Ultrasound in pregnancy

Most mothers in the UK will remember seeing the first picture of their baby before it was even born - as a black and white image produced by ultrasound scanning.

Ultrasound is a routine part of medicine these days but initially, sound wave technology was designed to detect flaws in the metal hulls of large ships and to aid submarine navigation.

In the 1950s, Professor Ian Donald began to pursue the potential of the technique in obstetrics and by 1959 he was able to receive clear echoes from the baby’s head in the womb.

The technology continued to evolve and eventually, another milestone was reached with the introduction of real-time scanning which allowed doctors to 'videotape in slow motion' the fetal movements that were usually too fast for meaningful analysis.

In 1978, Action Medical Research awarded Professor Donald a grant of £13,550 for the purchase of a real-time scanner. These new scanners could monitor aspects of the baby’s development including breathing, cardiac activity and general body activity, so that for the first time doctors could study the unborn child’s movement in 2D to spot any abnormalities.

Today, the first scan is seen as a pivotal moment in pregnancy, when the baby’s normal development is confirmed. Other benefits of ultrasound scanning in pregnancy include the ability to study fetal growth and diagnose fetal abnormality and conditions which could be harmful to either mother or baby such as placenta praevia, which can lead to life-threatening haemorrhage.

In 1979 Professor Donald received the Harding Award from Action Medical Research for his outstanding work in the field of ultrasound.

Action Medical Research has continued to award many further grants over the years to other researchers working with ultrasound and the technology has continued to develop.