Having the first trimester ultrasound is always a thrilling experience for women. This is the first time when they get to see their baby and get to notice their heartbeat. However usually there are a lot of questions and worries that pregnant women have regarding the ultrasound.
When will you have the ultrasound in the first trimester?
If a woman doesn’t know when she had her last menstrual period, most probably she will have an ultrasound between weeks 10 and 14. During this ultrasound women can find out the gestational age of the baby and also the due date.
Dating
A lot of women use the ultrasound of the first trimester to find out about the gestational age of the baby. This method is more accurate than using the last menstrual period. This is because some of the women have irregular menstrual cycles and in some cases women got pregnant while they were taking birth control pills.
What can the first trimester ultrasound show you?
The main point of the ultrasound is to check the heartbeat of the baby and to make sure that he or she is developing normally. Since some of the baby’s body parts, such as the head, hands, limbs and feet are already visible, the specialists can find the major abnormalities.
It is best to have the ultrasound during the first trimester and between weeks 18 and 22 because as the baby grows the abnormalities become more and more visible. Also this is the time when you can find out whether you will have multiples or not. It is important to know if you will have twins starting with the early stages.
With the help of the first trimester ultrasound you will be able to come up with a care plan for the twins. If you won’t have multiples you may want to think about testing for Down syndrome. Remember that this kind of testing doesn’t offer accurate results in case you will have twins.
How is the first trimester pregnancy ultrasound performed?
The ultrasound usually takes about 5-10 minutes. Usually the ultrasound is performed through the tummy and the specialist may ask you to come with a full bladder. You will have some gel put on your tummy and then the sonographer will move the transducer on your tummy.
If you are overweight or if the uterus is located deep in the pelvis, the first trimester ultrasound could be performed through the vagina. This isn’t supposed to be uncomfortable, and the good news in this case is that you don’t need a full bladder for this kind of ultrasound.
The size of the baby at the pregnancy ultrasound during the first trimester
During the 10th week of pregnancy, the baby is of about 3 cm, at 12 weeks he or she should measure 5-6 cm and at 13th week the baby is supposed to be of 7 cm. If you have the ultrasound later, the little one could curl up.
Now you know more about the first trimester ultrasound.
