Pregnancy and risk: obstetric ultrasound during gestation in Catalunya

Abstract

The widespread use of ultrasound in the biomedical monitoring of pregnancy has implied transformations at the obstetric, social and cultural level, and has also has an affect on the pregnant women's bodily experiences. This research aims to explore and understand the role of obstetric ultrasounds in pregnancy, based on the analysis of pregnant women's experiences, paying particular attention to how the performance of ultrasounds influences the construction of pregnancy-related risk. To address this issue, ethnographic research based on participant observation has been conducted, primarily involving in-depth interviews with eleven pregnant women. As conclusions, the conception of pregnancy as a “risky” process appears to be internalized by pregnant women, thereby demonstrating how the process of medicalization has been embodied as a result of the normalization of their healthcare monitoring. As part of the biomedicalization process, self-regulatory practices have been incorporated into daily life habits, in order to minimize risks of complications in the foetus. This leads pregnant women to feel responsible for adhering to these practices as well as guaranteeing the well-being of the future baby. Finally, the ultrasound allows pregancy to be perceived as real, shifting the pregnant woman’s bodily knowledge towards technological and biomedical discourse, and is used as a means to alleviate concerns regarding the health and life of the foetus.