Your baby in 3D: What does a 3D ultrasound offer?

How does a 3D ultrasound work?

The maternity guidelines prescribe three ultrasound examinations during pregnancybefore. They are covered by health insurance as diagnostic tests. Most doctors perform them in 2D using a conventional ultrasound machine. Strictly speaking, a 3D ultrasound is not a special ultrasound examination, but a different technical form of representation. Three-dimensional imaging is a technique in which normal ultrasound slice images from a movable probe are assembled into a three-dimensional volume. With complex computer technology, volume or surface images are calculated as required. With 3D ultrasound, your child in the womb can be viewed three-dimensionally, which is one dimension more than with conventional ultrasound. The advantage of this prenatal examination method lies in the often better, because spatial representation of the child and its organs. Therefore, the 3D technique is often used within the framework of the so-calledorgan ultrasound used.

Is a 3D ultrasound medically necessary?

As nice as the 3D ultrasound may be, from a medical point of view it is not necessary in most cases and does not provide any better results than a normal ultrasound from a trained doctor. And unfortunately not every ultrasound is really useful in 3D. Because the quality of a 3D ultrasound depends on the following things:

• The quality of the images depends on good “viewing conditions”. The tummy position of your baby, a placenta lying on the front wall or little amniotic fluid often do not allow for a good 3D analysis. On average, sufficient visibility can be expected in about 50 percent of the examinations, depending on the week of pregnancy.
• Many doctors have little experience with the new technology or are not sufficiently qualified. Many of the gynecologists in private practice are more familiar with the conventional devices and are therefore better able to interpret these images.

How much does a 3D ultrasound cost?

Unfortunately, the 3D ultrasound is considered a so-called individual health service, so the service is not covered by health insurance companies. The costs vary from practice to practice, but usually amount to more than 100 euros.

When is a 3D ultrasound most interesting?

A 3D ultrasound can be done throughout pregnancy. It is most interesting for parents between the 20th and 30th week of pregnancy. Your child is already clearly recognizable as a baby, but is still small enough to fit on the screen to a large extent and you can not only see individual limbs. Depending on the development, you can also identify the sex of your baby from the 15th week of pregnancy .

Does your unborn baby have your dad’s nose or your chin? These and similar questions can best be answered from the 25th week of pregnancy . At this point in time, your baby’s individual facial features are pronounced (fat pads on the face) and it is still mobile with sufficient amniotic fluid.

Is a 3D ultrasound dangerous?

Both the German Society for Ultrasound in Medicine eV (DEGUM) and the Federal Association of Gynecologists eV state that ultrasound examinations are completely harmless for the unborn baby. Medical studies confirm that this also applies to 3D and 4D recordings with their higher noise levels.

However, it should be noted, according to gynecologist and prenatal doctor Dr. medical Jochen Frenzel in a press release from the Professional Association of Gynecologists eV that these studies were always only medically necessary and as short as possible. Frenzel would find it problematic if couples get their “baby cinema” from non-medical sources, for example by having the ultrasound performed by non-medical providers.

For these reasons, ultrasound during pregnancy in a non-medical context will be prohibited from January 1, 2021 according to the Radiation Protection Ordinance. It was also confirmed that diagnostic ultrasound examinations should only be carried out by doctors.