Most couples always look forward to welcoming a newborn into their family. However, pregnancy can be a terrifying and uncertain period for many. Fortunately, with the innovative pregnancy ultrasound, the growth and development of the fetus can now be monitored. At OC Fertility, Sharon Moayeri, MD, and Nidhee Sachdev, MD, offer pregnancy ultrasound Newport Beach services in the early stages of your pregnancy. Here, you can access ultrasounds during your first trimester and beyond. To get started, contact the office or schedule an appointment online today.
What Is a Pregnancy Ultrasound?
A pregnancy ultrasound, also known as a sonogram, is an imaging technology that utilizes high-frequency sound waves to create images of the fetus in the womb. This prenatal test enables health care providers to evaluate the growth and development of your baby and monitors your pregnancy. During the scan, some gel is placed on your tummy, and a probe known as a transducer is placed on the tummy’s skin. The transducer then sends pulses of sound waves to the fetus, creating echoes made into images by the computer. The images can be seen on a monitor.
When Can You Start Undertaking a Pregnancy Ultrasound?
You can start to have a pregnancy ultrasound as early as the first-trimester pregnancy. This service was developed to help women who require extra support through the early stage of pregnancy. However, even if you don’t have a high-risk pregnancy, you might still want to partner with a pregnancy expert who will monitor your pregnancy from the very first weeks. When you opt for first-trimester pregnancy monitoring, you will go back to the doctor every one to two weeks for a checkup. During these appointments, the provider will do a pregnancy ultrasound to examine the fetus’s heartbeat and monitor abnormal growth.
What Is Monitored on A Pregnancy Ultrasound?
An early pregnancy ultrasound during the first weeks of your pregnancy monitors and confirms that the pregnancy is in the right location. Pregnancies might sometimes implant outside the uterus in a condition known as ectopic pregnancy. This type of pregnancy is fatal and should be treated as soon as possible. Your doctor will monitor your pregnancy as it progresses from the first trimester and identifies any potential developmental issues early on. This can be particularly helpful for patients with a miscarriage as the problem can be timely diagnosed, avoiding redundant weeks of waiting for the first ultrasound. The early pregnancy stages involve lots of evolving and growth changes which your doctor will see and watch weekly during your pregnancy ultrasounds.
Is Pregnancy Ultrasound Safe?
Now that you understand pregnancy ultrasound, you probably wonder whether the procedure is safe for you and your baby. But you can now relax since a pregnancy ultrasound is safe. The sound waves that develop the image from your ultrasound are entirely harmless.
The pregnancy period does not have to be scary anymore. The experienced team at OC Fertility provides first-trimester pregnancy ultrasound services to monitor your pregnancy from the very first weeks. If you are interested in the services, contact OC Fertility or make an appointment online today.
