When you’re making important early pregnancy decisions, you deserve complete information on the medical status of your pregnancy. That information comes from a limited obstetric ultrasound, also called an early pregnancy ultrasound.
Early pregnancy ultrasound can reveal three crucial facts about your pregnancy:
- Viability
- Gestational age
- Location
Each of these facts is critically important to your health and to your decision-making process.
Viability of the pregnancy
“Viability” in early pregnancy refers to whether the pregnancy has a detectable heartbeat. A limited ultrasound does not determine the overall health of your pregnancy. One of the key indicators of viable pregnancy is the presence of a fetal heartbeat.
A non-viable pregnancy is one that is not progressing normally and is likely to end on its own, resulting in pregnancy loss or miscarriage. This occurs in as many as 20% of pregnancies.
Why is the viability of a pregnancy important to know?
For a woman considering an abortion, knowing her pregnancy is already in the process of natural termination can spare her from undergoing an unnecessary medical procedure. She not only saves money but also protects herself from experiencing any of the risks associated with an abortion. (Learn more about the abortion process and associated risks here.)
For other women, understanding their pregnancy’s status helps them to either gear up for a healthy pregnancy or gather the support they’ll need to see them through a pregnancy loss.
Gestational age of the fetus
“Gestation” is the period of time from conception to birth, and usually lasts around 40 weeks. “Gestational age” refers to how far along the fetus is in that period. It is measured in weeks, calculating from the woman’s last menstrual period to the present date.
Early pregnancy ultrasound is a powerful tool for determining gestational age, or how far your pregnancy has progressed.
Why do you need to know gestational age?
Gestational age is your first indicator of your baby’s due date. This piece of information impacts every choice you make next.
If you plan to parent your child, knowing your due date can set in motion your planning for Baby’s arrival, such as managing your health care, scheduling maternity leave, taking parenting classes, preparing your home, and so forth.
Alternatively, you may want to use the weeks ahead to arrange an adoption plan if you don’t feel prepared to parent at this time.
For women considering abortion, gestational age determines which procedures are available at their stage of pregnancy. See this page for more information on how gestational age influences your range of abortion options.
Location of pregnancy
A vital question to get answered early in pregnancy is whether that pregnancy has begun within the womb (uterus) or outside it. Women’s bodies are designed to sustain a pregnancy inside the uterus: only there can their hormones, triggered at conception, help them naturally create a nurturing environment with plenty of room for their babies to grow.
However, sometimes a fertilized egg lodges outside the uterus, such as in a fallopian tube. This puts a woman’s life at serious risk for rupture of her fallopian tube.
You may have heard of this kind of “ectopic pregnancy,” which must be treated immediately. An ectopic pregnancy is not viable—the fetus will not survive in any case—and continuing it only endangers the woman’s life.
Why do you need to know your pregnancy’s location?
If your pregnancy has begun outside your uterus, you need immediate medical treatment. (Please note: Because an ectopic pregnancy is not viable, surgically removing it is not considered abortion, so it is legal—and medically necessary—in all fifty states.)
Abortion will not treat or end an ectopic pregnancy. All abortion methods aim to remove a fetus from the uterus. They do not address a pregnancy that is developing anywhere else. Therefore, knowing a pregnancy’s location will keep you from making the potentially deadly mistake of letting an ectopic pregnancy keep developing while you believe it ended with an abortion.
If your pregnancy has begun inside your uterus, you can safely take time to make your next decisions after carefully considering all the options before you.
At Choices, you can have an ultrasound at no cost to you.
That’s right. It’s free, just like all our services. No insurance is needed at Choices Pregnancy Center, because you will pay nothing.
We believe you deserve to know all the facts about your pregnancy and the options before you, and we would never let a lack of funds stand in your way. There are no income limits for our free services. Every woman is entitled to our medical and support services at no cost to her.
Choices Pregnancy Center’s Trained Nurses Provide Early Pregnancy Ultrasound
At both of our locations, in Redwood Falls, MN and Marshall, MN, early pregnancy ultrasounds are offered by trained professionals. Our nurses, specially trained in limited obstetrical ultrasound, will perform your scan. Next, they send it to our Medical Director, an MD practicing in a local hospital, for him to read.
Based on the combined expertise of these medical professionals, you can feel confident with the results and recommendations they deliver with your ultrasound.
Our medical staff actively maintains a network of area health care providers, so they can quickly refer you to other medical professionals for primary care or for emergency treatment if needed.
As you consider your next steps, our staff can also connect you with a wide array of community resources, empowering you to make the best choices for your whole life, even beyond pregnancy.
Because we care deeply about all our clients and treat them as whole people, we are committed to taking the time you need to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about the circumstances surrounding your pregnancy. So when you schedule an ultrasound appointment, you’ll receive more than just a medical exam. You will find yourself heard, supported, informed, and loved. No matter how you decide to move forward.
Pregnancy is a pivotal time in a person’s life. At Choices Pregnancy Center, we equip you to face the experience with confidence, knowing you are acting on complete, accurate information about all the options and support you have available.
So don’t wait. Schedule your early pregnancy ultrasound today.