only 1 ultrasound for a non-high-risk pregnancy?

Question

do most doctors just do one ultrasound during pregnancy if it is going normal, or do they do a second one near the end?

Answer 1

Some doctors still believe that no ultrasound is needed in a normaly healthy pregnancy but the vast majority will order 1 ultrasound between 18-21 weeks and it will be a biophysical profile ultrasound. They will check everything out with the baby and unless complications come up that should be all you need. Most insurance companies won't pay for anymore unless there is a good reason. Also, for the first poster who said too many are bad for the baby, this is untrue. Ultrasound does raise the temp inside the uterus slightly but you would have to be ultrasounded for many hours continuously for anything to happen.

Answer 2

Hey there, I am currently 37 weeks pregnant and when I first found out that my office only did one ultrasound at 18 weeks I thought that had to be wrong. I found out that every doctors office is different and so is every pregnancy. If your not measuring correctly or if they find any abnormalities in your tests then they will perform an additional ultrasound. There is no evidence that ultrasound does harm to the fetus so dont believe that it will hurt or harm your baby in anyway. There just have not been enough studies and research to really determine what, if any, effect it would have on the fetus. Other than that, I had one ultrasound at about 12 weeks to check for any genetic abnormalities, as I had no history of my biological fathers side. Then I had another ultrasound at 18 weeks, the typical one that you get to determine the growth of the baby and you will find out the sex as well. My sonographer wasnt very sure that my baby was a girl so we ended up buying a 3d-4d ultrasound session. Your hospital will not offer this and it is not covered by health insurance. This is offered by an outside company and is not meant for any diagnostic purposes. Sometimes you will get an additional ultrasound near the end of your pregnancy if your levels are off or if they suspect a breech baby. Its best to talk to your office and doctor to see what they routinely do. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

It depends on the progress of the baby, and if there are any signs of problems. If the Mom has any conditions, and how many your insurance covers. Most doctors do between 2-3 if everything is OK with both you and the baby. My sister had no complications with her pregnancy and had 3 done. I had complications and had an ultrasound done every week. My insurance had to cover it, because it was for the health of the baby. Your doctor should do one near the end just to make sure the baby is where it is suppose to be, and that everything looks alright.

Answer 4

My doctor only did 1 scheduled ultrasound. He said that he really only needs the one to check the heart and after that if everything checks out normal then he doesn't need another. He's a conservative doctor and doesn't believe in doing unnecessary things but I know my sister seemed to have like 2 or 3 done which I thought was a lot. She lives quite a distance away from me in a much bigger city. They did almost everything different than my doctor did so I don't really know what to tell you except that what my doctor told us really made sense and we did not want to waste insurance company money if it was not medically necessary.

Answer 5

Typically, one ultrasound is done at about 20 weeks. If everything is going fine, you may not have another ultrasound. A lot of Drs. will do an ultrasound if you are past due or if the baby's postioning may be in question.

Answer 6

Every place is different, I've heard the normal time to get one is when you are about 12 weeks gestation.
My first pregnancy my doctor ordered me an ultrasound at 12 weeks and refereed me to an obgyn, she ordered me another one at 23 weeks, then the seen something of concern and made me wait another 7 weeks to get another one and everything was fine.
So when they do your first ultrasound and see nothing of concern they will most likely give you just one.
If you want to get anymore ultrasounds done, get the 3d, but it cost money!

Answer 7

Well I had 2 with my daughter which was a normal pregnancy. The first was just to verify dates and the 2nd was the one to make sure she was growing good. I had switched doctors so had I not done that I probably would of only had 1.

I had many with my son because we had some issues.

Answer 8

Most of the time they do two . One int early pregnancy to make sure the baby is there and growing and then again around 5 or 6 months to check the sex of the baby and make sure everything is going well. Other than that you only get two in most places.

Answer 9

I havent had any problems with my pregnancy. I had one around 8 weeks and then one again at 5 months. Now unless Im late or something their shouldnt be another one for the rest of my pregnancy. But Ive never heard of them not doing atleast 2.

Answer 10

I had a high risk pregnancy and only had one ultrasound. Only one is used to confirm pregnancy and how far along you are by head circumference. Too much radiation is still a bad thing so yes, there is usually only one. I agree with the other lady that too many is a big problem...