An early pregnancy
For women who conceive via IVF this is usually done to confirm a successful pregnancy. For natural
conceptions this can occur either at your first antenatal visit with your private obstetrician in
their
rooms or at a private ultrasound clinic as arranged by your GP. These scans are designed to confirm
the
viability of the pregnancy, check if it is a single or multiple pregnancy and accurately date the
pregnancy.
12 week scan
This is another opportunity to confirm an ongoing heartbeat and double check the dates however this
scan,
when performed thoroughly, has the ability to screen for conditions such as Trisomy 21 (Down
syndrome)
and some other common chromosomal conditions. A general review of anatomy should be performed at
this
scan too, with 40% of structural abnormalities seen this early.
20-22 week scan
This is the ‘big scan’. Be prepared to be in the scan clinic for 45 minutes to an hour. A full
thorough
assessment of all of the anatomy of the baby is checked at this scan. Some parents choose to find
out
the gender of their baby at this scan.
Third trimester scan
Certain medical or obstetric conditions require a scan at around the 32-34 week mark (for example a
low
lying placenta, diabetes, fetal abnormality). Check with your obstetrician if this is something
recommended for you.