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When it is possible to determine pregnancy by ultrasound: how long before the delay
Ultrasound examinations help doctors identify ectopic and normal pregnancies early on. The results of ultrasound allow you to properly organize its course, correct or minimize possible risks in time.
When can ultrasound determine pregnancy?
When an expectant mother buys a test and sees 2 strips on it, she can’t wait to find out how accurate the result is. Of course, there is a possibility of a mistake, it is, even if you get tested for the hCG hormone. The most accurate way to confirm pregnancy is by ultrasound. When do you need to go through this procedure to make sure that a new life has arisen in you?
The health of the unborn baby depends on when it is possible to determine pregnancy by ultrasound
To determine pregnancy, doctors use 2 types of ultrasound:
- Transvaginal – gives the most accurate result. The probe is inserted directly into the vagina. It is performed with an empty bladder. This method allows you to see a fertilized egg at the 3rd week with a hCG level of more than 1800, sometimes even before the delay of menstruation.
- Transabdominal – the accuracy of the readings is much lower, it is carried out with a full bladder – at an early stage, and empty – at a later stage.
But even if there is a fertilized egg, it can be without an embryo. Surely you can find out if this is a real pregnancy at the 5th week. Just at this time, the fetus has a heartbeat.
Why is it necessary to exclude an ectopic pregnancy even before the delay?
A transvaginal ultrasound will help to see pregnancy in the 3rd week. It is important to do it right away in order to exclude an ectopic pregnancy – the development of a fertilized egg is not in the uterus, but in the fallopian tube. And although the probability is small, only 2%, such a pregnancy threatens a woman’s life. Therefore, its timely detection will help save the woman’s health and life.
For how long and why is it important to determine a multiple pregnancy?
If a fertilized egg has become entrenched in the uterus, but the uterus is too enlarged, the doctor prescribes an ultrasound scan to find out if there is a pregnancy with twins or triplets. Early diagnosis of multiple pregnancies, which must be completed between 6-9 weeks, will determine the number of twins. This is especially important if the expectant mother has undergone fertility treatment or IVF.
If multiple fertility is determined, then you need to find out what kind of twins you have. They are:
- Monozygous or identical. In this case, they are always of the same sex, with identical DNA (100% match), feed from one, sometimes 2, placentas. They develop from a single egg that has divided and formed several embryos.
- Dizygotic or heterogeneous. Each embryo develops from its own egg, has its own placenta and its own DNA code, which coincides with a brother or sister by 50%. They can be of the same or different sex.
Between the 9th and 14th weeks, the ultrasound doctor will tell you 100% how many embryos are developing and whether they share the same placenta. Identical twins with a common placenta are at risk of complications. One of the toddlers could be badly hurt without proper medical care. But if the doctor prescribes treatment, then the babies will be born healthy.
Ultrasound is a diagnosis that helps mothers learn about problems in time, solve them and give birth to a healthy baby.