Seeing their baby for the first time is truly a remarkable moment for parents, and they have ultrasound imaging to thank for that. To ensure everything is as it should be, ultrasounds are scheduled periodically throughout the pregnancy. For those interested in getting more glimpses of their baby, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration discourages undergoing unnecessary ultrasounds due to potential health hazards to the mom and the baby.

Ultrasound imaging is the most common method for medical imaging used on pregnant women to check the progress and development of a baby, offering real-time views of the fetus during a session. A Doppler heartbeat monitor, on the other hand, is a hand-held ultrasound device that lets the heartbeat of a fetus be heard. Both are considered as prescription devices and are made to be used by health care professionals so the FDA strongly advises against over-the-counter use of these devices for the purposes of creating keepsake videos and images.

"Although there is a lack of evidence of any harm due to ultrasound imaging and heartbeat monitors, prudent use of these devices by trained health care providers is important. Ultrasound can heat tissues slightly, and in some cases, it can also produce very small bubbles (cavitation) in some tissues," explained Shahram Vaezy, PhD., a biomedical engineer with the FDA.

Long-term health effects of cavitation and tissue heating have not been established but to be on the safer side of things, ultrasounds must only be administered when there's a medical need and when trained health care professionals are administering them.

The FDA recognizes that ultrasound imaging can be a form of bonding between parents and their unborn child but the potential risks outweigh the emotional benefits of the procedure.

Ultrasounds not intended for medical purposes are risky because there's no saying how long an imaging session will last and how many sessions will there be. Sometimes, the ultrasound machine can be used for up to one hour in a single session just to get a good view of the fetus in the video.

Doppler ultrasound heartbeat monitors are also a concern for the FDA because like devices for ultrasound imaging, they must be operated by trained health care professionals. When placed in the hands of a person without proper training, prescription devices are utilized without oversight, which not only reduces the medical benefit of a device but poses potential dangers as well.

The FDA released its advisory on ultrasounds for keepsake videos and images Dec. 16.