Prenatal Ultrasounds a Possible Link to Autism

While its causes are still unclear, many prenatal and early childhood medical procedures have began showing themselves as risk factors for autism, recent studies show.

In August 2006, Yale School of Medicine found that pregnant mice that had undergone various durations of ultrasound birthed offspring with brain damage consistent with damage found in the brains of autistic children.

When ultrasounds are done, high-frequency sound waves are sent out into the uterus, which increase the fetus’ temperature. Since a fetus in unable to sweat, its cells contain something called heat shock (HS) proteins, which temporarily stop the formation of enzymes when temperatures become dangerously high ( heat normally damages enzyme-creating proteins). With activation of the HS response, survival is achieved but at the expense of normal development.

In countries with nationalized health care, where the nearly all pregnant women are exposed to ultrasound, the autism rates are even higher than in the United States (1 in 166 children). Whether the benefits of ultrasound outweigh the risks is still highly debated and unclear.

Whichever decision you choose to make for your baby, be sure you know the risks of any prenatal procedure.