were born their brains were

> studied and compared with those of mice whose mothers had not been

> exposed to ultrasound.

>

> The study of 335 mice concluded that in those whose mothers were

> exposed to a total of 30 minutes or more, " a small but

statistically

> significant number " of brain cells failed to grow into their

proper

> position and remained scattered in incorrect parts of the brain.

The

> number of affected cells increased with longer exposures.

>

> The research was funded by the National Institute of Neurological

> Disorders and Stroke.

>

> Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This

> material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or

> redistributed.

>

[Guest guest]

I had regularly scheduled ultrasounds with all three of my kids, about 3 or 4

each. Only one of three has autism. I think this is grasping at straws.

Aliza

Beth Gotwalt wrote:

I had one sonogram with my son with autism. However, with my oldest

son....who is perfectly normal....I had 6, 7 or 8 (can't remember)

and he was not affected at all. I wonder if the type of sonogram

machine used (higher powered vs. lower powered) makes any difference.

Beth G.

Tanner's Mom

>

> Ultrasound scans can affect brain development

> Posted 8/7/2006 5:00 PM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Subscribe to

> stories like this

>

>

> Enlarge By Hellstern, The Oklahoman via AP

>

> An expectant mother gets a 3-D ultrasound in Edmond, Okla. A new

> study suggests women should avoid unnecessary ultrasounds, which

can

> affect fetal brain development.

>

>

>

>

> By Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press

> WASHINGTON — Exposure to ultrasound can affect fetal brain

> development, a new study suggests. But researchers say the

findings,

> in mice, should not discourage pregnant women from having

ultrasound

> scans for medical reasons.

> When pregnant mice were exposed to ultrasound, a small number of

> nerve cells in the developing brains of their fetuses failed to

> extend correctly in the cerebral cortex.

>

> " Our study in mice does not mean that use of ultrasound on human

> fetuses for appropriate diagnostic and medical purposes should be

> abandoned, " said lead researcher Pasko Rakic, chairman of the

> neurobiology department at Yale University School of Medicine.

>

> However, he added in a telephone interview, women should avoid

> unnecessary ultrasound scans until more research has been done.

>

> Dr. Copel, president-elect of the American Institute of

> Ultrasound Medicine, said his organization tries to

> discourage " entertainment " ultrasound, but considers sonograms

> important when there is a medical benefit.

>

> " Anytime we're doing an ultrasound we have to think of risk vs.

> benefit. What clinical question are we trying to answer, " Copel

said

> in a telephone interview. " It may be very important to know the

> exact dating of pregnancy, it's certainly helpful to know the

> anatomy of the fetus, but we shouldn't be holding a transducer on

> mom's abdomen for hours and hours and hours. "

>

> Rakic's paper said that while the effects of ultrasound in human

> brain development are not yet known, there are disorders thought

to

> be the result of misplacement of brain cells during their

> development.

>

> " These disorders range from mental retardation and childhood

> epilepsy to developmental dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders and

> schizophrenia, " the researchers said.

>

> Their report is in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the

National

> Academy of Sciences.

>

> Early ultrasound scans are done to determine the exact week of the

> pregnancy and they are also done later to check for anatomical

> defects and other problems.

>

> However, some expectant parents have sought scans to save as

> keepsakes even when they were not medically necessary, a practice

> the Food and Drug Administration discourages.

>

> The Institute of Ultrasound Medicine was particularly concerned

last

> year when it was announced that actor Tom Cruise had purchased an

> ultrasound machine for his pregnant fiancee, Holmes, so they

> could do their own sonograms.

>

> " Purchase of an ultrasound machine for private, at home use

entails

> inappropriate operation of a prescription medical device designed

> for diagnostic use by a trained medical professional, " the group

> said in a statement issued at the time.

>

> Copel, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University

> School of Medicine, did point out that there are large differences

> between scanning mice and scanning people.

>

> For example, because of their size, the distance between the

scanner

> and the fetus is larger in people than mice, which reduces the

> intensity of the ultrasound. In addition, he said, the density of

> the cranial bones in a human baby is more than that of a tiny

mouse,

> which further reduces exposure to the scan.

>

> The paper noted that the developmental period of these brain cells

> is much longer in humans than in mice, so that exposure would be a

> smaller percentage of their developmental period.

>

> However, it also pointed out that brain cell development in people

> is more complex and there are more cells developing, which could

> increase the chances of some going astray.

>

> In Rakic's study, pregnant mice were exposed to ultrasound for

> various amounts of time ranging from a total exposure of 5 minutes

> to 420 minutes. After the baby mice were born their brains were

> studied and compared with those of mice whose mothers had not been

> exposed to ultrasound.

>

> The study of 335 mice concluded that in those whose mothers were

> exposed to a total of 30 minutes or more, " a small but

statistically

> significant number " of brain cells failed to grow into their

proper

> position and remained scattered in incorrect parts of the brain.

The

> number of affected cells increased with longer exposures.

>

> The research was funded by the National Institute of Neurological

> Disorders and Stroke.

>

> Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This

> material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or

> redistributed.

>

'Don't be humble. You're not that great.'

--- Golda Meir

[Guest guest]

Here's another tally to add to your poll.

When I found out that I was pregnant, I was approached by a

gallbladder research team. They promoted their study by the free

ultrasounds given not only to the gallbladder during pregnancy but

for the baby. I volunteered and had several ultrasounds throughout

my pregnancy. This is an interesting issue or mere coincidence

amongst those of us with a child diagnosed with autism.

>

> I only had 2. Once early in my pregnancy when I almost miscarried,

and once

> when I was about 6 months.

>

> Anne

>

> -- Re: Ultrasound scans can affect

brain

> development

>

> okay, that article was very interesting in that: I have

triplets. Our

> perinatalogist did a sonogram every other week from weeks 8 thru

24, then

> every week thru week 32, when the babies were born. The 2 boys

have

> moderate, high functioning autism. Their sister is typical

developing.

>

> So, I want to take a simple, unscientific poll to see how many of

you did an

> unusual amount of sonograms. (The thought has occurred to me

before about

> all the sonograms and, from talking to people, it didn't seem to

be a common

> trigger).

>

> Did you have more than 2 sonograms when you were pregnant with

your ASD

> child?

>

> in Cedar Park

>

>

[Guest guest]

I had multiple sonograms with both my boys done by the same doctor using

the same office machine. One has autism, one doesn't.

Tonya

-----Original Message-----

From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy On Behalf Of Beth Gotwalt

I had one sonogram with my son with autism. However, with my oldest

son....who is perfectly normal....I had 6, 7 or 8 (can't remember)

and he was not affected at all. I wonder if the type of sonogram

machine used (higher powered vs. lower powered) makes any difference.

Beth G.

[Guest guest]

My ds who has pdd-nos was my easiest pregnancy out of all of them and

he only had 1 u/s at 20 weeks.

I had 22 u/s with my youngest dd due to problems and she is on-track

developmentally for a 2 1/2 yo.