The Ultimate Guide to Early Pregnancy Ultrasound Scans

Ultrasound at 5 Weeks: What to Expect

At 5 weeks pregnant, an early pregnancy scan can confirm the presence of the gestational sac and yolk sac, which are crucial for the baby’s development. Although the embryo might still be too small to be seen clearly, this scan helps ensure that the pregnancy is progressing normally. The gestational sac at 6 weeks becomes more prominent, providing a clearer view of the early stages of pregnancy.

First Trimester Scan: Comprehensive Assessment

The first trimester scan, typically performed between 8-12 weeks, is a comprehensive ultrasound that assesses the baby’s development, confirms the due date, and checks for any early pregnancy complications. This scan can also include a nuchal translucency test, which measures the fluid at the back of the baby’s neck to assess the risk of chromosomal abnormalities.

Understanding the Gestational Sac at 6 Weeks

By 6 weeks, the gestational sac is more visible, and the embryo begins to take shape. This stage is crucial for confirming the viability of the pregnancy. An ultrasound at this stage can show the gestational sac, yolk sac, and the tiny embryo. The viability scan is an important step to ensure that the pregnancy is progressing as expected.

Early Pregnancy Symptoms and Reassurance Scans

Early pregnancy symptoms can vary widely among women, but common signs include morning sickness, fatigue, and breast tenderness. Reassurance scans, often done around 6 weeks, provide peace of mind by confirming the baby’s heartbeat and overall health. These scans are particularly helpful for women who have experienced previous pregnancy losses or complications.

Visualizing Your Baby: Ultrasound Pictures

Ultrasound pictures provide a tangible connection to your developing baby. These images capture the baby’s growth and development, offering a glimpse into the womb. Baby scan pictures from early pregnancy scans at 5 and 6 weeks show the initial stages of development, while later scans provide more detailed images of the baby’s features and movements.

The Role of the Pregnancy Due Date Calculator

A pregnancy due date calculator is a valuable tool for estimating the baby’s arrival. It typically uses the first day of your last menstrual period to calculate the due date. This information, combined with ultrasound findings, helps healthcare providers monitor the baby’s growth and ensure timely prenatal care.

Viability Scan: Ensuring a Healthy Pregnancy

A viability scan is performed to confirm the presence of a living embryo with a detectable heartbeat. This scan is crucial for early pregnancy, especially for women with a history of miscarriage or fertility treatments. The viability scan provides reassurance that the pregnancy is progressing normally and helps detect any potential issues early on.

Congratulations on Your Pregnancy

Congratulations on your pregnancy and welcome to the world of baby scans. The 6 weeks early pregnancy or the early pregnancy scan, as more commonly known, will possibly be the first time the parents will meet their baby. Unless there are complications such as suspicions or ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage, 6-week ultrasound scans are not routinely offered by the NHS. You might, however, want to have a private baby scan if you suspect that your pregnancy is not progressing well or if you would like a definite, visual pregnancy confirmation.

Most Common Reasons for a 6-Week Ultrasound Scan

The most common reasons for the 6 weeks and generally for early gestation age baby scans are:

• Previous miscarriage.
• You had fertility treatment.
• Pelvic pain on one side.
• Vaginal spotting or bleeding.
• You are unsure how far along you are in your pregnancy.
• You want a visual confirmation that you are pregnant after a positive pregnancy test.

What Should You See on a 6-Week Scan?

At 6 weeks gestation, you might be able to see:

• A black oval circle (black is fluid on ultrasound) which is the gestation sac.
• A little white ring which is the yolk sac where the baby feeds from in the early weeks of pregnancy.
• The embryo (foetal pole) and possibly the heartbeat might be visible.

Depending on the individual pregnancy, all the above, however, might not be visible during the scan.

Ultrasound Image of a 6-Week Baby Scan

At a 6-week scan, you can see the gestation sac (black area on the image). You can also see the foetus measuring around 6 mm as well as the yolk sac (the ring to the right of the measurement). At 6 weeks, you won’t, in general, be able to see much detail of your baby. The ultrasound scan, however, should be able to confirm the gestation age by measuring either the gestation sac or the foetal pole if visible. Sometimes, but not always, you will be able to see the baby’s heartbeat.

Checking for Ectopic Pregnancy

Most importantly, the sonographer who will do your private ultrasound in London will be able to check that your baby is in the right place, i.e., in the endometrial cavity, and that you do not have an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is when the fertilized egg attaches itself outside the uterus, with the most common location being the fallopian tube on the side where you ovulated from. Everyone is different, and sometimes a follow-up ultrasound in a week to 10 days later might be necessary to give you more information.

Your Baby at 6 Weeks

How Many mm is a 6-Week-Old Foetus?

At 6 weeks, your baby should measure approximately 5-9mm in length.

Can You See the Baby at 6 Weeks?

6 weeks into your pregnancy is also the earliest time that you might be able to see the foetal pole and the foetal heartbeat.

Can You See the Baby Heartbeat at the 6-Week Scan?

The foetal heartbeat looks like two parallel lines flickering, and it is not always visible at the 6-week scan. The literature suggests that the foetal heartbeat should be around 90-110 beats per minute, but we have seen slower heartbeats with positive pregnancy outcomes.

What Else Can You See?

The yolk sac, a ring-shaped bright circle, might also be visible. The yolk sac is where your baby is feeding at this early stage in pregnancy. Sometimes, only the gestation sac is visible with no foetal pole or yolk sac, and you might be asked to come back in a week to 10 days. In most cases, this is because you might be earlier in your pregnancy than you think.

What is the Earliest You Can Have a Pregnancy Scan?

The 6-week scan is the most common gestation age that a private ultrasound is performed. We do not recommend a scan before the 6 weeks gestation unless you are worried about a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy, as at 5 weeks gestation, you will possibly see the endometrium being thickened and echo bright and possibly a gestation sac. A 5-week baby scan, however, might help to find the cause for any early pregnancy pain or bleeding.

If you are more than 6 weeks, you may also want to read more about the 7-week scan and the 8+ week scan.

What Happens at a 6-Week Scan?

It is more likely that at 6 weeks gestation age, you will need to have a transvaginal or internal ultrasound scan instead of a transabdominal scan (through the abdomen). This is because it is a very early stage, and everything is still very small. The transvaginal scan probe will be able to get closer to the endometrium and produce a better, clearer image of the pregnancy insitu.

Feeling nervous about having an ultrasound scan so early in your pregnancy is normal. Try to stay calm and prepare yourself for what may happen. Bringing with you your partner or a close family member for extra support might be a good idea.

We do allow another family member present in the scanning room during the private ultrasound, even during the Covid-19 pandemic.

How Many Scans Will I Have During Pregnancy Through the NHS?

You will have at least two baby scans during your pregnancy provided by the NHS:

• A 12-week dating scan.
• A 20-week anomaly scan.

The 12-week scan will provide confirmation and dating for your pregnancy. The 20-week scan will provide information about your baby’s growth and development.