Pregnancy Ultrasound

Pregnancy ultrasound scans are used to check that your baby is growing healthily. A scanner probe is placed on your skin and very high frequency sound waves that are inaudible to the human ear are passed into your body. As the sound waves pass over objects in fluid they produce a pattern of echoes. These echoes are converted into electrical signals which are processed and displayed on a screen as a two-dimensional image.

It does not hurt at all. As the scanner probe is guided over your abdomen you will feel only the cold plastic. If the pregnancy is at a very early stage you may need to have a full bladder for the scan to be effective.

There are several reasons why a scan is offered: to measure the baby and give an accurate delivery date; to find out how many babies you are carrying; to check for any complications by looking at the baby’s limbs, organs, brain, and spine; to check that the placenta is not lying over your cervix.

It is not always possible to detect a baby’s sex accurately from a scan as the cord, closed legs, or moving limbs can all contribute to a misreading. Many hospitals have a policy of not disclosing the sex of a baby in case they are not correct.