Twenty Weeks Pregnancy Scan Or Anatomy Scan-What To Expect

When a woman or couple is coming close to going for the twenty weeks pregnancy scan some of the understandable concerns are that baby's anatomical development is perfect, that growth is normal and that the level of amniotic fluid is as it should be.

The scan which is known by many as the routine scan or the 20 week scan is medically normally called an anatomy scan, or anatomy survey scan. This scan essentially examines the baby's anatomy in a detailed manner and is carried out between 18 and 22 gestational weeks. The anatomy scan is a non invasive trans-abdominal scan, and it is not necessary to attend the clinic with a full bladder for the twenty week scan.

When you attend a clinic for an anatomy survey scan, it is quite possible that you may have been at the clinic for an early pregnancy scan, but if you have not been at the clinic before then you will fill out a registration form when you arrive. In some clinics you will await your sonographer in the waiting room, who will then come to bring you to the ultrasound room and confirm your details before performing the ultrasound scan.

During the twenty weeks scan, lots of the time your sonographer will be examining anatomical details of your baby which are not obvious to you. You should not hesitate to ask your sonographer any questions you may have, before leaving the room.

The sonographer will check all your baby's organs and take measurements and images. She will check your baby's face, baby's spine, baby's abdominal wall, baby's heart, kidneys and stomach. Your baby's arms legs, hands and feet will also be checked. Measurements of the baby's head circumference, abdominal circumference and femur will be taken.

As well as checking the how your baby is growing the sonographer will check the placenta, the umbilical cord and the amniotic fluid.

Do you wish to know the gender of your baby? At around 19 weeks it can be possible to tell the sex of the baby at this scan, but it is not always. The baby may not be in a favourable position to determine the gender.

However if you would like to know the gender of your baby please inform your sonographer at beginning of your ultrasound. Determining the sex of the baby is not always an easy job as we are depending on baby to be in a position that allows us to visualise the genital area and the baby does not always oblige.

What will happen if a problem is suspected? If at the time of scan a problem is suspected, you should be told at that stage that there may be a problem. A full discussion of the problem may require you to come back for further scanning and a discussion with a fetal medicine specialist. This can usually be organised very quickly if the problem is deemed urgent. Many problems that need repeat scanning are not serious and approximately 15% of scans will need to be repeated of one reason or another.

At the end of your 20 week scan in the majority of clinics you will be given images of your baby and a detailed report on the findings of your scan. A copy of this report should be sent to your obstetrician and/or GP as required, at the conclusion of the twenty week scan, so that all your details are up to date.

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Jackie writes about what you can expect at the highly important twenty week pregnancy scan. This is information which has been advised by a medically led ultrasound clinic, based in Dublin. Jackie highly recommends this top pregnancy scan clinic.
http://www.merrionfetalhealth.ie/anatomy-survey-scans-dublin/

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