Early ultrasound

Week 8

Early ultrasound week 8

 

This week the brain grows rapidly and the two hemispheres become more distinct. During this week, fingers, toes and elbows begin to form but are difficult to see with a vaginal ultrasound.

We can see small movements from the arms that stick out like little paddles. The body becomes straighter and the head rounder.

The embryo is no bigger than a small cherry. The esophagus and trachea form and small lungs take shape. The intestines begin to grow and form large loops.

The intestines are so large that they cannot fit in the embryo's abdomen and are therefore pushed out into a pouch in the umbilical cord.

Between weeks 11 and 12, they get a place inside the abdomen and the umbilical hernia disappears.

The yolk sac, which has produced blood cells, shrinks, and the embryo's liver takes over this task. The embryo now measures 15-22 mm from head to bottom (CRL) and weighs 0.5 grams.

ultrasound

Ultrasound weeks 6-7

Before the first 6 completed weeks, the foetus has not developed enough, and we cannot therefore expect to see/hear a heartbeat. Few days play a big role in this context. If you book an appointment before the safe six weeks have passed, the examination might not be able to confirm a heartbeat.

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Ultrasound week 10

All internal and external structures are complete and the embryonic phase ends. The child is now called a fetus and must grow and mature until birth. Fingers, toes, arms and legs are evident. The fetus can soon urinate as the kidneys begin to produce urine.

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Ultrasound week 11

The overall structure of the brain is now completed. From now on, the brain will further develop specialised structures. However, this does not mean that the brain is fully developed: important substructures in the rough division are not structurally present this early, and it is still a long time before the brain function as it would normally do.

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Ultrasound 12-14

The risk of spontaneous abortion is now greatly reduced. Most miscarriages occur during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. From now on, this is less common. The foetus's organs are now fully formed, and it is usually serious abnormalities in fetal development that cause the pregnancy to end in miscarriage before week 12.

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We send pictures/videos to your phone

All ultrasound examinations include photos and films sent directly to your mobile phone(s). (Unfortunately, the files do not come with audio)

 

It’s nice if you bring a companion with you. The experience can be somewhat diminished if there are too many people present. This has to do with both space and potential noise issues. Our experience is that children under the age of 5–6 don’t have the proper understanding or appreciation of the ultrasound examination.

 

You can easily book an appointment that fits your schedule in our calendar.

FAQ

What is ultrasound?

2D (two-dimensional) ultrasound is sound waves that are transmitted from a probe into the body. The sound waves have such a high frequency that they’re inaudible to the human ear.

When the sound waves hit the body tissue, an echo occurs. The echo causes the sound waves to return to the sound head, which captures these sound signals.
After processing on a computer, the incoming audio signals appear as vivid images in black and white on a screen.

Is ultrasound dangerous?

Ultrasounds of pregnant women have been performed for more than 40 years. No adverse effects on women or foetuses have been recorded.

What happens if a missed abortion (MA) is detected at an early ultrasound?

Sometimes it happens that we do not see cardiac activity. This is usually due to a chromosomal abnormality.

We measure the embryo and refer the woman to the hospital she belongs to. Normally she will get an appointment in a few days. There, a gynaecologist will confirm the finding and a surgical or medical abortion will be performed.

The next day we send her a message to check in on her.

In case of suspicion of illness or abnormalities, what happens next?

The midwives who perform ultrasound have completed one year of foetal diagnosis at the National Centre for Emergency Medicine at NTNU. If we see pictures that deviate from the normal we will refer the woman to a maternal-foetal medicine specialist at the National Hospital. She’ll then get an appointment within a few days.

When is ultrasound done internally (vaginal), and on the stomach (abdominal)?

We perform ultrasound vaginally early in the pregnancy, that is, from weeks 6–12. This is because the embryo is so small and the pictures become much clearer on an internal ultrasound.

The woman must lie with her legs in the leg holder with a towel over her. Most people have no problems with this.

Occasionally we also do an internal ultrasound in week 12. This is if the woman has a uterus that is turned slightly backwards or if she’s overweight.
In the case of a 3D ultrasound, the examination is done abdominally.