lol. It is true that babies, or the human body in general. Can look creepy (or cool, depending on perspective) via MRI. That said there are a few reasons ultrasound is generally the default and common imaging for pregnancy.
1. Timing and inertia: The ultrasound machines invention predates the MRI, and by the time the MRI was invented the ultrasound was already finding widespread use in hospitals.
2. Costs: An ultrasound machine averages 10-100 times cheaper than an MRI machine. Ultrasound technicians on average make significant less than MRI techs. The cost for an MRI tends to be much higher than that of an ultrasound- so wether a government, insurance, or private payer is footing the bill- there is a cost incentive generally to use ultrasound where applicable.
3. Resources: an MRI uses more energy, takes more overall time (for testing and in all the maintenance and other work for each use hour) and generally because of their size, cost, and considerations (the strong EMF…
.. requires special considerations as does the weight of the machine etc… they tend to be more limited in supply and have fewer “slots” for daily use open. MRI is one of the best or most non invasive machines for use in treatment and diagnosis of many common or critical conditions, so as a general practice most providers tend to try not to tie the machines up unnecessarily as the machine itself is a critical resource. Ultrasound machines being smaller, more portable, and less costly with less special considerations are generally more plentiful and can be used for more patient hours in a given period. So while ultrasound has used outside of pregnancy too- those machines tend to be in less demand vs. available supply of use.
4. Comfort: Perhaps the ghoulish image factors in to this- but MRI machines can be intimidating and uncomfortable. They are huge, loud, and generally require a patient to lay down and be inserted into a tube while alone and holding still. You can’t speak generally much during an MRI and the particularities of the test generally mean you can’t really create a super “warm fuzzy comfy” group sort of atmosphere for a pregnant person. The precedence of claustrophobia is another contradiction to the general comfort factor of the MRI. And of course, despite no solid evidence otherwise, because it’s a big “sciencey” machine- many assume it is radioactive or may otherwise harm or influence a fetus- so there’s that too.
5: MRI isn’t the “best” test- it’s just a test that is good at certain things. For example- an MRI image as seen by a patient generally isn’t “real time” and often won’t show you things that can only be noticed when a subject is moving.
So all in all- MRI are sometimes used in pregnancy, and as the technology advances and becomes more common/prolific and accepted it may increase in use, but for most pregnancies the sonogram will provide the best overall experience and give doctors all the information they need to monitor the development of the fetus. Usually if an MRI is brought in where there isn’t an injury or preexisting/predisposition to an issue; the sonogram indicated something which the MRI might give a better view of.
So most medical procedures and providers do have some thought to the patient and their confront or mental status built in to how things are done or why or how information is presented- and that does occur in the selection of fetal imaging as well; but most of the reasons ultrasound are more common tend to he related to practicality and economics etc.
A very common thought, so understandable. MRI stands for “magnetic resonance imaging.” One of the major differences between MRI and technology like X-ray or CT which allow you to peer inside the human body “non invasively” is that the MRI does not use ionizing radiation- it uses magnetic fields.
So long as a person doesn’t have circumstances that make magnets unsafe (such as certain devices like pace makers or ferro magnetic objects in their body- the MRI is one of the “safest” and least impactful internal diagnostic tools we have. In fairness- it could always come to light in years or decades that there is some health effect we aren’t aware of, but the technology is 50 or so years old and has been in wide spread use for decades without yet being linked to any biological effects. It’s considered perfectly safe.
Also as a fun fact- when we use or hear the term “radiation” we are usually referring to types of ionizing radiation- this is the type of radiation like that emitted by nuclear substances which has the property to be able ionize other atoms or molecules by splitting electrons from them. This is the radiation that nuclear weapons are notable for releasing.
However, there are many types of radiation- heat is what is called “thermal radiation.” Sound is “Acoustic radiation” and even light is a form of electromagnetic radiation. While we think of ionizing radiation as the “harmful radiation” and the other types as “not harmful,” heat like a fire can obviously harm or kill humans, sound waves can harm the human body too if the intensity or wavelengths are correct. So ionizing radiation isn’t inherently bad- Earth has a constant “background radiation” we are all exposed to and even things like bananas are mildly radioactive, emitting ionizing radiation. It’s not just bananas- any source…
.. of natural potassium will contain some
Percentage of radioactive potassium, so any food with potassium as found in nature will likely have some level of very weak ionizing radiation. That’s just another fun fact! But it shows the point that generally humans and most organisms on earth can handle small doses of ionizing radiation as we evolved to survive on this world where the earth itself and the suns rays and other sources from space soak us in a constant but very weak field of ionizing radiation. It’s theorized that human bodies would become unhealthy if we had absolutely no ionizing radiation exposure at all. So like thermal radiation, too much is certainly bad, but most likely so is not enough. And those are just some fun facts on ionizing radiation vs. other types of radiation and the word “radiation.”
1. Timing and inertia: The ultrasound machines invention predates the MRI, and by the time the MRI was invented the ultrasound was already finding widespread use in hospitals.
2. Costs: An ultrasound machine averages 10-100 times cheaper than an MRI machine. Ultrasound technicians on average make significant less than MRI techs. The cost for an MRI tends to be much higher than that of an ultrasound- so wether a government, insurance, or private payer is footing the bill- there is a cost incentive generally to use ultrasound where applicable.
3. Resources: an MRI uses more energy, takes more overall time (for testing and in all the maintenance and other work for each use hour) and generally because of their size, cost, and considerations (the strong EMF…
So all in all- MRI are sometimes used in pregnancy, and as the technology advances and becomes more common/prolific and accepted it may increase in use, but for most pregnancies the sonogram will provide the best overall experience and give doctors all the information they need to monitor the development of the fetus. Usually if an MRI is brought in where there isn’t an injury or preexisting/predisposition to an issue; the sonogram indicated something which the MRI might give a better view of.
So long as a person doesn’t have circumstances that make magnets unsafe (such as certain devices like pace makers or ferro magnetic objects in their body- the MRI is one of the “safest” and least impactful internal diagnostic tools we have. In fairness- it could always come to light in years or decades that there is some health effect we aren’t aware of, but the technology is 50 or so years old and has been in wide spread use for decades without yet being linked to any biological effects. It’s considered perfectly safe.
However, there are many types of radiation- heat is what is called “thermal radiation.” Sound is “Acoustic radiation” and even light is a form of electromagnetic radiation. While we think of ionizing radiation as the “harmful radiation” and the other types as “not harmful,” heat like a fire can obviously harm or kill humans, sound waves can harm the human body too if the intensity or wavelengths are correct. So ionizing radiation isn’t inherently bad- Earth has a constant “background radiation” we are all exposed to and even things like bananas are mildly radioactive, emitting ionizing radiation. It’s not just bananas- any source…
Percentage of radioactive potassium, so any food with potassium as found in nature will likely have some level of very weak ionizing radiation. That’s just another fun fact! But it shows the point that generally humans and most organisms on earth can handle small doses of ionizing radiation as we evolved to survive on this world where the earth itself and the suns rays and other sources from space soak us in a constant but very weak field of ionizing radiation. It’s theorized that human bodies would become unhealthy if we had absolutely no ionizing radiation exposure at all. So like thermal radiation, too much is certainly bad, but most likely so is not enough. And those are just some fun facts on ionizing radiation vs. other types of radiation and the word “radiation.”