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gender surprise with monthly ultrasounds possible?
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Anonymous
| Tom Cruise bought a machine for ultrasounds and had it installed in his home. If she can afford it what's the big deal? |
Anonymous
| Yeah, 'cause I'm going to base my medical decisions on what Tom Cruise does.... |
Anonymous
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HTH did this thread devolve into a snarky conversation about whether or not monthly ultrasounds are appropriate??!
OP, my DH and I decided to find out ahead of time, but it was patently obvious on our 20 week ultrasound what we were having!! We got one of those "under the bum" shots where you could clearly see a little bum, two legs, and a third leg in the middle.  Didn't exactly come as a shock when the tech announced we were having a boy. I think our experience is pretty rare but it can happen, so be sure to let the tech know EACH time you have an ultrasound that you are not finding out the gender ... hopefully he/she will keep the crotch shots to a minimum.
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Anonymous
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I don't know why anyone would assume that the OP is being "excessive" rather than that she has a medical reason she does not care to discuss with people she doesn't know. I also get monthly ultrasounds, and it's because of a possible placental problem that can only be diagnosed by seeing whether the baby is growing appropriately or not. I know some are going to say that the OP has since said that it's something her doctor does for every patient, but she had not said that when the first person posted with her opinion about the appropriateness of monthly ultrasounds, which may or may not have been based on a complete set of information. Try to hold off on the judgment everyone - some things just are not everybody else's business and you may or may not have all the facts.
OP, I'm 7 months in and have not yet found out the sex of our baby. The techs are always careful to confirm before the u/s starts that we are not finding out, and if they didn't, I would remind them. I've asked before about whether I'm looking at anything indicative, and both the techs and personal friends who work in the ob/gyn community have told me that you really have to know what you're looking for to be able to see anything determinative. Whatever you decide, good luck and good health to you both! |
Anonymous
OP here: Fuck you. |
Anonymous
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OP here again. Sorry for the profanity earlier. What I meant to say is this:
This is a post about gender surprise. I got a lot of helpful and friendly replies, but then I also had to read through people suggesting that I am either being soaked or my doctor is gaming the insurance industry. Here's a question for you: What's it to you? When I use this board, I have to consciously remind myself that so many people are helpful and nice because otherwise the turds on here, like captain "excessive" and the Grand Arbitrator of Ultrasounds Unnecessary and Not spoil it for every one else. People like this are so hell bent on "treating" everyone to their opinion (which is usually abrasive, contrary, and unsolicited) on every single topic, that it becomes a chore to sift through the incendiary comments to get useful information. Who in the hell are you to suggest that he is committing fraud? It's easy to take shots while anonymous, but that doesn't mean you should. You don't have a medical degree, do you? Even if you do, which I highly doubt, you know NOTHING about why my doctor prefers monthly ultrasounds, nor do you have any idea how he processes the bills for them. So what you've said is slander, actually. And why? Because you want to open your ignorant mouth in order to get a rise out of some anonymous stranger on a message board. And why? Because you've clearly got nothing better to do with your life. I'm sorry for you. |
Anonymous
Sorry, but that's just not true. The "ob community" might want you to believe that only they can read the tea leaves. But it was completely obvious to me whene I looked at my son's ultrasound at 7 months. I even shoted "it's a boy!" before the technician could open her mouth. As to the snarkiness on this thread. I get twice monthly ultrasounds with this pregnancy and it is for a very serious medical reason. So posters should just refrain from commenting about that since they can't possibly have all the information. |
Anonymous
Wow. You are going to be a brilliant mother. If THIS post gets you so worked up, then you are really going to have some hard times dealing with a newborn...and then a toddler. What exactly about my post did you find so offensive. I never said it was excessive by YOU - only by your doctor. And it is unless medically necessary. If it is medically necessary, then fine. Otherwise, it is a complete waste of limited resources. Seriously, you may want to look into counseling now b/c you have anger issues which do not bode will with having children. Sad, but true. |
Anonymous
You may really want to educate yourself a little better. I don't need to be a doctor to know that monthly ultrasounds are completely out of the norm for otherwise healthy patients. I've had 2 kids and a miscarriage when I was very far along (18 weeks). For the miscarriage, I actually DID have ultrasounds every few weeks from 7 weeks b/c they were absolutely medically necessary. For my 2 other normal pregnancies, no. Have you even looked into WHY you need monthly ultrasounds or are you stupid enough to think that b/c every patient gets them at your doctor then they most be needed. And - hate to break it to you - but ask ANY major OB practice and see what they say about insurance companies paying for ultrasounds for healthy pregnancies every month. If your doctor is doing something weird with the billing, that is called insurance fraud. I'm sure your OB is a fine doctor. But I absolutely question the necessity of monthly ultrasounds. By the way, I didn't write what I did to get a rise out of you. I wrote it b/c MONTHLY ULTRASOUNDS AREN'T NORMAL. And you may want to research a little about the safety and health of them. I WROTE MY POST FOR YOUR BENEFIT. B/c many practices won't tell you insurance doesn't pay for more than 2 ultrasounds and YOU WILL GET BILLED $$$$$$$ FOR MEDICALLY UNNECESSARY TREATMENTS. If you want to waste thousands of dollars, more power to you. But don't get mad when people tell you that they are excessive. |
Anonymous
| Oh goodness, I told you off for being rude and in response you think it's appropriate to call me a bad mother and tell me I'm stupid? And this is a support board! (Chuckle). Sillly poster... Thanks for enlightening me, since, as you said, I'm too stupid to realize how these things work. Tell you what, why don't you report my doctor to the insurance board and be sure to include your vast childbearing credentials. I'm sure they'll find it quite instructive. In fact, I kind of find it sort of wild that, since he does this with every patient, and according to your vast credibilities this is such an egregious abuse, that they hadn't noticed before. In any case, I'm sure the authorities will be very glad to have your sage counsel pointing our all the insurance fraud out there. Would you mind wasting their time with this instead of mine? |
Anonymous
Actually, you told me to fuck off. So yes, I thought my response was just fine. Do you really expect to be able to tell people "fuck you" and have them be nice to you? Your response was completely unjustified. I didn't say a thing about you - only about the PRACTICE of having a doctor give monthly ultrasounds. If you really don't believe me then call up your insurance company and ask them what their policy is for paying for ultrasounds. Trust me, they will not pay for monthly ultrasounds for a healthy pregnancy. I didn't say your doctor was engaging in insurance fraud. I actually think it is more likely that you will be charged for all these ultrasounds. You will be charged - personally - for a lot of things you won't be expecting as part of your prenatal visits. Just trying to give you a heads up. If your doctor specializes in high risk pregnancies, then insurance companies will be used to him requesting lots of ultrasounds. But in a normal pregnancy, I assure you, they are not standard and your insurance company - unless provided false information - will not pay for them. If you don't do a little research yourself on this then quite frankly, yes, I think you are stupid. |
Anonymous
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As it happens, ultrasound is done in my doctor's office and is part of a standard office visit. I don't believe it is billed directly or indirectly to me or my insurance; however, if it is, I will be okay with that. I vetted a number of doctors before finding the right fit with De Souza, and I believe he deserves my trust. If he wants monthly ultrasounds, he gets monthly ultrasounds.
