Health
Health Council Advises Against Offering 13-Week Ultrasound to All Pregnant Women
The Dutch Health Council advises against routinely offering the 13-week ultrasound to all pregnant women, concluding that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. Research involving nearly 130,000 participants revealed that the screening missed over 1,100 serious fetal abnormalities and generated unnecessary anxiety in 59% of follow-up cases due to false positives. While the scan can detect conditions like spina bifida, many organs are not sufficiently developed at this stage, particularly the heart. Vice Chair Selma Tromp emphasized that the high rate of missed diagnoses and incorrect referrals undermines the procedure's value, suggesting instead a review of combining it with earlier ten-week scans or NIPT testing.
Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's