Ultrasound

Early pregnancy ultrasound scan

The early pregnancy scan confirms that your baby has a heartbeat and confirms how many weeks pregnant you are. The scan will also find out if you are having more than one baby so that the midwives and doctors can plan your care with you.

Scans can find problems before the baby is born. Finding out about a problem before the birth can help you and your partner prepare yourself. Sometimes it can help plan treatment after the baby is born. Sometimes when women find out that there is a major problem, they may want to consider ending the pregnancy.

Fetal anomaly ultrasound scan

A scan can show some problems with a baby's development, but not all. Some problems with your baby may develop after 20 weeks and some may not show up on the ultrasound. This is why, in a small number of cases, babies are born with problems even though no problem was seen during the ultrasound scan.