How many scans will I have, and what is each one actually looking for?
Pregnancy
The short answer
A typical schedule is a dating scan in the first trimester, an anomaly scan around 18 to 21 weeks, and growth scans in the third trimester if there is a reason. The dating scan confirms how many weeks you are and how many babies; the anomaly scan checks the structure of the baby and the position of the placenta; growth scans measure size and fluid.
A scan is a look, not a guarantee. It can miss things, and a normal scan means nothing was seen that day rather than that nothing exists.
What depends on your situation
How many you are offered depends on where you are cared for and what your history is. Extra scans are common in India and are not always necessary; it is fair to ask what a particular scan will change.
Sex determination is illegal to disclose in India under the PCPNDT Act, and a clinic refusing to tell you is obeying the law rather than withholding something.
What this cannot tell you
This cannot tell you what your scan showed, what a measurement means, or whether a finding matters. A report read on your own between appointments is the commonest source of unnecessary fear in pregnancy.
Questions for your clinician
- What is this scan for, and what will you do differently depending on the result?
- Who explains the report to me, and when?
- Do I need this many scans, or is this routine here?
- What does this finding mean in plain words?
When to get help
Contact the maternity service rather than waiting for the next scan if movements have reduced, if you are bleeding, or if you are leaking fluid.
Who stands behind this
No sources are listed on this answer.