How many ultrasound scans does Social Security perform during pregnancy?
When the future mother has a delay of the menstruation and the pregnancy has been confirmed thanks to a simple analysis of urine, from there doubts arise with the tests and recommended analyzes during the gestation period. Especially if it is a first-time mom and, in short, it is the first time she stays in a state and previously she has not had any more pregnancy or child.
What to do immediately after the positive for pregnancy? When should the first consultation with the gynecologist be? How many ultrasounds should be done ?. As we see, there are many questions that can arise not only to the future mother, but also, of course, the future dad.
However, nothing is further from reality. Medical tests, and in the particular case of ultrasound during pregnancy, they will be guided by the doctor in question and it will be him who determines when they will be necessary, some are obligatory and others in exchange only if there is the possibility of malformation or genetic complication.
At first, together with the urinalysis, the blood test helps determine exactly the amount of hormone chorionic gonadotropin that exists in the blood of the mother due to pregnancy, thanks to the amount of the hormone will be determined in which week the mother is. However, this analysis is not always carried out and rather tends to be left to those moments in which there may be doubts (for example, when the woman is suspected of being pregnant but, nevertheless, as the urinalysis is still soon gives negative).
As for the ultrasound that confirms that the embryo is occupying the right place of the uterus and develops normally it will be done later, just when the 3 months of gestation is completed but if you opt for the private you will be able to do it with greater security during week 8 .
Compulsory ultrasounds of Social Security
Depending on whether you follow the pregnancy through your private gynecologist or through the Health Care offered by your Autonomous Community, It is common that the first ultrasound to be performed by the mother is carried out around the 12th week of pregnancy.
This ultrasound is very useful because it shows growth and fetal development. It will be done vaginally thanks to a probe that will verify that the embryo occupies the uterus, you can hear your heartbeat and determine the likely date of delivery.
The second ultrasound carried out by Social Security is carried out during week 20 of gestation, it is a morphological ultrasound, this ultrasound instead will be done via the abdomen and you can check all parts of the fetus, its bones, its organs, the amount of amniotic fluid and its growth in general. This ultrasound is the most expected since in this test the sex of the baby is accurately determined.
The third and last ultrasound is performed between week 30 and 34 of pregnancy, occupies the eighth month of pregnancy and it shows the position of the baby, the amount of amniotic fluid that maintains and the approximate weight of the baby before birth.
However, many mothers opt for other ultrasounds during pregnancy, many of them go to the gynecologist just know they are pregnant, and can even know the sex of the baby before week 20 by going to the gynecologist around the 15th week of pregnancy. This is the case of 3D or 4D ultrasounds, very useful starting at the 20th week of pregnancy and which help to see the baby with a higher and better resolution.
At this point, we can establish a summary related to the different ultrasound tests that, in Social Security, are carried out by most Autonomous Communities:
- First ultrasound: around the 12th week of pregnancy.
- Second ultrasound: around the 20th week of pregnancy.
- Third ultrasound: around week 30 and 34 of pregnancy.
In any case, you must bear in mind that depending on the Autonomous Community in which you reside, it is possible that your Health System has another calendar in which, for example, they perform another ultrasound. This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Physician. We advise you to consult your Trusted Doctor.
