When?
Your doctor will determine when and how many ultrasounds as you make your pregnancy and your criteria.
Why is it done?
This study was performed to:
* To diagnose an ectopic pregnancy (when the embryo implants in the fallopian tubes or abdomen).
* Verify the estimated date of delivery.
* Determine the existence of certain anomalies in the baby.
* To exclude or confirm the existence of a pregnancy in the absence of menstrual after the seventh week.
* Determine the cause of blood loss (if any) during the first weeks of gestation.
* Guiding the implementation of certain diagnostic tests such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus (CVS).
* Diagnose the presence of a multiple pregnancy.
* Identify possible causes in the case of the uterus grow faster than normal.
* Determine the status and location of the placenta (placenta previa obstructing the baby’s exit from the uterus).
* Determine cervical changes that may predict preterm delivery.
* Determine the size of the baby.
* Assess the baby’s given breathing movements and amniotic fluid volume.
* Verify the position of the baby and umbilical cord before birth.
How?
A device that slides over the belly of the pregnant emits sound waves and picks up the reflection of them. This information is translated into images and displayed on a monitor.
In some cases, if the pregnancy is very recent, and therefore the baby is very small, can be intravaginal ultrasound. Both are absolutely painless. Likewise, today it is already possible to perform three-dimensional ultrasound.
Risks
This study has been conducted regularly by pregnant women in the past three decades and so far there have been no side effects. However, some doctors prefer to carry it out only once during pregnancy on the grounds that there is no information yet on the side effects that can cause long-term.
Tags: ectopic pregnancy, multiple pregnancy, Pregnancy, pregnant women, Ultrasound, ultrasound for pregnancy