More than anything else, it was annoying to come back to this thread a few days after posting it, looking forward to helpful information, only to find that the thread had given way to a largely irrelevant debate over the medical justification of monthly ultrasounds. You say you were just trying to be helpful, but I hardly think it was helplful (or responsible) for you to make all sorts of assumptions and judgments about my doctor or me without even a handful of facts. The relationship between doctor and patient is important for me as a first-time mom and you wrote something that could have undermined my trust in my doctor. I think that's probably absolutely fine in some cases, because doctors make mistakes, there exist different and competing philosophies that a smart woman will want to explore, and so on. But you came off with this "I am right and you and your doctor is wrong" mentality that I thought was totally inappropriate and actually more than a little bit irresponsible. As much as I hate to belabor this already tedious point, you also seem to be basing your assesment of medical utility on insurance coverage or on your own personal experience. You're quick to call me stupid, yet I don't find it especially wise to assess medical benefit according to insurance coverage policy. Do you know how many insurance companies do not cover initial 8 week or even 20 week ultrasounds? They think they're not necessary, as well and try to say they are only about making new parents happy initially and determining gender subsequently and discount the benefit of monitoring fetal development. Many women have to fight for coverage of even these "standard" ultrasounds. Does this mean they've been bilked by their doctors or duped into some unnecessary procedure? I don't think so. More likely, insurance companies simply don't find paying for frequent ultrasounds to be cheaper than NOT paying for them, in terms of overall cost per mom / baby(s). It's a cost benefit thing, which should not be used to conclude that frequent ultrasounds offer NO medical benefit at all. Bottom line: my doctor thinks monthly ultrasounds are valuable, so I am going to go with his judgment over that of a woman on a message board leaping to conclusions with only a handful of my specific facts. On a final note, it's really not necessary to continue to call me stupid or otherwise insult me in any way. I've already apologized for my initial profanity, which I know was inappropriate for this forum. Nonetheless, that does not give you the moral authority to call me stupid or to continue to insult me. I'm not going to respond to you directly again because this cyber quarrel is getting tedious. I hope you have a healthy and happy pregnancy. Let's call a truce, and dispense with the personal attacks, shall we? |
Anonymous
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http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2006-08-07-ultrasound-baby-brains_x.htm
I'm a new poster, not trying to get int the middle of this argument. Just wanted to let the OP know that there is some evidence that medically unnecessary ultrasounds may be potentially damaging to the fetus. Of course, the effects may be negligible, but it's important to at least be aware of the risks. I'm sure your doctor is aware of this research, but you have to be your own advocate in the healthcare arena. Best of luck to you, hope you have a happy and healthy pregnancy! 
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Anonymous
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Fair enough, OP.
Please know that I'm really not trying to undermine your trust in your doctor, but I really do think you should question any medical decision that deviates from the norm for no apparent reason. I'm not trying to piss you off when I say this. I also think the insurance companies are often completely ridiculous in their arbitrary decisions about care. I also said from the beginning why moms would LOVE ultrasounds every month. It is amazing to see your baby grow like that. But at least look into whether it is medically necessary or even prudent to have monthly ultrasounds. Even if these are free, if there is one shrew of evidence saying that they are potentially damaging, why do it unless it is necessary? |
Anonymous
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I'm 32 weeks and have been getting monthly u/s as is the practice at my dr. We have not found out the gender. I try not to look for it and focus on other things, there's so much to see. I was concerned about the frequency of the u/s and the dr put it to me like this. Other people may only have two u/s in their whole pregnancy, but they last several minutes - I've heard as much as 1/2 an hour each. My dr, knowing my concerns, keeps it very short. A total of 2 minutes or so. She just checks for the basics that she is concerned with - adequate amount of amniotic fluid, growth of the baby, direction of the baby (head down or breached), etc. Since we told her we don't want to know the gender, she never even concerned herself with it. We do remind her, though, just in case, at every appt that we don't want to know.
I don't know if I helped at all, but this has been my experience. |