One of the highlights of a pregnancy is getting an ultrasound, through a place like EVDI Medical Imaging, because this is the time you will get to see your baby in your womb. You will also have the ability to learn about its gender and see its little heart beating. While these are exciting things for an expecting mother, doctors do not order them just for these reasons. Getting an ultrasound is actually something doctors do to find out more details about the health of the baby, and here are two things the doctor will use this information for.
Determine Due Date and Multiple Birth Pregnancies
Most doctors order ultrasounds around week 16 to 20 in the pregnancy. At this point, the baby is big enough to see most body parts, and gender can usually be detected too. One of the reasons an ultrasound is ordered is to determine the due date of a baby.
Due dates are usually calculated at the first appointment you make with your doctor, and the date is determined based on the date of your last menstrual period. While doctors are fairly good at predicting and calculating due dates, they can sometimes be wrong. An accurate due date is important for tracking development of the baby, and it also helps prevent problems later on in pregnancy.
Ultrasound due dates are generally more accurate and are based primarily on the measurements and development of the fetus.
An ultrasound is also used to detect multiple births. Twins occur when a mother releases two or more eggs at one time. While many families have twins, it is not something that is passed genetically. When a woman is carrying more than one child in her womb, the pregnancy is often considered high-risk and special precautions may be necessary during the pregnancy.
Detect Problems
The other important reason your doctor will order an ultrasound is to detect any problems that might be present. Knowing these problems can help with your safety and the safety of the baby, and doctors like to know if there are any potential problems. This helps them plan a strategy for the birth, and it also helps them know how to treat a patient. Here are some of the problems they look for from ultrasounds:
- Birth defects – Ultrasounds can detect many types of birth defects, including problems with the heart. This also includes looking for signs of Down syndrome and missing or incomplete body parts.
- Issues with the placenta – The placenta is an important part of a pregnancy because it holds the baby. Dozens of issues can occur with the placenta, and most of these can be detected with an ultrasound. Doctors can also detect ectopic pregnancies through ultrasounds, which is something that occurs with one in 50 pregnancies.
- Position of baby – As the pregnancy gets near the end, an ultrasound is very important because it helps the doctor know if the baby is in the correct position. Many babies are in a breech position, which means their feet are near the bottom of the placenta instead of the head. A breech pregnancy often results in giving birth through a cesarean section (C-section).
The goal of detecting problems is having time to come up with an alternative plan. Your health and the health of your baby are important. When doctors are able to monitor these things, your chances of delivering a healthy baby are greater.
If your doctor orders an ultrasound, you should get one. Not only will you be able to see your tiny baby in your stomach, but your doctor will also find out a lot of important information about the baby, its health, and its development.
