Throughout your pregnancy journey, your doctor will order different types of ultrasound scans to assess the pregnancy.

Let us explore them and what they check for.

You will should get your first ultrasound scan 1 to 3 weeks after missing your period. This scan can be a pelvic ultrasound or a transvaginal ultrasound.

The most important finding in this stage is to ascertain normal implantation of the early pregnancy at its expected location inside the womb cavity.

Any abnormal deviation from this may be further investigated with follow up ultrasound scans and other laboratory tests.

Typically done between 8 to 12 weeks since your last menstrual period.

This scan checks for:

• the accurate age (Estimated gestational age, EGA) and due date(Expected date of delivery, EDD)
• fetal heart beat.
• multiple gestation(twins or triplets).
• nuchal translucency; which assesses he risk of downs syndrome in the baby.

The expected due date from this stage is the most accurate you will get through out the pregnancy and can be referenced and compared to further growth scans.

Some women may be required to do an anatomy scan between 18 to 22 weeks.

The ultrasound scan checks for any gross anomaly, the sex, gestational age, placenta location and amniotic fluid level.

The findings and recommendations are communicated to the patient and referring physician.

Based on your antenatal provider guidelines, you may be required to do some pregnancy scans at intervals to assess the baby's growth and weight.

The baby's estimated gestational age and expected due date my be less accurate compared to the 1st trimester values.

Other scans are also follow up to reassess previous findings, ascertain fetal wellbeing or to investigate specific symptoms in pregnancy.

Commonly done after 30 weeks gestational age when there is need to assess the fetus health.

The scan checks for the baby's breathing movement, body movement, limb tone and amniotic fluid. A cardiotocotragh(CTG) can be used to also examine the baby's heart beat pattern during the procedure.

The biophysical profile result is scored out of 10, score of 8 and above is reassuring but lower scores will require intervention from your healthcare provider.

Others include transvaginal ultrasound scan for cervical assessment and ultrasound guided procedures.