There is so much information available online that it can become a little bit overwhelming. You will have your NHS scans of course, however there is also a large range of private scans you may wish to explore. To make things easier we’ve put together a guide of what each scan will look at and what to expect.
6-11 weeks: Early Pregnancy Scan
An early pregnancy scan is an opportunity to check the presence of the baby’s heartbeat as well as confirming how many weeks pregnant you are. The scan is great for checking that the baby is located safely in the womb and doing well.
Your appointment should be made no earlier than six weeks after the first day of your last period.
Please arrive with a full bladder to help the sonographer be able to get a clear picture of your baby by transabdominal scan. If a transabdominal scan isn’t possible, a transvaginal scan may be required to view your baby.
10-40 weeks: NIPT and scan
An NIPT test is a non-invasive blood test that screens for specific chromosomal conditions in pregnancy. The test can be performed from when you are 10 weeks pregnant.
The NIPT test screens for the following conditions:
● Down’s syndrome (T21)
● Edward’s syndrome (T18)
● Patau’s syndrome (T13)
The NIPT test for Down’s syndrome is very reliable with the detection rate being greater than 99% and the test has less than a 1 in 1000 false positive rate.
16-40 weeks: Gender Scan
If you are keen to find out the sex of your baby as soon as possible then this is the scan for you. To have a gender scan with the NHS you would have to wait until 20 weeks. We know how exciting finding the gender out can be for some parents, so we perform our gender scans from 16 weeks.
To help the sonographer get a clear picture of your baby please arrive with a full bladder.
24+ weeks: Growth Scan
A growing baby is a healthy baby! We recommend serial growth scans during pregnancy at 28, 32 and 36 weeks in order to monitor your baby’s growing velocity pattern to ensure that your baby is happy and healthy.
Your sonographer will check that your baby is growing within normal parameters by measuring their head circumference, abdominal circumference and femur length which will give you the estimated weight of your baby. They will also look at the amniotic fluid around your baby as well as completing an umbilical artery doppler assessment which will measure the bloody flow to your placenta. The position of the placenta will also be checked as well as the presentation of your baby.
36+ weeks: Presentation Scan
The last scan we offer before your baby is born is our presentation scan. The presentation scan gives you peace of mind that all is well before the birth. Your sonographer will look at the presentation of your baby, how they are positioned in your womb and how much amniotic fluid is around your baby. They will also look at the blood flow to the baby in the umbilical artery doppler assessment.
