First trimester ultrasound (dating scan)
The First Trimester Ultrasound or “dating scan” scan helps to provide accurate dating of the pregnancy and confirm that the fetus is developing normally with a heartbeat. If you have not had a scan performed prior to your first visit at Alana Obstetrics, we will perform this for you.
Nuchal Translucency ultrasound (NT scan)
This ultrasound scan is performed at 12-14 weeks of the pregnancy and assesses your risk of having a baby with chromosomal abnormalities such as Down Syndrome. In addition to the ultrasound a blood test will be performed, the results of which are added to the calculation. The result that will be discussed with you is a risk of abnormality, and will be expressed as a number eg 1:10, 1:200, 1:10000. Based on your risk further testing can be performed if necessary. As this is a specialised ultrasound we recommend that you attend a specialised Obstetric and Gynaecology Ultrasound practice.
Morphology scan (19-20 weeks)
The morphology ultrasound looks at your baby’s anatomy from head to toe. It is a detailed scan that can take a while depending on how co-operative your baby is being on the day! The placental location will also be assessed in this scan. If you wish to find out the sex of your baby, this is the earliest scan that can tell reliably whether you are having a boy or a girl.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ultrasound can take high quality images of many parts of your body, which makes it an excellent diagnostic tool. During pregnancy, an ultrasound is recommended for a number of reasons:
- For confirming the age of the baby and to predict the due date;
- To look at the baby as it develops throughout the various stages of pregnancy;
- To screen for chromosomal and other abnormalities (such as Down syndrome).