Congratulations on your pregnancy!
The common first step will be a dating scan between 7-10 weeks as we like to check your baby before 10 weeks.
Why scan at 7 weeks?
An ultrasound is performed at this stage of pregnancy to confirm your due date, confirm if you are having singles, twins or more and to visualise your baby’s heart beating. Before 7 weeks it may be too early to acquire this information.
How is the scan performed?
To obtain the best images possible, this scan is routinely performed internally and perfectly safe to perform during early pregnancy.
What will I see on the ultrasound?
At 7 weeks gestation a pregnancy sac should be seen within the uterus. Within this sac will be an embryo, heart motion and yolk sac should be visible. Approaching 8 weeks, early brain formation is identified with a black space in the head called the rhombencephalon.
The image below shows an embryo at 8 weeks gestation.
What If I have an uncertain result?
Sometimes it may be too early to gather all the information required to confirm the stage of your pregnancy. In this situation you may be required to return for a repeat ultrasound in 7-14 days. Your doctor will inform you of the most appropriate time frame to return for this scan if required.
Routine 7 week IVF pregnancy ultrasound
If you have completed an IVF cycle and have received a positive pregnancy result at day 16, an internal ultrasound will be performed approximately 5 weeks following your embryo transfer. This ultrasound will confirm the location of your pregnancy and the number, size and heart motion of the embryo(s).
