What to Expect at Your Fetal Anatomy Scan

Throughout your pregnancy, you will attend a few different ultrasound appointments. One of the most important is your anatomy ultrasound. This ultrasound is a common test done around 18-22 weeks of pregnancy to thoroughly examine the baby, the placenta, and the amniotic fluid. Around 20 weeks is the time when your baby is the perfect size for us to see almost every part of your baby. 

It is one of the longer ultrasounds (30-60 minutes) as there are several items that we would like to check on. Your sonographer will measure several different parts of your baby, including their head, abdomen, and the femur (one of the leg bones) length. These measurements will then help to determine how much your  baby currently weighs and what percentile that weight falls into. The exam also looks at the baby’s important organs/structures, including the brain, heart, stomach, and spine. We also evaluate the placenta location and amount of fluid within the uterus. We should say, as long as the baby cooperates! The baby needs to be in a good position in order for us to see these organs. If we are unable to see any of them, we may have you come back again at a later time to check those out (hoping your baby is in a different position at that time). 

Although ultrasounds cannot pick up on everything, this anatomy ultrasound will give you a good overview of your baby’s development. Sometimes we may see something during this ultrasound that we want to follow up on again later. This may be because the size of the baby is slightly smaller than we expected and we want to check on the measurements again, or there is a small cyst in the brain and we want to keep an eye on it or calcium deposits on the heart that we may want to follow up on with other tests. Your provider will review the results of your ultrasound with you in your appointment with them after the ultrasound. If you happen to not have an appointment the same day, we will get a hold of you to review the results. 

Throughout the exam, as they find your little one in ideal positions the sonographer will grab some photos for you to walk away with, maybe some little toes sticking out or a fist in the air or a cute face shot. At this time, and with your baby’s cooperation, you can find out the gender of the baby if you haven’t already. Given the time needed for this ultrasound, it can be a good idea to arrive at this appointment with a snack and your water in hand. As with all of your appointments at Diana Health, you can bring along whomever you’d like for this fun (& longer) appointment.