Indeed, being an expectant mother for the first time tends to introduce you to new terms that you might never encounter regularly. There’s dysgeusia, for example, which refers to the metallic taste you get as one of the early signs of pregnancy. There’s also preeclampsia, a health complication that raises your blood pressure to an alarming level.
Nevertheless, amidst these new terms and sonogram types of facts, a term you often hear but perhaps have not given much thought to is the ultrasound machine. This machine is not just used for monitoring pregnancy; it is also used to diagnose various conditions like gallbladder disease, among other health issues in patients.
The beauty of ultrasound procedures lies in their non-invasive nature. This means that they can examine the inside of your body without needing to make any incisions. Furthermore, they operate using non-ionizing radiation, which is safer than other forms of radiation used in some medical imaging techniques.
There are also different types of ultrasound, each suited for a specific purpose, whether it’s to examine the heart, blood vessels, or the developing fetus. All these facts make ultrasound machines an essential tool in modern healthcare.
Five Ultrasound Truth You Should Keep In Mind About It
- It Is Your Child’s First Picture
Considering your first question is “What is a sonogram?”, Let me tell you that the word pertains to the three- or four-dimensional image of a baby in a pregnant woman’s belly. The first sonogram became publicized during the late 18th century when Tom Brown, an engineer, and Ian Donald, an obstetrician, created this obstetric ultrasound machine. It was not until after World War II, however, that ultrasound became useful in birthing institutions. It has evolved to become a useful tool in providing ultrasound scans and keepsake videos of the unborn baby.
The therapeutic ultrasound machine, on the other hand, is a deep heating machine used in physical therapy to treat joints, ligaments, and muscles of the body. A therapeutic tool that is used for the ultrasound imaging of internal organs is referred to as a diagnostic ultrasound. Another type is the doppler ultrasound, which uses sound wave to monitor a person’s blood flow via his blood vessels. The blood vessels serves as a mapping guide for the machine to detect. These are machines that utilize ultrasound technology but they are all medical ultrasound machines that use ultrasound transducers to provide an ultrasound image.
- It Is Not The Same As An Ultrasound
Another fact you should know is that there is a difference between a sonogram and an ultrasound. There always seems to be confusion when it comes to sonogram vs. ultrasound because 1) the ultrasound has gained more recognition over time, and 2) people often interchange the two. Despite that, it is nothing but a case of mistaken identity.
Indeed, an ultrasound is a machine widely used in medicine to gather information about a person’s internal parts, including organs like the thyroid or systems like the blood vessels. Its widespread use is due to its ability to diagnose conditions without causing pain or discomfort to the patient.
On the other hand, the latter one is the output, the image you get afterward, which can visually represent movement, such as the flow of blood through vessels using a spectral Doppler. This image is then used by healthcare professionals to identify and diagnose potential health issues.
So, it’s crucial to understand the difference between the two but you shouldn’t interchange them. The ultrasound is the process and the equipment, while the sonogram is the resulting image.
- It Comes With Zero Side Effects
It is significant to add as well that it is risk-free to undergo sonography or ultrasound technology. The sonographer only garners the high-frequency sound waves at a non-ionizing range from the ultrasound, creating a graphic photo of your bun in the oven through ultrasonic waves. Although the outcome looks like an X-ray image, the ultrasound machine does not emit radiation at all. That is why there’s no need for you to worry about letting the specialist take a picture.
- It May Lower The Possibility Of Getting An Abortion
What’s also great about getting an ultrasound is that it usually dissuades people from terminating a pregnancy deliberately. The process is not as dramatic as how you have possibly seen it in the movies, but it is just as magical facts.
A feasible reasoning is that the expectant mother may not initially feel an emotional attachment to the unborn child, perhaps because she has not yet had the opportunity to take a glimpse of her offspring. This is where an ultrasound, a tool widely used in prenatal care, comes into play.
Through the ultrasound, doctors can view the baby, the mother’s uterus, and other tissues, including the bladder. They can also utilize a color Doppler to visualize the blood flow, which can be particularly important in identifying potential heart problems in the fetus.
Once the patient, the expectant mother, receives the baby sonogram – the image produced by the ultrasound – a change often occurs. Seeing the image of her child can spark maternal love and may lead the woman to reconsider, potentially stopping her from pushing through with the abortion. This is why the ultrasound and the result can be such vital tools in prenatal care.
- It Is Useful For Various Conditions Other Than Pregnancy
A bonus fact you may want to know about is that the ultrasound produces cannot merely show you a picture of the fetus in a mommy’s tummy. Medical professionals such as cardiologists, internists, and vascular medicine specialists may also utilize the machine to get a more in-depth look at a patient’s problematic body parts. Thus, it should no longer surprise you if a doctor who isn’t an obstetrician asks you to obtain this type of imaging.
What’s A Sonogram Again?
It is a little souvenir you take home after undergoing an ultrasound at the doctor’s office. A picture like this one can indeed paint a thousand words. It can tell you so much about the child you’re yet to meet but already love like crazy. It may even be better than the ones taken with a high-definition camera because it lets you know how your baby is developing inside the womb. That is one of the facts for you.
Ultrasound Facts: FAQs
Last Updated on May 17, 2023 by Harold Chan
DISCLAIMER (IMPORTANT): This information (including all text, images, audio, or other formats on FamilyHype.com) is not intended to be a substitute for informed professional advice, diagnosis, endorsement or treatment. You should not take any action or avoid taking action without consulting a qualified professional. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions about medical conditions. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking advice or treatment because of something you have read here a FamilyHype.com.