What scan do I need when pregnant?

What Scan Do I Need When Pregnant? 

One of the most common pregnancy-related searches on google is what scan do I need when pregnant? Undoubtedly, for women who are first-time pregnant, diagnosis, as a part of prenatal care, is a concern. Pregnant women want to know what a pregnancy scan involves and what type of scans to avail of!

That is why I am here to share all the salient information about pregnancy scans. If you are pregnant or intend to have a child soon, this blog can tell you which scan is essential during pregnancy and why.

Overview: 

First and foremost, I have to say that no scan is mandatory for pregnancy. Of course, your doctor may recommend some, depending on your physical condition, but whether or not to pursue any of it is on you!

Not just one, but there lay multiple scans during pregnancy that you may require to understand how your unborn baby is and how well your baby grows day by day. There are several other reasons why your doctor may want to do a scan.

You never know if your pregnancy is abnormal. A scan can help you detect it and grab proper prenatal decisions! You never know when is the due delivery date. A scan can help your doctor estimate one! Besides, you can learn about sex, how many babies you carry, and so forth!

Viability Scan

Concerning your question about which scan do I need when pregnant, a viability scan is the first one! This scan is also called a fetal viability scan that confirms your pregnancy! By availing of this scan, you can learn the gestational age of your unborn child. In short, you can know how many days you are pregnant.

A viability scan lay conducted during the first trimester or precisely within the 7th to 12th-week gestation. This diagnosis can help your doctor see your uterus, ovaries, gestational sac, etc. The scanned image typically shows the yolk sac and the fetal pole formation. It can even detect the fetal heartbeat, and thereupon your doctor can calculate the approximate delivery date.

Nuchal Translucency Scan

A nuchal translucency scan is crucial during pregnancy if you have bleeding or witness symptoms. Your doctor orders this scan to measure the nuchal fold thickness of the fetal distance between the outer skull bone to the outer skin surface. It can shed light on the fluid collection behind your unborn child’s neck, which is basically the growing tissues!

Doctors pursue this scan within the 11th to 13th gestational week to locate if there is any genetic disorder, such as Edwards’ syndrome, where your baby has an extra chromosome 18 in the gene. A nuchal translucency scan can also detect Patau’s syndrome, where the unborn child retains an extra chromosome 13 in the gene.

Reassurance Scan

Many a time, a reassurance scan pops up as the answer to your question, which scan do I need when pregnant? Such a situation arises, especially if you have a history of miscarriage. Perhaps, you and your doctor shall want to see your pregnancy progression, even if for an additional sigh of relief!

Typically, there isn’t a specified period during pregnancy when you can pursue a reassurance scan. However, doctors opt for the 14th  gestational week. During this span, your doctor can check the placenta position inside your womb, detect the fetal heartbeat, and recheck your pelvic organs.

Anatomy Scan

Undoubtedly, an anatomy scan, also called an anomaly scan, is the one you need to pursue to monitor your child’s anatomical growth. Doctors use this scan to identify abnormal birth conditions, be it a hole in the heart, a narrowed artery, an incomplete skull formation, or a deformed bone.

An anatomy scan lay performed during the second trimester, typically between the 18th to 22nd-week gestation. During this period, your doctor can see the formation of your baby’s heart, brain, spinal column, intestines, kidneys, genitals, abdominal walls, bone, cartilage, facial features, and more.

Cervical Scan

Following your question about which scan do I need when pregnant, another diagnostic approach I know is the cervical scan. Doctors prescribe this scan to evaluate the cervix or womb length between the internal and external openings. Such a scan is requisite when you expect twins or have had a weak cervix during your prior pregnancy.

Doctors recommend this diagnosis anytime within the 14th to 37th week of your pregnancy. A transvaginal ultrasound is the most preferred diagnostic modality herein, as it holds more accuracy in this case. As a result, your doctor can see if the cervix is proper and thereby plan an early surgery to save your child when necessary.

Well-Being Scan

Above all, you may need one diagnosis while you are almost closer to the due date, which is none other than the well-being scan. As noted in the name, this diagnosis helps examine how well your baby is, the baby’s approximate weight, and which direction your baby presents! The well-being scan can show your child’s femur bones, abdomen, and head.

Doctors undertake this test between the 26th to 32nd week of your pregnancy when the baby is much grown. Your doctor can check your baby’s real-time movement and blood flow via the umbilical cord. For such a diagnosis, doctors prefer a 3D or 4D color doppler ultrasound instead of a conventional black and white 2D one!

Bottom Line:

So, did the article serve your purpose? Are you able to get the answer you have been looking for a long? I hope you do! But you must also note that your doctor is the one to say best about which scan you need when pregnant. Stay in touch with your doctor and discuss the routine pregnancy scan in detail.

If you want more information on pregnancy scans, feel free to stay connected with us at www.mrichandigarh.com.