Why I may need a pregnancy scan
An ultrasound during pregnancy can be used from 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester to monitor the growth and health of the baby.
An ultrasound during pregnancy can be used from 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester to monitor the growth and health of the baby.
Patients need to bring along their medical aid information, ID and a referral letter, if provided by their doctor. They should try and drink 3 tall glasses of water before the ultrasound if they are in their first trimester, ensuring that their bladder is full before the procedure.
Once you have completed your registration, patients are taken to our sonar room for the examination, which will only take about 30 minutes. You will be able to follow the ultrasound on a screen and ask any follow-up questions you may have. Shortly after the procedure is complete, you will receive a report and a copy sent to your doctor.
Midrand Breast and Bone Density Clinic is led by Dr. Manitha Bindapersad. She is a specialist radiologist with a particular interest in breast imaging and women’s health. After graduating from Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (MEDUNSA) in 1998 and completing her internship and community service; she chose to specialise and train as a radiologist at the University of Witwatersrand from 2001 to 2005.
Over the years, she has gained a wealth of experience working in the public sector as head of Chris Baragwanath Hospital’s Mammography Department for 15 years and 10 subsequent years in the private sector. Dr Bindapersad has extensive experience and expertise in the fields of digital mammography, bone care, performance of biopsies, women’s health and general radiology.
A pregnancy ultrasound is the most widely-known type of sonar used in diagnostics. Expecting parents use pregnancy sonars to monitor their baby’s growth from early on – and throughout – the pregnancy. At different stages in your pregnancy, expectant parents will be able to determine new and exciting details about their little ones.
From about 4 weeks into a pregnancy, ultrasounds are used to gather important gestational information and capture those beautiful ultrasound images of growing babies that we all love so much. Pregnancy sonars can tell us the gender, stage of pregnancy, genetic abnormalities, size and health of a fetus. Each check-up, every change and throughout the trimesters, ultrasounds give you the chance to get to know your baby before meeting them in person.
Getting frequent ultrasounds is an important part of any pregnancy. The information and imaging provided by the pregnancy sonar are important for keeping the fetus and their mother safe and healthy over the course of 9 months. Throughout your pregnancy, you will be able to gain more and better information regarding your baby.
Firstly, you can use pregnancy sonars to confirm that you are, in fact, expecting. After 4 weeks, the sonar is used to confirm if the pregnancy is located correctly in the uterus and to rule out the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy. Between 10 and 12 weeks, the nuchal translucency of fluid in the fetus’s neck can be measured to assess the risk of down syndrome.
At 16 weeks, expectant parents are able to confidently confirm the gender of their baby, if they wish to know. At 20 weeks, pregnancy sonars can confidently exclude the presence of serious fetal abnormalities. Beyond these pieces of information, there is so much to be learned about how you carry, care for and grow with your baby during your pregnancy.