The article was professionally reviewed by Dr. Nguyen Anh Tu, an Obstetric Ultrasound Specialist and Prenatal Diagnosis Consultant at the Department of Obstetrics, Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
Fetal ultrasound imaging is an extremely significant and effective testing technique for monitoring the fetus' growth and development in the mother's womb. In order to get the greatest results, anticipating parents must be knowledgeable about fetal ultrasound, including vital fetal ultrasound milestones.
1. How many weeks pregnant can an ultrasound be performed?
Typically, a pregnancy cycle will last about 40 weeks, starting from the last day of the woman's most recent menstrual cycle. In the beginning, the egg will begin to ovulate, then fertilize, form a zygote, and travel to the uterus to begin nesting. This process will occur within the first 2 weeks, so if the pregnant mother has an ultrasound during this time, the 2-week ultrasound image will not be visible, and it is not sure that she is pregnant. Even if the vaginal ultrasound probe cannot see any clear images of the fetus, it will also affect the development of the fetus if the mother is pregnant at this time.
Therefore, if you want to have more specific images of the fetus, you should go to an obstetrics facility to have an ultrasound around the 6th-10th week, when your period is more than 3 weeks late. There are some signs of a suspected pregnancy, such as morning sickness, vomiting, nausea, the pregnancy test only showing two lines, the body being tired, and weight gain...
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2. Can a 3-week pregnancy be seen on ultrasound?
A question that many pregnant mothers ask is: Can a 3-week pregnancy be seen on ultrasound? When the fetus is 3 weeks old, this is still the time for the egg to nest and has not yet formed a particular body. During this stage, only the embryos are formed and are in the process of moving to the uterus and nesting there. These embryos are tiny in size that the naked eye cannot detect, so the ultrasound results of a 3-week pregnancy will not show the image of the fetus. This period for examining a baby is too early for an ultrasound; a 3-week ultrasound probe does not give accurate results, and the probe examination can also affect the development of the fetus inside the mother's uterus.
When the fetus is 3 weeks old, the woman needs to pay attention to some signs such as cramps, pelvic muscle tension, bloating, breast tenderness, sensitive nipples, vomiting, and nausea, especially in the morning. When smelling food, small amounts of blood leak into the underwear, frequent urination... to go for a check-up and have some tests done promptly.
3. Important ultrasound milestones
After having the first ultrasound in the 6th-10th week and determining that the mother is pregnant, it is necessary to remember the important ultrasound milestones to perform an ultrasound to closely monitor the development of the fetus in the mother's uterus. Important ultrasound milestones include:
- When the fetus is 11-13 weeks and 6 days old:
Ultrasound at this stage can detect and screen for some congenital malformations such as chromosomal abnormalities that cause Down syndrome, the number of fetuses, whether there are multiple pregnancies or not, the number of amniotic sacs, the number of placentas, calculate the expected date of birth, detect the risk of the mother having preeclampsia, abnormalities in some organs such as the heart, abdominal wall, arms, legs, placenta, skull, and brain, etc. Because this is an important ultrasound milestone, mothers must proactively perform a complete check-up and conduct it at quality medical facilities.
- When the fetus is 18-22 weeks old:
When the fetus is 18-22 weeks old, ultrasound can detect abnormalities such as cleft lip, cleft palate, brain structure abnormalities, abdominal wall continuity, bone and spine abnormalities such as osteopenia, misaligned bones, spinal clefts, irregular fetal heart, abnormalities in arteries and veins, abnormalities in the number of kidneys, bladder, urinary system dysfunction, abnormalities in the placenta, umbilical cord, amniotic fluid, detecting the risk of premature birth, and so on.
- When the fetus is 30-32 weeks old:
This time is one of the most important ultrasound milestones because, in the last weeks, monitoring the development of the fetus and changes in the mother's body is necessary for preparing for labor and predicting the best birth outcome. Some of the tests that can be performed during this ultrasound are to find abnormalities in organ structure and examine the circulatory system to see if there is a lack of oxygen in the baby or disorders in the function of the placenta, and so on.
In order to evaluate their health and the health of the fetus, identify anomalies quickly, and have treatment options, pregnant women should be aware of important ultrasound milestones and arrive at the medical facility on time. However, an early ultrasound is not recommended when the pregnancy is three weeks old or younger because it will not provide accurate results and may also have an adverse effect on the fetus.
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