Obstetrical Ultrasounds

What are obstetrical ultrasounds?

Obstetrical ultrasounds (or ultrasound scanning/sonography) use sound waves to produce pictures inside of the body. The exam process does not use radiation. We use them to produce pictures of a baby (embryo or fetus) within a pregnant woman. They are used to monitor unborn babies and a mother’s uterus and ovaries. They show the structure and movement of the body’s internal organs because the images are processed in real time. The procedure is completed with a small probe (called a transducer) and gel placed directly on the mother’s skin. Sound waves travel through the gel into the body and the probe collects the sounds that bounce back. These sounds waves are translated by a computer to create real-time images on the ultrasound screen.

Ultrasounds are used to detect:

·       Whether there is a living embryo/fetus

·       Age of pregnancy

·       Multiple pregnancies

·       Congenital abnormalities of the fetus

·       Fetus position

·       Placenta position

·       Amount of amniotic fluid around baby

·       Opening or shortening of the cervix

·       Fetal growth and well being

·       Development normality