Parents Focusing on Gender

4/10/2012

Parents Focusing on Gender

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For our OB/GYN Sonographers: How do you handle it when parents-to-be are so focused on the gender of their baby that they forget they are having their ultrasound to determine the health of their baby? So many times parents can be so excited and only want to know the sex of their baby. This can make it difficult to focus on the anatomical survey you as the sonographer are there to perform. How do you handle this professionally? Also, for those times when there is actually something wrong with the baby, then what? How do you maintain your professionalism as a sonographer, but still make it clear that your focus is not the baby's gender?

3 Comments

Mandy

4/10/2012 08:18:14 am

I tell my patients up front that we will be evaluating all of the baby's organs and the development and growth of the baby and that is why their doctor has sent them for the ultrasound. I also tell them that if and when I am able to clearly see the gender, I will point it out to them. But I also explain to them that gender determination is only a perk to making sure the baby is healthy.
As for finding abnormalities and maintaining professionalism, that can be difficult. I work in a high risk clinic so it is not uncommon unfortunatley. I try to maintain the same relationship as I had with the patient as far as communication prior to finding the abnormality. However, I think the fact that I explain to them at the forefront of the exam the purpose for what we are doing, they tend to understand that every baby has a risk for an abnormality. If the patient asks if everything looks ok, I will answer them based on how our "relationship" has developed in the time frame. If I feel comfortable with the interaction that we have had and I feel there is not as much chance of recourse from the patient, I will explain to them that I have a concern for ____ (whatever the issue is) and that I want to speak with one of the doctors prior to them leaving my room. If I am uncomfortable with the patient, I will simply tell them that our doctors prefer to talk to them themselves and that they will be discussing the findings of the ultrasound as soon as I have all of the information I that the doctor expects from me.

Lisa

4/11/2012 12:49:04 am

Once I had a patient who was so disappointed that she was having a boy and not a girl. She kept going on an on about how she was devastated and that this was not what she wanted. Of course that made me sick knowing how ungrateful she was, also little did she know that her baby boy had holoprosencephaly. It definitely puts life into perspective. It can be difficult to see how selfish some parents can be, but ultimately most parents truly care about the well-being of their baby and understand after explaining to them that gender determination is an added benefit to the exam, but the primary purpose is determining that their baby is growing normally and is healthy. I am sure that patient lived with grief over her attitude for a very long time.

Shana link

5/7/2013 06:12:19 am

Our patients receive a letter when they schedule their 20wk appt, explaining that this test is for diagnostic purposes only and we will tell them our "best guess" at gender if it is visible and if we have time as it is not a medically indicated image in singleton pregnancies. We do not give results of any kind when we have a healthy baby or one with anomalies. If they insist we send them to their doctor's office and have the radiologist call their doctor. Over time our techs learn to pull out their "poker face" and continue conversing as usual. We have a screen at the foot of the bed for patients to watch the exam, we only turn the screen on after we do an initial scan and see a heartbeat and no grossly apparent anomalies.

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Parents Focusing on Gender

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