Early Pregnancy or Viability Scan

This is an ultrasound examination that may be carried out transabdominally (through the abdomen) or transvaginally (through the vagina). A full bladder is required initially to enable a transabdominal scan to be performed first. If this scan does not provide the information required the bladder is then emptied and a transvaginal scan performed. The scan aims to determine the number of fetuses present and whether the pregnancy is progressing normally inside the uterus/womb.

 

The early pregnancy scan is available up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. We do not perform a viability scan after 18 weeks of pregnancy as your midwife should be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat with the Doppler machine.

If we cannot see a heartbeat on the scan due to the pregnancy being too early then we can repeat the scan free of charge at a pre-determined time interval, when we would confidently expect to see the heart beating.

 

Links

Recurrent Miscarriage

Early Pregnancy Problems - information.

Mission Statement

GE Healthcare's Pregnancy Timeline

 

 

 

This scan is useful for women who are:

  • Experiencing pain or bleeding in the pregnancy
  • Have had previous miscarriages
  • Have had a previous ectopic pregnancies
  • Unsure of the date of the last menstrual period