Inside STAT: Against doctors' advice, some pregnant women refuse ultrasounds

(HYACINTH EMPINADO/STAT)

While an ultrasound and pregnancy may seem to go hand-in-hand, many women are increasingly turning away from the imaging method over concerns that it could pose risks for the growing baby. For 38-year-old Sarah Carter, the decision to refuse ultrasounds came after she couldn’t find human studies that said ultrasounds were harmful — or ones that explicitly stated they were safe. But the tale of a friend’s friend who spent her pregnancy riddled with anxiety after an ultrasound incorrectly identified a possible limb malformation solidified Carter’s decision. She even switched providers after her original one told her that ultrasounds were mandatory for delivering at their facility. The decision, ultimately, was personal. "I wanted to trust my body," she told STAT’s Megan Thielking. Read more here.