12-Week Pregnancy Anatomy Scan at Life Medical Imaging Central Coast

Your ultrasound technician will put some (cold) gel on your belly and glide a transducer over it with mild pressure. The transducer sends out sound waves, and when those waves hit solid tissue, they create an image on the screen.

The 12-week ultrasound is not just for the pretty pictures. The scan ensures everything is fine with you and baby by:
• Confirming the baby’s heartbeat and your due date
• Detecting potential problems
• Making sure your body is ready for pregnancy

The technician looks at your fallopian tubes, uterus and placenta to see if you have a tilted uterus, placenta previa or other conditions that might make your pregnancy or labor unusual. These complications are very rare, but it’s great to check them out early.

Preparation

There is no special preparation for the ultrasound test. Some doctors require you to drink 4-6 glasses of water before the test, so your bladder is full. This will help the doctor view the baby better on the ultrasound.

Limitations to the Anatomy scan

As the baby’s gender can never be 100% guaranteed we do recommend that the 20 week anatomy scan is the best time depending on the baby’s position to try and reveal the gender, however if you are not wanting to find out the gender please notify your technician prior to commencing the scan.

You will be told if a problem is detected, even before your referring doctor knows. Sometimes, it is possible to say exactly what the problem is; at other times further tests are required.

A follow-up may be advised to clarify. You will be given information on whether the condition is likely to be severe or minor. A second opinion ultrasound is always available, since it is often difficult to accept important news from someone you do not know well.

The 12 week Ultrasound is the first true structural check of the foetus. Parents can expect to see the basic anatomy as the whole foetus can be visualised on the screen at once, with moving limbs outlined by the amniotic fluid.

The 12 week scan is the earliest time you can assess the baby’s sex. However, as the baby’s gender can never be 100% guaranteed, you might want to wait until the 20 week anatomy scan to try and reveal the gender.

At 12 weeks, your baby will have fully formed eyelids, the hands will be a little more developed than the feet, while the arms will be longer than the legs. You should be able to spot ten fingers and ten toes (no more webbing), and peach-fuzz hair growing on tender skin. At 12 week, your baby’s heartbeat is probably audible with an external Doppler.

There is no indicated outfit for the 12 week scan. You might want to wear comfortable clothes for easy access to your abdominal area.