Ultrasound..

  • Thread starter Thread starter *~Sofia~*
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 23
  • Views Views 6K

*~Sofia~*

IB Expert
Messages
1,124
Reaction score
144
Gender
Female
Religion
Islam
salams all

i had a question: are muslim women allowed to carry out an ultrasound on theirr unborn child during their pregnancy? and are they allowed to find out the gender of the unborn baby?

ive always been told that it's not allowed.. but i always thought this was untrue..

does anyone know if it's allowed or not? and why? maybe have some evidence to support their answer?

would be very much appreciated :D
jazakallah in advance!

wasalams
 
I can't imagine why it wouldn't be allowed?
I am not an Islamic scholar, but will tell you this much.. Allah indeed will ask us of our health as it is one of the gifts he bestowed upon us... An ultrasound is crucial in every pregnancy to find out everything from Polyhydramnios and Oligohydramnios to Placenta Previa & Placenta Accreta, to Uterine leiomyomas which could potentially grow in pregnancy, to the position of the baby if you have a breech baby it might warrent a c/section.. as a matter of fact it is one of the single greatest inventions we have in medicine... if someone tells you it is haram please let them bring forth the proof.. as for the sex of the baby which is really a very ancillary finding, some parents like to be surprised while others like to prepare ahead of time, it is a matter of preference... there is much utility for that machine irregardless of finding out the sex of the baby, I think no woman should go throughout her pregnancy without it... Imagine carrying a dead baby for a few days, and not knowing about it, do you know of the ramifications of that?.. I can write volumes of the benefits of that machine but I believe you get the pic insha'Allah...
Everybody is a grand mufti, even when giving advise of harm-- sob7an Allah

:w:
 
^^ jazakallah sister, what you say is true, that's what i was thinking too. but when i heard people saying it was not allowed i was quite confused!
jazakallah for replying to the thread sis :thumbs_up:

wasalam
x
 
People can say whatever they want.. I don't think anyone should speak out of ignorance.. that is why we ask ahel il3ilm.. and I have admitted that I am not an Islamic scholar in the beginning of my post... but I don't think I need to be.. I know there is a hadith about necessity overriding even almo7ramat (forbidden) pls don't take my word for that.. perhaps bros. Qatada can share the hadith with us..
even in suret al-baqara when Allah forbids us from certain things he says
إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةَ وَالدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ الْخِنزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ بِهِ لِغَيْرِ اللّهِ فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلاَ عَادٍ فَلا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ {173}
[Pickthal 2:173] He hath forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and swineflesh, and that which hath been immolated to (the name of) any other than Allah. But he who is driven by necessity, neither craving nor transgressing, it is no sin for him. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. ..

And these are actual harmful things.. let alone things of actual use which have so much potential in preserving the well being of the mother and the child...
I personally am very grateful for the advances in modern science women used to die in child birth for trivial reasons, things that we have a better handle on today.. just two centuries ago in Vienna there was a 20% mortality rate post partum (women who gave birth) just because the doctors didn't wash their hands...
So whomever tells you whatever, let them bring their proof or keep silent..
:w:
 
:sl:
Is finding out the gender of the baby is that Haram ??
i was told it was:?
:w:
 
:sl:

^^ i found this on islamqa

We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, who answered as follows:

There is nothing wrong with that, unless it involves great expense. It could be said that it is a waste of money because there is no need to know the or sex of the baby except for the purposes of merely feeling happy because one knows whether it is a boy or a girl. If finding out could not be achieved without spending a lot of money then it is a waste of money and is not permitted. And Allaah knows best.
 
