Routine ultrasound examination during pregnancy: a world of possibilities

Abstract

Objective: To identify and describe the meaning of the routine ultrasound scan to pregnant women.Design: A qualitative descriptive study using Grounded theory approach, with individual interviews to collect data. Setting;The study was undertaken at three antenatal clinics in a Swedish county of approximately 400,000 inhabitants.Participants: Voluntary samples of ten pregnant Swedish women, 26-38 years of age, were interviewed prior to their first routine ultrasound. Findings:Making it Possible was the core category that explained and illustrated the meaning of the scan. The core category showed that the women considered the examination to be filled with possibilities to reach different goals during pregnancy. It also explained the categories Ultrasound as an event, Ultrasound as a situation, Ultrasound as a test and the Effects of ultrasound as well as how they related to each other. The findings are considered the beginning of a theory concerning the meaning of the first ultrasound to pregnant women. Key conclusions and implications for practice: Pregnant women can see their firstultrasound as a tool that enables them to reach different goals during their pregnancy. Many of the goals concern meeting and connecting with the baby, suggesting that pregnant women consider the examination an important step towards parenthood. An ultrasound examination offered for medical reasons, having other meanings than the intended to pregnant women, is important knowledge. It can be useful when giving information about the scan, addressing the woman during the examination, and for understanding and handling possible reactions.

The Ghanaian woman’s experience and perception of ultrasound use in antenatal care

“…Visualization of the fetus on ultrasound has been a source of pleasure, comfort and emotional reassurance for pregnant women 7,10,18,21 and has been reported to enhance feelings of bonding between women and their fetuses 22,23,24 . Ghanaian women should not be denied these psychological benefits.…”

Prenatal attachment and associated factors during the third trimester of pregnancy in Temuco, Chile

“…Evidence exists that affective bonding during pregnancy is the result of dynamic psychological and physiological events, which develop as the woman assumes her maternal role (Cranley, 1993). Women are able to develop a close affective bond with the developing fetus, and this can be strengthened by the use of ultrasound images (Molander et al, 2010). This theory has been demonstrated through observation of profound grief processes when intra-uterine death occurs (Brownlee and Oikonen, 2004).…”

Did I really want to know this? Pregnant women's reaction to detection of a soft marker during ultrasound screening

“…According to the national guidelines, all women should have prior information about the potential, as well as the limitations of the scan, to be able to make an informed choice on whether or not to attend the examination. Most women have positive feelings about the ultrasound scan and expect it to confirm the wellbeing of the fetus and to have a visual encounter with their baby [1,2,[5][6][7][8][9]. Often, these expectations are fulfilled [5,7,8] but if abnormalities of unclear significance are detected, parents also have fears and difficult choices to deal with [4,7,10].…”