By Lovetti Lafua
Nurse • Midwife • Biologist • Human Optimization Researcher
Routine ultrasound scanning during pregnancy is often defended as harmless reassurance. Yet when examined closely, its effectiveness as a universal screening tool collapses under scientific scrutiny.
In several countries, the scale of use is staggering. In France, millions of scans are performed each year on hundreds of thousands of pregnant women averaging more than four scans per pregnancy and costing more than all other pregnancy-related medical procedures combined. Australia spends tens of millions annually on routine scans. In the United States, critics have questioned whether billions in healthcare spending produce any measurable benefit for healthy pregnancies.
The answer, according to large studies, is no.
One of the most common reasons given for routine ultrasound is the detection of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Clinicians often claim ultrasound is the most accurate way to identify babies who are not growing properly. However, comprehensive reviews of the research tell a different story.
Multiple studies show that ultrasound is no more accurate than skilled hands measuring the uterus through physical examination. In some cases, traditional methods performed better. Even worse, ultrasound screening for IUGR produces a high rate of false alarms meaning many women are told something is wrong when it is not.
False positives are not harmless. They increase anxiety, trigger unnecessary monitoring, and often lead to further interventions that carry their own risks.
There is also a deeper flaw in the logic of routine screening: IUGR has no direct medical treatment. You cannot reverse slow fetal growth with a scan. Screening principles state that mass testing should only be used when early detection leads to effective intervention. That condition is not met here.
Ironically, research has suggested that repeated ultrasound exposure may actually increase the incidence of growth restriction the very condition it claims to detect.
Taken together, the evidence shows that routine ultrasound does not improve birth outcomes, does not reduce complications, and does not justify its enormous cost. Its value lies in specific medical situations, not blanket use.
Yet despite this, routine scanning remains embedded in standard care less because it works, and more because it has become unquestioned.
