Obstetric Ultrasound
Why Is It Needful?
Obstetric ultrasound is a crucial tool in prenatal care, providing valuable information about the health and development of the fetus. It uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the baby in the womb, allowing healthcare providers to monitor the pregnancy and detect any potential issues early on. The advanced machines are calibrated to keep the thermal and mechanical indices below 1, ensuring the ultrasound examination is safe during the prenatal phase.
Benefits
- Early Detection of Pregnancy: Confirms the presence of an intrauterine, viable pregnancy and helps determine the gestational age and expected date of delivery.
- Monitoring Fetal Development: Regular ultrasounds track the growth and development of the fetus, ensuring it is progressing normally.
- Detecting Abnormalities: Identifies congenital malformations, Doppler velocimetry, cervical length, and other potential issues early, allowing for timely interventions.
- Assessing Fetal Health: Monitors the fetal growth parameters, amniotic fluid index, fetal viability, and overall health, providing reassurance to expectant parents.
- Guiding Medical Procedures: Assists in guiding diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound-guided fetal interventions, ensuring they are performed safely.
- Evaluating Multiple Pregnancies: Helps manage pregnancies involving twins or more by monitoring the development of each fetus.
- Determining Placental Position: Checks the location of the placenta, which is important for planning the delivery.
When to Do
Early Pregnancy Scan (6 to 10 weeks)
- Confirmation of Pregnancy: Confirms a viable pregnancy and estimates the due date.
- Early Detection of Complications: Identifies ectopic pregnancies, molar pregnancies, and early miscarriages.
- Multiple Pregnancies: Detects the presence of multiple fetuses.
First Trimester (11 to 13.6 weeks)
- NT Scan: To rule out fetal congenital malformations, along with biochemical markers for aneuploidy screening, PE screening, and FGR screening, First Trimester Screening, NIPT / NIPS.
Second Trimester (18-24 weeks)
- Anatomy Scan: A detailed scan to assess fetal anatomy, detect congenital malformations, and evaluate the growth and development of the fetus.
- Placental Position: Checks the position of the placenta and the amount of amniotic fluid.
- Cervical Length: Monitors cervical length to assess the risk of preterm birth.
Third Trimester (28-32 weeks)
- Growth Monitoring: Regular ultrasounds to monitor fetal growth and ensure the baby is developing properly.
- Assessing Fetal Position: Determines the position of the fetus in preparation for delivery.
- Evaluating Complications: Monitors any complications that may arise, such as fetal growth restriction or placental issues.
- Multi-vessel Fetal Doppler: Determines fetal position, lie, liquor amount, calculates estimated fetal weight (EFW), and assesses blood flow through major vessels, aiding in delivery decisions in FGR cases.
Obstetric ultrasounds are typically performed at key stages of pregnancy, but additional scans may be recommended if there are specific concerns or complications. Always consult with your healthcare provider to determine the appropriate schedule for your ultrasounds.