Routine ultrasound after 24 weeks does not help
A clear negative result, widely ignored.
Extra scans in late pregnancy, in women with no specific reason for one, have been tested. Across 13 trials and 34,980 women:
| Outcome | Effect of routine late ultrasound |
|---|---|
| Death around the time of birth | No difference (relative risk 1.01) |
| Preterm birth before 37 weeks | No difference (relative risk 0.96) |
| Induction of labor | No difference (relative risk 0.93) |
| Cesarean delivery | No difference (relative risk 1.03) |
The reviewers' conclusion was that routine late ultrasound in low-risk or unselected populations does not confer benefit on mother or baby.
This is not an argument against scans you needIf there is a specific concern, growth, position, placenta, fluid, bleeding, then scan. The evidence is only against scanning everyone as a matter of course, and against the cascade of induction that a soft finding on a routine scan can start.
Where this comes from:
142. Bricker L, Medley N, Pratt JJ. Routine ultrasound in late pregnancy (after 24 weeks' gestation). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(6):CD001451.
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