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2nd trimester ultrasound
The meeting of the second ultrasound approach. You can’t wait to find your baby. You feel more serene than the last time. It is true that since the first review a lot has changed. You can now feel your child moving and many risks have now been ruled out. The second ultrasound takes place between the 22nd and 24th week of amenorrhea, or at the end of the 5th month of pregnancy. Carried out by a sonographer, this examination lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. The doctor begins by applying a transparent gel to your stomach to facilitate the passage of the ultrasound. As with the first ultrasound, avoid applying cream for 48 hours before the exam. That’s it, your baby appears on the screen. He has grown up well. It now measures an average of 20 cm for 500 to 700 grams. The examination can begin.
What the second ultrasound reveals
The second ultrasound is essential. At this stage of pregnancy, optimal visualization of the fetus, allowing a complete morphological examination. Equipped with his probe, the doctor will examine all the details of your baby’s anatomy. He takes different measurements (head, abdomen, femur, foot), which he then compares to reference curves, in order to ensure that the baby is growing well.
Morphological examination
The morphological examination makes it possible to detect any abnormalities. Each organ is examined carefully: the head, the spine, the stomach, the kidneys … The sonographer studies the heart from the first ultrasound, but it is in the second trimester that he can engage in a more precise study, quite simply because it discerns the organ better. He thus checks that the heart has 4 cavities, he searches for the arch of the aorta, he observes the path of the arteries. The doctor then proceeds to inspect the limbs: feet, femur, abdomen… nothing escapes the specialist’s alert eye.
The vitality of the child
Secondly, the sonographer assesses the vitality of the child: movements of the limbs, respiratory movements, swallowing. He observes the flexion / extension of his legs, his arms and focuses on finer gestures such as opening the hands. He finally observes the environment in which the baby lives. An evaluation of the location of the placent and the amount of amniotic fluid thus completes the session.
The sex of the child
The second ultrasound is also an opportunity for the doctor to reveal the sex of the baby to the future parents, if of course they wish. If the position of the fetus allows it, because sometimes some small dungeons do not deliver the information!
The price of the second ultrasound
The second ultrasound is 100% covered by health insurance, based on 81,92 euros. Fee overruns are frequent, so it is better to have a good mutual.