Scanxiety: why private baby scans are on the rise

Anxiety may be the scourge of our times, but it now appears we have “scanxiety”, too. According to a study of 2,000 women, the phenomenon of pregnant women paying for extra private scans is on the rise. Almost a third paid for scans during pregnancy, with 36% citing anxiety as a reason. The NHS offers routine scans at 12 and 20 weeks, although more may be given for medical reasons.

“For the last 20 years, it’s been quite common for women to access private facilities for scans,” says Dr Christoph Lees, a consultant in foetal and maternal medicine and obstetrics and a spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. “Sometimes it’s simply for reassurance, or because they don’t feel they’re getting sufficient scans on the NHS. Sometimes they’re accessing a service that isn’t routinely provided, such as 3D and 4D scans. Many are what you might call souvenir scans.”

For Lauren McGlynn, who has two boys aged four and nine months, anxiety was the main reason for paying for private scans. “Before my first son, I had two miscarriages,” she says. “I just couldn’t deal with waiting until 12 weeks. I had a private scan at seven weeks, which is the earliest they will let you do it.” Did she speak to her midwife or doctor about her worries and ask for an early scan on the NHS? “I didn’t say anything,” she says. “I just assumed the NHS wouldn’t be able to give an extra scan to every woman who had a miscarriage.”

Mandy Forrester of the Royal College of Midwives believes the rise may be partly explained by the shortage of 3,500 midwives in England (Lees also points to the national shortage of sonographers). “Midwives are pressurised during antenatal appointments and continuity of care is an issue,” she says. “If a woman is seeing the same midwife, it’s more likely they will build a good relationship. It may be that women are not getting the reassurance they need.”

There is also the issue of the small, unconfirmed risk to the foetus associated with ultrasound, which is why multiple scans without sufficient medical reason are not recommended. “And it’s difficult to know the quality of the service,” Lees adds. “While there are many private providers that are extremely good, there are pop-up services where the person doing the scan doesn’t have any training in ultrasound. You don’t need to have a licence to do an ultrasound scan privately.” Does he often see women who have had private scans that have worried them? “I do see women who come back to me with a private scan report,” he replies. “Quite often we have to repeat the scan and sometimes the advice is not correct. [Private scans] can cause concerns that are not necessarily merited, which rather negates their point.”