Two of the most common tests preformed on pregnant American women are obstetrical ultrasound and electronic fetal monitoring. After reviewing experimental studies involving more than 27,000 women, the Cochrane Review found that routine late-pregnancy ultrasound "does not confer benefit on mother or baby." But it does do a good job of scaring expectant parents.
Among other things, it finds minor anatomical abnormalities (like "bright spots" in the heart or intestine) that have been associated with feared genetic disorders such as Down syndrome. The problem is that the minor anatomical abnormalities are about 30 times more common than the genetic disorders they have been associated with.
That means most parents who are told after an ultrasound that their child might have serious problems are told so needlessly. Not surprisingly, this leads to a lot of unnecessary heartache and extra testing. This has led one of the founders of the technology to write that its routine use has crossed the line and now causes "more harm than good." LA Times
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