Welcome to the world of baby scanners and congratulations on your pregnancy. The 6-week early pregnancy scanner, or early pregnancy scanner as it is more often called, is perhaps the parents' first chance to get to know their baby. The NHS does not usually offer 6-week ultrasounds unless there are difficulties such as suspected ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. If you think your pregnancy is not progressing well or you want definitive visual confirmation of the pregnancy, you may want to get a private scan of the baby.
Most common reasons for a 6-Week Ultrasound Scan
- Miscarriage in the past.
- Unilateral pelvic pain
- You have been through fertility treatment.
- You are not sure how far along you are in your pregnancy.
- Spotting or bleeding in the vaginal area.
- After a positive pregnancy test, you want visual evidence that you are expecting.
What should I see in a 6-week scan?
You may see the following during 6 weeks of pregnancy:
- The gestation sac is a black oval circle (on ultrasound, black indicates fluid).
- The yolk sac is a small white ring that the baby feeds on in the first weeks of pregnancy.
- the fetal pole (the embryo) and
- The heartbeat may be visible.
However, all of the following may not be seen during the scan, depending on the individual pregnancy.
In general, you will not be able to see a lot of details about your baby at 6 weeks. However, an ultrasound should be able to confirm gestational age by measuring the gestation sac or, if visible, the fetal pole. You may be able to see the baby's heartbeat from time to time, but not always.
Most importantly, the sonographer who performs your private ultrasound in Leicester will be able to confirm that your baby is in the correct location, that is, in the endometrial cavity and that you are not pregnant in an ectopic pregnancy.
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg attaches itself outside of the uterus, with the fallopian tube on the side where you ovulated the most common location.
We are all different, so a follow-up ultrasound may be necessary a week to ten days later to provide you with additional information.
Your baby at 6 weeks
1. What is the length of a 6-week fetus in millimetres?
At 6 weeks, your baby should be 5 to 9 mm long.
2. Is it possible to see the baby at 6 weeks?
You may be able to see the fetal pole and hear the fetal heartbeat at 6 weeks of pregnancy.
3. On the 6-week ultrasound, can you see the baby's heartbeat?
The embryonic heartbeat appears as two blinking parallel lines and is not always detectable on the 6-week exam. Although research recommends that the fetal heartbeat should be between 90 and 110 beats per minute, we have witnessed slower heartbeats associated with successful pregnancies.
4. What else can you see?
The yolk sac, which appears as a bright, ring-shaped circle, may also be visible. In this early period of pregnancy, your baby is feeding on the yolk sac.
You may be asked to return in a week to 10 days if only the gestation sac is present, with no fetal pole or yolk sac. In most situations, this is because her pregnancy may be more advanced than she thinks.
5. What is the first time you can take a pregnancy test?
The most common gestational age at which a private ultrasound is performed in 6 weeks.
We do not recommend a scan before 6 weeks of pregnancy unless you are concerned about a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, because, at 5 weeks of pregnancy, you may notice that the endometrium thickens and becomes shiny like the echo, as well as a gestation sac. A 5-week-old baby scan, on the other hand, can help determine the reason for any pain or bleeding early in the pregnancy.
If she is more than 6 weeks pregnant, you may be interested in learning more about the 7-week scan and the 8-week scan.
6. In a 6 week scan, what happens?
A transvaginal or internal ultrasound, rather than a transabdominal scan, is more likely to be required at 6 weeks of pregnancy (through the abdomen). This is because everything is still very small at this stage. The transvaginal scanning probe will be able to move closer to the endometrium, resulting in sharper in situ images of the pregnancy.
It is normal to worry about having an ultrasound so early in pregnancy. Maintain a calm demeanour and prepare for what may happen. It may be a good idea to bring your partner or a close family member for additional support.
Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, we allow another family member to be present in the scanning room for the private ultrasound.
Read more: Home Remedies for Headache During Pregnancy
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