Ultrasound

What can an ultrasound detect?

What is ultrasound?

to evaluate movement, tone, and breathing,
to identify sex (not 100% reliable),
to assess the amount of amniotic fluid,
as an adjunct to cervical cerclage or suture,
to look for molar pregnancies,
to determine the structure and position of the placenta (particularly useful if placenta previa is suspected),
to determine the cause of bleeding,
for fetal surgery.

What is 3D 4D?
With 3D ultrasound a volume of echoes is taken which can be stored digitally and shaded to produce life like pictures of the fetus. 4D just means that these life like pictures can be seen to move in real time so the activity of the baby inside your womb can be studied.

How accurate is the due date with an ultrasound?
Not as accurate as you may think! It depends on at what point during the pregnancy the ultrasound is taken.

5 - 7 weeks: Measurement of the sac at five to seven weeks gives an accuracy of plus or minus ten days.
7 - 14 weeks: Measuring the crown-rump length gives an accuracy of plus or minus three days at seven weeks
14 - 26 weeks: the measurement of the biparietal diameter of the baby's head, the femur length, and the head and abdominal circumference is used; the accuracy is plus or minus seven to ten days.
26 - 40 weeks: Later in pregnancy, the accuracy declines, and may be plus or minus twenty-one days.

Sonogram of a baby at 10 weeks pregnant.

Do you really have to have a full bladder for an ultrasound?
Women getting an ultrasound are encouraged to drink several glasses of water an hour before the exam and not go to the bathroom until after the exam. The full bladder helps the doctor locate the pelvic organs and get a clearer and more accurate picture. However, this advice only applies for some ultrasounds, depending on the kind of probe used and the point in pregnancy when the ultrasound is done. This is why different women report getting different advice from their doctors about whether a full bladder is required.

When can you see What?
1st trimester: to determine whether a pregnancy is properly located within the uterus or is located in an abnormal position (ectopic pregnancy), or to confirm suspected miscarriage
2nd trimester: sex, spina bifida, disorders of the skeleton, central nervous system, heart, kidneys, or urinary tract.
3rd trimester: detect problems that may affect planning of delivery, such as intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR).

What can't you see?
Ultrasound does *not* detect:

the severity of spina bifida, only whether it is present.
DOWN syndrome
abnormal heart beat

Remarkable:
Some places (e.g. India) are considering outlawing informing the parents of the sex of the child based on ultrasound, because of the tendency for female children to be aborted.

Comments: Ultrasound

Comments 76 to 91 of about 91.
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1ofakind - 295 days ago.
This is my first child, and I can't DECIDE whether or not to find out the sex. I want it to be a surprise, but then again, I want to know. I have until 4/10/09 to make up my mind. ??????? confused

stargazer530 - 299 days ago.
bebuno - I have had several u/s and I don't think I remember seeing my little move not once during them. She won't move when anyone else touches me either. Maybe your baby is just shy like mine. :)

bebeuno - 299 days ago.
I just had my first ultrasound today, like an hour ago. I got to see the baby, and the heartbeat....BUT my little bean wasnt moving like this guy in the ultrasound movie. Is that normal¿¿¿¿ The baby was just there...the heartbeat was visible...... IS THIS NORMAL¿¿¿¿¿

SPAPPS - 303 days ago.
I just had my first u/s yesterday and it was so awsome. last time i didn't get to hear the heart beat because i m/c'ed. The baby was so active and i couldn't be more happy....

Leslie0905 - 320 days ago.
I think you can detect the same of the baby around 15-18 weeks..Good luck!

carlybarleyx - 323 days ago.
Hi ladies. I'm 13 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child and having a scan at 16 weeks due to my first child having a major heart defect although my 2nd is fine. I was just wondering if they can tell the sex at 16 weeks? xxx

kungfu-ronin - 323 days ago.
I hear you allih8! I didnt get a sonogram for my first but unfortunatly i was diagnosed with placenta previa (complete) and i have a subcronic hematoma, so my midwife wants me to keep up on the sonograms and naturally i do also to make sure everything is going smoothly. It upsets me though because i wish i didnt have to get them! I get so upset everytime i walk in and have to have that questionable device hover over my belly and scan my baby!

misz-cashis-april09 - 324 days ago.
yay i get another u/s thursday!! ill be 27 weeks and 1 day! so excited!!

allih8 - 324 days ago.
I am 32 weeks and we did not have any ultrasounds. They have not proven that they are harmless, and since we did not have complications, we opted not to have one. Our birth center midwives say that they are not necessary for a normal pregnancy...

jacquilea - 341 days ago.
I'm so excited!!! I am 9 Weeks and 4 days. I go for my 3rd U/S on Friday! Can't wait!

trying4babynum1 - 348 days ago.
hello everyone, i will be at 10 wks in a few days :)

amyPP - 368 days ago.
I GOT ONE ULRTRASOULD AT 9 WEEKS AND I AM DOING ONE AT 22 WEEKS .DO YOU THICK IS TOO LATE TO DETECT BIRTH DEFECTS AT 22 WEEKS? SEND ME ANSWERS TO MY PAGE PLS

Randalynn - 369 days ago.
I would like to know how many Ultra sounds others have gotten or are going to get. I got 1 at 6 weeks due to some soptting and one at 20 weeks to determine the sex and my Doc said that is all there will be. It seems that I should at least get 1 more right, or is this normal for everyone?

jlavoise - 374 days ago.
That makes sense... Plus I'm sure insurance wouldn't want to pay for an extra ultrasound

Erin A - 374 days ago.
jlay ... alot of Drs will not due them before 20 weeks due to 20 weeks being half way and the most accurate time for gender . also they use the 20 weeks ultrasound for measurments which are most accurate at that point as well

jlavoise - 374 days ago.
I'm so sick of my DR!!!! He won't do an ultrasound till I'm 20 weeks to find out the gender of my baby!!! For real, who really wants to wait that long! After getting a lil crabby at my hubby, I guess he did some searching on the internet and found some 3d/4d ultrasound place that does gender at 15 weeks. I was kinda shocked, I called them and they said that if they aren't able to get the gender you come back for free a few days later. I figured what do I have to lose... I have an appt tomorrow!!! I'll Keep you all posted. I'm so excited. If anyone cares the site is www.4dpeek.com (not trying to promote them, but hey if they can tell gender 5 weeks earlier more power to them!)