Most people when considering how to identify the gender of their baby will think of using ultrasound. Around for a number of years now, the obstetric ultrasound is a non-invasive technique that can accurately identify the gender of your baby as early as 12 weeks into your pregnancy. This article introduces the basic features of a pregnancy ultrasound answers a mother’s common questions.
What is ultrasound?
The term ‘ultrasound’ describes sound waves at a very high frequency. Obstetric ultrasound uses sound waves between 3.5 to 7.0 megahertz.
How does a pregnancy ultrasound work?
In simple terms, the ultrasound apparatus consists of a small transducer connected to a computing unit and monitor display. The transducer is placed lightly on the mother’s stomach where it emits high frequency sound waves that are reflected back and also recorded by the transducer. The sound waves reflected have different frequencies depending on the density of the material they have passed through. The computer analyzes the returned frequencies and visually displays the results on the monitor as an image that is called a sonagram.
What will I feel during a pregnancy ultrasound?
Ultrasound is a completely pain-free and essentially non-invasive medical technique. The doctor or nurse shall first place a gel onto your abdomen which may feel cold. The gel helps the transducer glide more smoothly over your skin and is important to improve the conduction of the sound waves. The sound waves are too high for the human ear to detect. The transducer does produce some heat but this is minimized as the transducer is moved over different areas of your abdomen during what is only a short scan.
What will my baby feel during a pregnancy ultrasound?
The baby’s feelings and response during the scan will vary depending on the stage of the pregnancy and the development of the baby. After 16 weeks of pregnancy you may have already felt your baby kicking and a baby at this stage of development might react to the pressure of the transducer in the same way as it may respond to the weight of your hand. As mentioned above, the transducer does emit some heat but this is unlikely to be felt by the baby because of the movement of the transducer and the short timescale of the scan. The sound waves themselves cannot be heard by the baby although some studies warn that deflected sound waves may be audible. The consensus is, however, that risks are minimal and far outweighed by the significant diagnostic benefits of the scan.
What will I see during the ultrasound scan?
The monitor will display a real-time representation of the area under the transducer, with liquids showing as black and matter as varying shades of gray, white or other color depending on the system used. The image portrayed has been likened to that of a torch being shined into the abdomen. The quality of modern ultrasound imagery is of a sufficient sharpness to show a developing baby’s organs, limbs and skeletal structure. Note, however, that the clarity of any particular scan will vary and it is normally necessary for the transducer to be moved across at different angles to display alternate ’slices’ of the area being scanned. The age and development of the baby affects the detail of what can be shown, including other factors such as possible obstruction of the umbilical cord or placenta. Also the presence of liquid is important for the conduction of the sound waves and therefore the quantity of amniotic fluid and also the volume of the mother’s bladder affect the scan. As early as 6 weeks into the pregnancy, obstetric ultrasounds are also able to play the sound of the baby’s heartbeat which is often a defining moment for most mothers.
What are the benefits of doing a pregnancy ultrasound scan?
Conducting an ultrasound during early pregnancy provides numerous diagnostic benefits including some or all of the following:
- Confirming presence and number foetuses
- Measurements of the foetus to confirm gestational age
- Analysis of growth and development
- Assesing cardiac health
- Position of the baby and placenta
- Quantity of amniotic fluid
- Identification of possible malformations
- Determination of baby gender
In the next post Baby Gender Predictor – Ultrasound: How soon and how accurate? we shall look in more detail at how the ultrasound can show the baby gender, and also how early an ultrasound can be used as a reliable baby gender predictor.
May 26th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
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