Pregnancy can be an exhilarating experience, but it can also feel overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time. An experienced prenatal care team can guide you through your pregnancy and your child’s birth. One tool that doctors use to track a baby’s development is the ultrasound. Here’s what you should know about ultrasound types, usage, and timing. 

Guide to Prenatal Care Ultrasounds 

Types of Ultrasounds

Ultrasounds use high-frequency sound waves to produce pictures of the interior of your womb. Common types of ultrasounds include standard, transvaginal, 3D, and 4D. In a standard ultrasound, a health care provider covers your belly with gel and moves a transducer across your abdomen to produce a traditional 2D picture of the baby on a monitor. Transvaginal ultrasounds involve inserting the transducer into the vagina. The sensor is small, and you may feel some pressure, but any discomfort should be minimal. 3D ultrasounds, which are usually optional, create a detailed image of the developing baby, similar to a photograph. 4D ultrasounds go one step further, essentially producing a video of a baby’s features as well as their movements. 

What They’re Used For

Ultrasounds provide a noninvasive, safe means for a doctor to examine your health and that of your baby during the first and second trimesters of your pregnancy. An ultrasound can confirm a pregnancy and provide an estimated due date, in addition to determining if you’re having multiples. Your prenatal care team uses ultrasound to screen for specific congenital disabilities and to assess the amniotic fluid and the placenta. It is also an opportunity to see your baby for the first time and visually track their development.

When They’re Taken

Transvaginal ultrasounds may be used in the early stages of pregnancy to confirm pregnancy or determine the source of pelvic pain. A standard 2D ultrasound scan is usually used in the first or second trimester. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists suggests that  women have at least one ultrasound during their pregnancies, usually between 18 and 22 weeks. 3D and 4D ultrasounds are not always medically necessary, but women may opt to undergo either of these scans with their physician’s consent.

For experienced, compassionate prenatal care in Pulaski County, AR, turn to North Little Rock Women’s Clinic. Since 1979, this women’s health care practice has provided personalized, comprehensive obstetric and gynecological services, from infertility treatments and birth control to prenatal care, birthing, and postpartum care. Visit their website to learn more about how they can help you, or call (501) 835-9444 to schedule an appointment.