Unexpected Side Effects of Ultrasound Gel

This widely used endocrine disruptor may be harming your unborn baby

Ultrasounds have changed how we see—literally—fetal problems within the womb before the baby is born. But this helpful technology brings its own issues. Pang_Oasis/Shutterstock

In 2017, Emalee Morem was 40 weeks pregnant with her first child. At the urging of her providers, she had an extra ultrasound, just to make sure the baby was OK. After the scan, Morem and her husband went out for lunch. But sitting in the sunshine on the patio at the restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Morem started to feel uncomfortable.

“My belly felt very hot while we were eating,” Morem says, “and when I got home, I looked at my belly and saw this horrible red, patchy rash.”