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By Mayo Clinic staffVarious types of fetal ultrasound exams are available, including:
- Standard ultrasound. A standard fetal ultrasound is done by moving a transducer — a small plastic device that sends and receives sound waves — over your abdomen. A standard fetal ultrasound helps your health care provider determine your baby's gestational age and evaluate your baby's growth and development. A standard fetal ultrasound usually takes about 20 minutes.
- Transvaginal ultrasound. With this type of fetal ultrasound, a slender transducer is placed in your vagina to send out sound waves and gather the reflections. Transvaginal ultrasounds are used most often during early pregnancy, when the uterus and fallopian tubes are closer to the vagina than to the abdominal surface.
- Specialized or targeted ultrasound. This type of fetal ultrasound targets a suspected problem and uses more sophisticated equipment than does a standard fetal ultrasound. The exam may take from 30 minutes to several hours.
- Three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound. A 3-D fetal ultrasound can provide images of a baby with photo-quality details. This type of ultrasound is used in select medical centers to help health care providers evaluate a baby's growth and development, as well as detect facial abnormalities or neural tube defects.
- Doppler ultrasound. A Doppler ultrasound measures slight changes in the ultrasound waves as they bounce off moving objects, such as blood cells. A Doppler ultrasound can provide details about a baby's circulation.
- Fetal echocardiography. This type of fetal ultrasound provides a detailed picture of a baby's heart. It may be used to confirm or rule out a congenital heart defect.
During the exam
During a standard fetal ultrasound, your health care provider or technician will apply a special gel to your abdomen as you recline on an exam table. The gel improves conduction of sound waves and eliminates air between your skin and the transducer — the small plastic device that sends out sound waves and receives those that bounce back.
Your health care provider or technician will move the transducer back and forth over your abdomen. The sound waves reflected off your bones and other tissues will be converted into black-and-white or gray images on a monitor. Your health care provider or technician will measure your baby's head, abdomen, thighbone and other structures. He or she may print or store certain images to document important structures. You'll likely be given copies of some of the images.
Depending on your baby's position and stage of development, you may be able to make out a face, hands and fingers, or arms and legs. Don't worry if you can't "see" your baby. Ultrasound images are hard for an untrained observer to decipher. Ask your health care provider or technician to explain what's on the screen.
The procedure for other types of fetal ultrasound exams is similar. If you're having a transvaginal ultrasound, however, the transducer will be placed in your vagina rather than moved across your abdomen.
After the exam
If you had a full bladder during the ultrasound, you'll be able to urinate after the exam.
- Routine tests in pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp133.cfm. July 24, 2009.
- Shipp TD. Ultrasound examination in obstetrics and gynecology. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Shipp TD. Physics and safety of diagnostic ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Routine prenatal ultrasonography as a screening tool. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Ultrasound. March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1167.asp. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Keepsake fetal imaging. American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. http://www.aium.org/publications/viewStatement.aspx?id=31. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- Avoid fetal "keepsake" images, heartbeat monitors. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm095508.htm. Accessed July 23, 2009.
- Ectopic pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp155.cfm. Accessed July 27, 2009.
- Special tests for monitoring fetal health. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp098.cfm. Accessed July 28, 2009.
- Fetal echocardiography. The American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4686. Accessed July 28, 2009.
- Ultrasonography in pregnancy. Washington, D.C.: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.guideline.gov/summary/pdf.aspx?doc_id=14180&stat=1&string=ultrasonography+AND+pregnancy. Accessed July 28, 2009.
