How do Early Pregnancy Scans work? Pregnancy can be seen on a scan starting from the 6th week (halfway through the first trimester), but doctors recommend these early scans between the 7th and 12th weeks to ensure that everything is okay. This is recommended for women who may be pregnant, especially those who are experiencing pain or bleeding during pregnancy. The purpose of an early pregnancy scan is to confirm a pregnancy, determine the date of conception, and monitor the baby’s growth.
What are the benefits of having an early pregnancy scan?
Having an early pregnancy scan can confirm:
- Single or multiple pregnancies (number of embryos)
- Pregnancy viability
- A beating heart
- Estimating the gestation period (number of weeks) by measuring the size of the pregnancy sac or embryo
- Checking whether the pregnancy sac is in the uterus and ruling out an ectopic pregnancy
- If there is any bleeding inside the uterus
What are Early Pregnancy Scans?
Early pregnancy scans can either be trans-abdominally or trans-vaginally performed. Trans-abdominal scans are performed between 7 and 11 weeks of pregnancy. These scans are commonly referred to as ultrasounds and are performed by a highly qualified professional (sonographer) at the hospital.
The sonographer asks the mother to drink a glass of water during the process so that the ultrasound echoes can easily reach the womb (as the bladder helps the ultrasound echoes reach the womb). Apply gel to the abdomen and move a hand-held device (transducer) over the skin to pick up images of the baby. The sonographer may recommend a transvaginal scan if the images are unclear.
When the transvaginal scan is performed, the sonographer places a vaginal transducer inside the vagina (after lubricating with plenty of gel). The transducer bounces sound waves off the internal organs and transmits pictures of the pelvis onto a monitor once it is in place.
What is the purpose of motherhood?
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