What Is Ultrasound? (Sonography)

Ultrasound during pregnancy is a technique through which images of the unborn baby's development are produced through high-frequency sound waves. It is also used to create pictures to check the pelvic health of the mother undergoing the procedure. To read more pregnancy-related information, you can download Krishna Coming: GarbhSanskar App from the Playstore.

How an Ultrasound is Performed?

• The pregnant women must lie on their backs on an examination table.
• A gel is spread on the belly of the mother, and a transducer is run over the gel. This transducer generates sound waves on the mother's belly through which pictures are drawn onto the monitor.
• The images are then examined by medical professionals.

There are various ways of performing an ultrasound in pregnancy.
One of the ways is to create images of the vagina to see the position of the baby (head-on or breech). The length of the cervix is also measured by this method of conducting the ultrasound.

When and How Often Do You Need an Ultrasound?

Routine pregnancies require fewer ultrasound sessions. However, high-risk pregnancies may require a greater number of ultrasound sessions than the usual number. Women with a normal foetus should undergo their ultrasound sessions during the second trimester of their pregnancy.

However, an ultrasound session can take place as early as 6–8 weeks into the pregnancy. Additionally, an early pregnancy ultrasound takes place with the help of a transvaginal transducer. This transducer gives your doctor an early and fair idea of the baby's growth. Moreover, a transvaginal ultrasound is the first ultrasound in a pregnancy. The first ultrasound during pregnancy reveals a lot of valuable information to the doctor, such as the heartbeat of the unborn baby, the due date of the baby, the number of fetuses attached to the uterus of the baby, and the location of the baby (to close out any chances of an ectopic pregnancy, which is majorly detected by an ectopic pregnancy ultrasound). Most pregnancies involving healthy women ideally require two pregnancy scans. One is during the first trimester to ensure the due date of the baby, and the other one is during the second trimester at 18–22 weeks to check the anatomy of the unborn child. The early pregnancy scan is highly beneficial for the mother for the reasons mentioned above. This kind of ultrasound is also known as a first trimester ultrasound. 

You can watch this video to understand how many times performing ultrasound is safe during pregnancy….

Why Ultrasound is Important During Pregnancy?

An ultrasound scan during pregnancy tells you the rise in heartbeat of the baby. It is for this reason that pregnancy ultrasound is highly recommended for expectant mothers. An ultrasound scan during pregnancy tells parents, the family, and the healthcare provider about the continuous change in the heartbeat of the foetus during labour and birth. In order to become enlightened with the knowledge of the foetus heartbeat, an ultrasound probe or transducer is fastened to the mother's belly, and the sound waves when collided with the heart of the foetus draws a picture of the heart of the foetus on the monitor screen. Abdominal ultrasounds and Doppler ultrasounds are used to determine the change in the pattern of the heartbeat of the foetus, its rate, pace, and flux.  This examination ensure the safety and health of the mother to be and the child. However, to develop a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby, the expectant mother should always enroll in prenatal yoga and exercise.

Do check out 5 miraculous yoga poses to prevent miscarriage.

At 19–20 weeks, the healthcare provider can facilitate you with an anatomy scan of the baby's body structure. It has grown in size during this period of the second trimester. In this pregnancy scan, we also get to see our baby from head to toe. The baby's head, abdomen, and femur length are measured in order to check how the baby is growing. These measurements are also taken to check for the possible abnormalities in the baby's body. Moreover, the ultrasound pregnancy test is also popular among women to ensure if they are pregnant. Sometimes, Pregnancy test kits could also fail in exactly determining if a woman is pregnant. 

Ultrasound is a highly useful technique for the early detection of a woman's pregnancy and the visualization of the child's physiological development. It can also provide precious information for the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of diseases and conditions. It also checks for multiple pregnancies, congenital anomalies, and problems concerned with the placenta of the expecting mother. It additionally monitors foetal position, foetal growth, and amniotic fluid levels, which is an essential precursor for important pregnancy-related tests.

To sum everything up, the ultrasound scan can ensure a woman to strengthen her belief in a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby. Ultrasound scans make expecting mothers go worry free. So, become worry free and feel safe about your future baby with ultrasound.

FAQs on First Ultrasound During Pregnancy

Q1. Is 7 weeks too early for an ultrasound?

No, it is common to have an ultrasound/pregnancy scan at 7 weeks of pregnancy. Many times, it is the first ultrasound during pregnancy to confirm pregnancy and check whether the baby is OK in the womb or not.

Q2. When should I get my first pregnancy scan?

The first ultrasound during pregnancy is usually between 8 and 12 weeks of pregnancy. During this period, most babies having the same gestational age are about the same size.

Q3. Can early pregnancy scan cause miscarriage?

There is no evidence that a vaginal or abdominal pregnancy scan causes a miscarriage or harm to your baby.