A number of ultrasound scans are performed as standard during your pregnancy. This is an examination in which an image of your baby is made using sound waves. This examination does not hurt.
First ultrasound at 7 weeks, not standard
From 5 weeks and 3 days of pregnancy, the baby's heart beats in an intact pregnancy. To be sure that the heart is visible on the echo, the first ultrasound is done at 7 weeks of pregnancy. It is also checked whether the baby is growing in the womb. This ultrasound is not done as standard, but only on medical grounds. However, Midwifery Practice PuurBegin offers this echo for free.
Internal ultrasound
In principle, ultrasound is performed on the outside of your abdomen. For this, the abdomen must be bare, but you do not have to take off your bra and pants. Some gel is put on the abdomen so that the device can look at the uterus and baby. Because the uterus is still very small at 8 weeks and is located behind your pubic bone, the sound waves of the ultrasound can sometimes not pass through it. It is then not possible to see the baby's heart with an ultrasound on the outside of the abdomen. It is important to get a good image of the baby's heart, to tell whether the pregnancy is still intact. That is why this early ultrasound always done internally through the vagina. An internal ultrasound is not painful, but it can be a strange feeling. If you have had an unpleasant experience with an internal examination or in the sexual area in the past, an internal ultrasound may be less pleasant. If it does not work, you can take the hand of the person doing the ultrasound. This way we know that a break needs to be taken and we can take you into account.
Location and shape of the uterus
During the ultrasound, it is also checked whether the uterus has a normal shape and whether any other abnormalities can be found. If the pregnancy is not in the uterus but somewhere outside it (for example in the ovary), the pregnancy will not remain intact. Pregnancy outside the womb can be harmful.
Is the heart not beating?
If the heart does not beat during this ultrasound, this may mean that the baby is no longer alive. Sometimes it can also mean that you are less than 8 weeks pregnant and that the ultrasound may have been done too early. The ultrasound is then repeated after a week to make sure the baby is still alive.
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