How Many Ultrasounds During Pregnancy In Canada?
Pregnancy is a life-changing stage for a woman. During this time, she has to go through so many conditions. Ultrasound is one of the most important parts of prenatal medical care for a woman. Through ultrasound, the parents can have a glimpse of their developing baby. These important pregnancy scans should be done in every trimester of pregnancy.
Ultrasound is a process in which the doctor used to send high-frequency sound waves using a plastic transducer via your uterus. The sound waves are then converted to your baby’s image back to the machine. Ultrasound is very vital to scan your baby’s conditions including baby’s growth, possible abnormalities, and predict the delivery date, specify the placentae position, and sex of your baby. It’s a common question how many ultrasounds during pregnancy in Canada?
To answer your question we divided the important pregnancy scans into some common types. Through which you will get to know the time when you should go for an ultrasound. Let’s prepare for the vital pregnancy scans:
Early Pregnancy Ultrasound (6-8 Weeks):
The first ultrasound is also called a baby sonogram. The perfect time for early pregnancy ultrasound is in the first trimester or 6-8 weeks of pregnancy. But it’s not recommended for every woman. First, consult with your doctor and predict the first scanning date. If you go through any serious health conditions such as abdominal pain, bleeding, miscarriage, or history of birth defects, you need to conduct an ultrasound soon.
On early pregnancy ultrasound, the doctor transmits a high-frequency wave through a thin wand-like transducer probe on your uterus. The waves of the sound are used to bounce off the fetus and make the baby’s image on the screen. The doctor can monitor the baby’s heartbeat, growth, indicate abnormalities, the due date of delivery, and much more!
Dating Ultrasound (10-13 Weeks):
A dating ultrasound is done in 10-13 weeks of pregnancy. Through the 2nd ultrasound, the doctor can give you additional information about your babies like the baby’s length from head to bottom, heartbeat, due date, and other health conditions.
Nuchal Translucency Ultrasound (14-20 Weeks):
This pregnancy scan is done for checking chromosomal abnormalities of the baby like Down syndrome, heart defects, and other records. The ultrasound should be conducted in about 14-20 weeks of pregnancy. The test is recommended for those women who have a genetic health history, birth defects, or women aged more than 35.
Through the pregnancy scan, the physician can measure the density of the neck of the baby, the number of hormones, proteins through blood tests. If the baby has a thicker neck that means the baby has health deficiencies like Down syndrome. It’s the indication of any health defects of the baby.
Anatomy Scan (18-20 Weeks):
The anatomy scan is held in the second trimester or 18-20 weeks of a woman’s pregnancy. It’s a critical baby scanning process that is done for up to 45 minutes if you bear one baby. If you are carrying multiple babies in your womb, the anatomy scan may last several times. Through the checkup, the doctor predicts the final delivery date of your baby.
Through the ultrasound, the physician can monitor your baby’s heartbeat, heart rate, growth, kidneys, livers, brain, and other abnormalities in its body. The doctor can able to figure out the number of fingers and toes of your baby, indicate the position of the placentae, gauge amniotic fluid level, infer the sex of your baby, and the number of babies you are carrying out.
Third Trimester Ultrasound:
In general, the third-trimester ultrasound is not recommended for all women. Women aged over 35 and have considerable health conditions such as bleeding, low levels of amniotic fluid, high blood pressure, preterm contractions, and others. In the third trimester, the doctor used to conduct a low-resolution ultrasound.
Doppler Ultrasound:
Doppler ultrasound is conducted to know whether the baby is getting sufficient blood. Thus, the scan is very important. In this pregnancy scan, high-frequency waves are transmitted to your uterus that spreads through the red blood cells. It helps to gauge the blood flow and blood pressure of the baby.
Other Pregnancy Ultrasounds:
Your doctor can perform other ultrasounds if required. The ultrasounds include chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis test. Through the test, the physician will be able to detect any physical abnormalities of your baby.
Final Words:
You nat ask for how many ultrasounds during pregnancy is safe. It totally depends on your health conditions. Your provider will let you know if any test is required. Ultrasounds are safe when these are conducted for medical purposes. So, take suggestions from your physician before conducting any ultrasound.
Here, we have broken down the several types of ultrasounds based on three trimesters of pregnancy. Let’s prepare for the test when you need it. I hope now you are informed how many ultrasounds during pregnancy in Canada.
