Significance of ultrasound in obstetrics

This is an automatically translated article.

This article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Truong Nghia Binh - Obstetrician-Gynecologist - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital. Doctor has more than 13 years of experience in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Ultrasound is an imaging tool to help assess the health of pregnant women. This is a safe, accurate and simple technique, but still many people do not fully understand the meaning of fetal ultrasound or should it be performed at any time of pregnancy? The following article will provide you with useful information.

1. What is an ultrasound?

Ultrasound is a non-invasive, safe, and widely used medical imaging technique. Ultrasound is a method of using ultrasound waves (high frequency waves) to build and reproduce images of structures inside the body, helping to diagnose and treat diseases.
When doing ultrasound, the doctor will use a probe close to the skin, this transducer both has the function of emitting and receiving ultrasound waves, when the crystals inside the transducer emit ultrasound waves into the body. , the tissues and bones inside will absorb or transmit a part, another part reflects the sound waves, the transducer receives the echo wave, sends it to the processing machine to create the image signals that we observed on the computer.

2. Why do pregnant women need fetal ultrasound?

Fetal ultrasound is an examination that uses ultrasound waves to get pictures of the baby as well as the placenta, uterus, and other organs in the mother's pelvis. Pregnancy ultrasound is a safe way to help your doctor monitor the progress of your pregnancy and your baby's health.
Obstetric ultrasound is indicated for all pregnant women, especially in those with abnormal signs such as:
Abdominal pain Vomiting Abnormal vaginal bleeding Loss of periods but no signs of pregnancy During During pregnancy, the mother needs to perform a regular pregnancy ultrasound, for the following reasons:
Ultrasound helps detect abnormalities of the mother and baby that cannot be seen by clinical examination. Physical examination and family history do not help diagnose a pregnant woman with multiple pregnancies.

3. Should ultrasound at any time of pregnancy?

According to the advice of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pregnant women should perform fetal ultrasound at least 3 times during pregnancy to ensure the health of both mother and baby
Pregnancy at 12 weeks The first ultrasound of the fetus The period was carried out at gestational age 11 weeks 6 days to 13 weeks 6 days. Tests at 12 weeks pregnant help doctors determine the gestational age most accurately. Most importantly, at this stage, the doctor can observe the nuchal translucency through ultrasound, thereby helping to detect chromosomal abnormalities early (Down's disease, limb anomalies, diaphragmatic hernia, .. .). If this moment is missed, the determination of nuchal translucency is no longer accurate.
Pregnancy at 22 weeks At this time, the internal organs of the fetus have fully formed, when observing the images obtained from the ultrasound, doctors will know whether those organs are developing normally or not. The spine, skull, brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, limbs, placenta, and umbilical cord of the fetus can all be seen at this stage. In addition, the doctor can detect abnormalities in fetal morphology such as internal organ malformations, cleft lip, cleft palate.
Pregnancy ultrasound at this stage is very important because if it is necessary to terminate the pregnancy, it must be done before the 28th week.
The 32nd week of pregnancy This ultrasound is performed when the pregnancy is 30 - 32 weeks, helping to assess the pregnancy. fetal growth, detect some morphological problems occurring late such as abnormalities in arteries, heart, brain of 32 weeks fetus. It also helps doctors recognize slow growth in the uterus - this is the cause of fetal distress and postpartum asphyxia.
Although the defects are detected at this time, it is too late to intervene, but the doctor can find the appropriate treatment at birth and prepare for the timely care and treatment of the child later.

In addition to these 3 important ultrasounds, if during pregnancy there are any abnormal signs, pregnant women must immediately go to a specialized medical facility for timely examination and treatment.

4. Are multiple ultrasounds good?

So far, ultrasound is a safe, painless diagnostic method for mother and baby, ultrasound does not use radiation, so there is no need to worry about dangerous complications of radiation on health. There is no medical evidence that fetal ultrasound harms the fetus, but this does not mean that we can abuse ultrasound. Ultrasound should be performed under the guidance of a specialist.

5. Notes before ultrasound

The ultrasound procedure is quite simple and gentle, the doctor will apply a transparent gel on the mother's abdomen (this gel helps to limit air between the transducer and your skin), then use the hand tool. The hand contains a transducer to move around the abdomen, helping to capture images of the fetus.
Here are some notes for pregnant women before performing a pregnancy ultrasound:
Go for antenatal check-ups and ultrasounds on schedule, to help detect abnormalities if any. Wear loose, comfortable clothes when walking. Ultrasound Although there is no evidence of harm from ultrasound to the fetus, the mother should not abuse ultrasound. Maybe your doctor will ask you to drink a lot of water and hold your urine before the ultrasound to empty the bladder. Usually, the first pregnancy ultrasound is at 12 weeks, however, if the pregnant woman has had a miscarriage, has been treated for infertility, is being treated for disease, or has any other signs of pregnancy. If there is any abnormality, you should see a doctor for an examination and possibly an earlier ultrasound. With the desire to bring comprehensive care for pregnant women to have a healthy pregnancy and safe childbirth. The maternity package program at Vinmec International General Hospital will provide mothers with a full range of 2D and 4D periodic ultrasound examination and ultrasound services to detect and prevent pregnancy complications with many added benefits. to help you have an easy, happy labor with your baby.

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