Confirming your pregnancy with a medical-grade pregnancy test at Choices Pregnancy Center is an excellent first step. Next, we recommend that you have a free, limited obstetric ultrasound to give you the additional information you need to make wise choices going forward. Through an ultrasound scan, you will find out three essential facts about your pregnancy: its location, its viability, and its gestational age.
Ultrasound appointments and what they involve
Like all services at Choices Pregnancy Center, ultrasounds are provided free of charge. Our limited obstetric ultrasound can be performed as soon as 6 weeks after your last menstrual period, following a positive pregnancy test.
For your ultrasound, our nurse will help you get comfortable on the exam table. She will apply some jelly to her ultrasound transducer (or probe) and press that to your abdomen. The probe sends out silent, painless sound waves. Those waves reflect back to create images of your uterus and the fetus. These images will appear on a screen, and you will be able to see them.
When the scan is complete, the nurse will discuss the findings with you.
Learn medical facts from a limited obstetric ultrasound
During your ultrasound scan, the computer collects images and measurements that the nurse uses to determine three key types of information about your pregnancy:
- Ideally, the nurse should see your pregnancy has begun inside your uterus, or womb. This is normal and most common. Occasionally, however, a fertilized egg attaches outside the uterus, causing an “ectopic” pregnancy which can be dangerous.
- A viable pregnancy is progressing normally. One of the key indicators of viability is the fetal heartbeat.
- Gestational age. This term refers to how far along your pregnancy is. Using the information provided by your ultrasound, you will have a more precise due date than by using other information alone (such as the date of your last period).
Make better decisions based on ultrasound results
The facts you learn from an ultrasound can help you protect your health as you make decisions about your next steps. During your ultrasound appointment, our caring nurse will help you think through all your options. She will take time to listen to your questions and concerns and provide additional information to address them.
Location
In the case of an ectopic pregnancy (outside your uterus), you will need to seek medical attention—not an abortion—right away. No abortion procedure will end an ectopic pregnancy. This kind of unhealthy pregnancy poses serious risks if left to continue. So please see your doctor immediately.
A pregnancy located in the uterus, on the other hand, is developing right where your body is prepared to nurture it. You have time to choose your next steps with care.
Viability
Roughly 20% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. If your ultrasound indicates that your pregnancy is non-viable, you are probably going to miscarry naturally. If you’ve considered getting an abortion, that will not be necessary. Follow up with your doctor in the event of a miscarriage.
If your ultrasound shows a fetal heartbeat within a normal range, your pregnancy is off to a healthy start. You can make decisions based on the progress of a normal pregnancy.
Gestational Age
Your ultrasound results will help you understand how much your fetus has already developed. Our nurse can give you information about the size, features, and other developmental milestones taking place. Many women find that being able to visualize what’s happening inside them gives them confidence in making future decisions.
If you see abortion as an option, the types of procedures available to you will vary with how far along your pregnancy is. For more details about how gestational age affects your choices, see our Abortion Methods page.
Make an ultrasound appointment today
Give yourself the benefit of complete medical facts about your pregnancy by scheduling an appointment for an ultrasound today.