Ultrasounds are a safe way to evaluate how your baby is doing at certain intervals during the pregnancy.
First Trimester
- Usually a single vaginal ultrasound is done to confirm your due date (this is most accurate when done between 8-10 weeks)
- There may be a need for more than one ultrasound if the first one did not correspond with your dates based on your last menstrual period, or if you had episodes of vaginal bleeding
Second Trimester
- You will have a much more detailed ultrasound at about 20 weeks, this is sometimes called a morphology or anatomy scan and is when you may also find out if you are having a boy or a girl
There are reasons for obtaining additional ultrasounds if the baby is measuring too large or too small over several visits or for other reasons that concern your provider. But, if all is going well, you may need only the two ultrasounds during the entire course of your pregnancy.