:sl:
Is finding out the gender of the baby is that Haram ??
i was told it was:?
:w:

ultrasound is very cheap... compared to other tests one can run for instance Karyptyping, amniocentesis, or Chorionic villus sampling, there are of course others much more invasive and more expensive. an Ultra Sound is a must for every pregnant woman to ensure her well being and that is of her baby's... the test is simply not done just to look at the sex of the child, in fact many would rather not be told and surprised at the time of delivery, others simply want to prepare in advance ( I can't imagine a harm in wanting to know how to prepare a room or what clothes to buy) but it certainly not the most pressing call, when you are measuring Nuchal folds, head circumference, place of implentation, placental or fetal anamolies, or positioning, I am sure the baby's sex though an ancillary finding will be noted out as well. This is not luxury testing I assure you! I can't imagine why some people want to make life so difficult? but that is just me!
:w:
 
This is an interesting discussion because there has recently been controversy in the medical community as to the validity and necessity of the ultra sound. It is considered by some to be an expense that can be foregone, since it's been proven to be of dubious accuracy. Others insist that is a valid tool and and a necessity to the health of both mother and child.

The primary reason of the ultrasound, is not, as ambrosia points out, to reveal gender, but to assess the growth and health of the baby. You will find that in the first ultrasound, the technician will take numerous measurements, particularly of the head and the curvature of the spine. another purpose is to ensure that the baby's digits are forming in a normal fashion.

While it is true that we must always refer to the scholars when we are in doubt, Allah has blessed us with intellect which there is no harm in using. In Islam, it is known that we do our utmost to preserve life and prevent harm to the innocent. That being said, there is no harm towards the baby or the mother by the ultrasound. In fact, it can be an indicator of health, and source of comfort and security to the mother. Many mothers describe it as their first experience of bonding with their child, fathers as well find it to be an uplifting experience. And in a religion that promotes the closeness and strength of the family, there is certainly no problem with that.

In some communities in the UK, the gender of the baby is not revealed during an ultrasound because of the unfortunate cultural practice of preferring baby boys over baby girls, and the fear that a revelation of the birth of a girl may lead some women to abort or bring on miscarriage. This unfortunate preference for males has been refuted many times by Allah and his Messenger (SAW) and I don't need to go into detail on that. Nonetheless, this is a valid reason for the gender of the baby not to be revealed. If there is a fear of such, it is best to advise against revealing or asking about gender.

It is interesting to note how many ultrasounds have been proven wrong. I myself was told that my baby was dangerously small in the last trimester, based on ultrasound reports, and my baby was a very healthy weight, masha Allah tabaarakAllah. Subhanallah, It is true when Allah says that is only He who knows what is concealed in the womb, and it is He who chooses what to reveal of it to us, even with the eye of science.

Wallahu 'aalam
 
an Ultra sound is not the most accurate (sensitivity) or (specificity) wise, but it is the least harmful of other methods I mentioned.. It isn't meant as helpful tool not a diagnostic or preventative in many cases, sort of like a road map and not just to the womb as that isn't the only useage of a US... certainly it can only be as little as 20% accurate in such cases as placental abruption.. hopefully a clinician relies on his critical judgement and the clinical presentation of the patient.. but an ultra sound will be with us for a very long time I suspect of all the sophisticated machines we have this still has the lowest risk of harm to either mother or child!
:w:
 
When i was pregnant, i was asked to be a model for their ultrasound for their phd students.

and i was paid rm50 for it :D and got free hampers and gifts.

I did it three times excluding my own ultrasound. and now my son is lefthanded...
 
When i was pregnant, i was asked to be a model for their ultrasound for their phd students.

and i was paid rm50 for it :D and got free hampers and gifts.

I did it three times excluding my own ultrasound. and now my son is lefthanded...


So? :? What has any of what you said to do with your son being left-handed, sis?
 
i'm not sure whether is being proven but someone told too much ultrasound will affect the brain wave and make the child lefthanded.

but left handers tend to use both side of their brain so its kinda good too.
 
:sl:
Is finding out the gender of the baby is that Haram ??
i was told it was:?
:w:

salam sister,

yeh this is what i have been told too, but im not sure about it's authenticity.
sorry wasn't much help!

w'salam :)
 
salams,

yeh i guess there's nothing wrong with being left-handed, both my brother and cousin are left-handed. the only trouble they have with it, is that my cuz sometimes accidently eats with her left hand :X
havn't really heard bout ultrasound affecting the brain..

w'salam
 
i'm not sure whether is being proven but someone told too much ultrasound will affect the brain wave and make the child lefthanded.

but left handers tend to use both side of their brain so its kinda good too.

