Advanced Early Pregnancy Scan
(11 weeks 0 days - 13 weeks 6 days) Price €125
Most babies will give a little kick or wiggle making this scan quite entertaining for the parents.
- To confirm intrauterine pregnancy
- To determine fetal viability
- To provide accurate gestational dating
- To identify and measure fetal heart rate
- To establish an accurate estimated due date
- To determine the number of fetuses
- To determine chorionicity and amnionicity if a multiple pregnancy
- To examine for obvious uterine and ovarian pathology (visualisation of these structures is not always satisfactory in pregnancy)
- To identify and examine some of the main organs in the fetus (the normality of these
organs cannot be determined at this stage – however, if an obvious abnormality is
identified you will be referred on to a fetal medicine specialist)
When to have an Advanced Early Pregnancy Scan
We perform the Advanced Early Pregnancy Scan between 11 weeks 0 days – 13 weeks 6 days, with the optimum time being 12 weeks.
Many couples decide to announce their pregnancy to the world after their 12 week scan as they have gained some reassurance about the well-being of their baby as well as having received beautiful pictures and video clips from our clinic to aid this special announcement.
How to prepare for an Advanced Early Pregnancy Scan
You are required to have an adequately full bladder for your Advanced Early Pregnancy Scan. There is certainly no need to be uncomfortably full.
We suggest that you go about your normal daily routine but just not empty the bladder half an hour before the pregnancy scan.
Ultrasound Baby Scan Video
Deborah explains the Advanced Early Pregnancy Scan
Take Home Package
- Ultrasound report for your doctor
- 2 glossy photograph printouts
- Disc with a few 2D pictures and a 2D video
What to expect from an Advanced Early Pregnancy Scan
The sonographer will put some gel on your tummy and move a probe over the skin. The image will come up on a big screen television so that you can see all the structures that are being examined.
As with the Early Pregnancy Scan, there is a small chance that a transvaginal scan may need to be performed in order to get a clearer view. During the scan we assess the position and shape of the gestational sac. It is important to see the sac within the uterus as this excludes an ectopic pregnancy.
We then look for the presence of the embryo or possibly multiple embryos. The heart rate is worked out to determine viability. A measurement is taken from the tip of the head to the little bottom, called the crown rump length (CRL). When performed correctly, this measurement is the most accurate way of dating a pregnancy.
Many studies show that this form of dating is more accurate than the first day of the last period or measurements taken at the detailed anomaly scan which is carried out around 20 weeks.
We also examine the uterus and ovaries for any pathology such as ovarian cysts or fibroids. The body parts and the organs of the fetus are identified and examined for any obvious abnormalities. The amniotic fluid volume, placenta location and umbilical cord vessels are also assessed.
Duration of the Advanced Early Pregnancy Scan
The scan only takes a few minutes to gain all the necessary information but we schedule you in for 30 minutes to allow you enough time to ask all your questions and enjoy the experience.