Archive · 6 Nov 2025
Unregulated Pregnancy Scans Risk Patient Safety, Industry Body Warns
Imagine going to a special doctor to see a picture of your baby when you're pregnant.
Some places that offer these pictures don't have very good rules.
The people working there might not be real experts, like the ones in hospitals.
This can be dangerous because they might tell you something wrong about your baby.
For example, they might say there's a problem when everything is actually fine, or they might miss a serious issue.
This makes worried parents very sad or scared.
The experts say it's like anyone can buy a special camera and pretend to be a doctor.
They want to make sure only trained people can do these scans to keep everyone safe.
Sometimes parents go to these places because they want a nice picture or to find out if it's a boy or girl early, but the experts worry these clinics are using parents' worries to make money without being safe.
An industry body warns that unqualified individuals are conducting pregnancy scans in unregulated high-street clinics.
These clinics may provide dangerous advice and incorrect diagnoses, causing significant distress to expectant mothers.
Major fetal abnormalities and life-threatening conditions like ectopic pregnancies risk being missed due to a lack of qualified sonographers.
The Society of Radiographers is calling for a protected job title for sonographers, requiring specific qualifications and registration.
Some expectant mothers opt for private scans for reassurance, gender reveals, or detailed imaging, reasons which unregulated clinics may exploit.
- Who
- The Society of Radiographers (SoR) and former hospital sonographers
- What
- Warning about the risks posed by unregulated high-street pregnancy scan clinics and calling for stricter regulation.
- When
- Recent concerns raised by an industry body.
- Where
- High-street clinics and shopping centres offering pregnancy scans.
- Why
- Unqualified individuals are performing scans, leading to potential misdiagnoses, missed abnormalities, and exploitation of maternal fears.
Concerned by Unregulated Clinics
Reasons for Choosing Private Scans
Qualifications of Staff
Concerned by Unregulated Clinics
The Society of Radiographers (SoR) warns that unqualified individuals can call themselves sonographers and perform scans, leading to dangerous advice and misdiagnoses.
Reasons for Choosing Private Scans
While not directly stated, the implication is that expectant mothers may not be aware of or prioritize the specific qualifications of the sonographers in these private clinics.
Accuracy of Diagnoses
Concerned by Unregulated Clinics
Unregulated clinics have incorrectly diagnosed serious conditions or falsely indicated abnormalities, causing unnecessary distress and potentially leading to incorrect decisions about pregnancy termination.
Reasons for Choosing Private Scans
Some mothers-to-be seek private scans for reassurance, detailed 3D/4D images, or earlier gender reveals, suggesting a desire for information and experiences not always provided by NHS scans.
Potential for Missed Conditions
Concerned by Unregulated Clinics
The lack of regulation means serious fetal abnormalities like spina bifida or life-threatening ectopic pregnancies might be missed by unqualified personnel.
Reasons for Choosing Private Scans
Maternal fears and the desire for early proof of pregnancy or specific imaging can lead expectant mothers to unregulated clinics, sometimes bypassing the structured care of the NHS.
- Industry Body
- Society of Radiographers (SoR)
- Concern Raised
- Unqualified non-specialists performing pregnancy scans
- Potential Risks
- Dangerous advice, incorrect diagnoses, missed abnormalities (e.g., spina bifida, ectopic pregnancy)
- Reason for Private Scans
- Reassurance, souvenir images, gender reveal, detailed 3D/4D images, anxiety while waiting for NHS scans
- SoR Proposed Solution
- Protected job title for sonographers, requiring qualifications and registration with a regulatory body