:confused: I'd love to see research on that ;D.. I think people go to great length to make up stories unfortunately I am not sure for what purpose?... there is no affect on brain or any other part of the body whatsoever that has been reported in a reputable medical journal.. 10% of the population is left handed.. it doesn't mean they use both brains, it just means the dominant lobe of their brain is the right one, where as for most of us it is the left..the left and right hemispheres have designated different functions, just depends on which hemisphere is dominant-- there are 2% who are ambidextrous and get to use both hands with the same dexterity.. simply because they weren't born with a corpus callosum which is a longitudal fissure that connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres.. obviousely it isn't good to lose it later on in life, when born that way there is no problem, if lost due to a space occupying lesion or whatever, there are serious ramifications.. but an ultra sound has no affect whatsoever on which hand is the dominant hand.. these are all just variations.. variety is the spice of life :okay:
:w:
 
Last edited:
I found this...

it seems what i've been told is true :uuh:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1670

The results suggest that some men who genetically would have been expected to be born right-handed had actually grown up to be left-handed. Kieler says this could be due to a disruption of their brain development in the womb: "It's commonly known among neuropsychiatrists that right-handed people can become left-handed by slight damage to the brain."

From wikipedia

Ultrasound theory: A popular theory is that ultrasound scans may affect the brain of unborn children, causing higher rates of left-handedness in mothers who have ultrasound scans compared to those who do not. This is probably based on a few studies [12][13] where this relation is studied. In one of these the authors claim that "...we found a possible association between routine ultrasonography in utero and subsequent non-right handedness among children in primary school." However later in the same article the authors state that "Thus the association ... may be due to chance" and "The result was not significant, suggesting that the study had insufficient statistical power to resolve the relationship between ultrasonography and subsequent left handedness in the child"
12“Routine ultrasonography in utero and subsequent handedness and neurological development”, K.A. Salvesen, L.J. Vatten, S.H. Eik-Nes, K. Hugdahl, L.S. Bakketeig, British Medical Journal, Vol. 307, 1993,159-64.
13“Routine ultrasound screening in pregnancy and children’s subsequent handedness.” H. Kieler, O. Axelsson, B. Haglund, S. Nilsson, K.A. Salvesen, Early Human Development, Vol. 50, 1998, 233-45.

My next pregnancy i think i'm interested in the 3D ultrasound (don't mind me, i'm just dreaming, guess i'm never going to learn).

Anyway, on the using both of the sides of the brain, what i meant was the artistic (creativity) and science skills. I remember once when i'm in the university taking art class as an elective, my lecturer told us start the class by drawing our face using our left hand. :hmm: which of course will turn to be a beautiful abstract design.

When i said, the lefthanders tend use both side of their brains, this is because they are forced to use utensils or tools that are only suitable for the right handers. For example scissors, fridge or door handler.

Connections between the left and right hand sides or hemispheres of the brain are faster in left-handed people, a study in Neuropsychology shows.

The fast transfer of information in the brain makes left-handers more efficient when dealing with multiple stimuli.

Experts said left-handers tended to use both sides of the brain more easily.

Study leader Dr Nick Cherbuin from the Australian National University measured transfer time between the two sides of the brain by measuring reaction times to white dots flashed to the left and right of a fixed cross.

This seems to go with evidence that left-handers use both sides of the brain for language
Dr Steve Williams


He then compared this with how good participants were at carrying out a task to spot matching letters in the left and right visual fields, which would require them to use both sides of the brain at the same time

source

But i'm right handed and mostly too lazy to use my left hand.
 
Last edited:
Most doctors will argue the only way you can cause any harm to someone's brain from an ultra sound is to hit the patient with it on the head!
NS and especially not wikipedia aren't reliable nor reputed journals when it comes to health care...
Allah knows best!
:w:
 

Similar Threads

Back
Top