How many weeks of pregnancy should I do cardiac ultrasound?

At which week is the best time for a fetus to do a cardiac ultrasound? The heart development of the fetus has always been a concern for many parents, especially those who have mild heart disease and are worried that the gene will be passed on to their children. However, cardiac ultrasound has some harm to pregnant women and fetuses, so it is not recommended to do color ultrasound frequently. Moreover, doing color ultrasound too early will actually be ineffective as the child's heart development is not yet complete. So, when is the most appropriate time to do a cardiac ultrasound?

How many weeks is the best time for a fetus to do a heart ultrasound?

Cardiac B-ultrasound can dynamically observe the size, thickness, opening status of heart valves, and blood flow rate and position of each chamber of the heart. It can see whether there is atrial septal defect or ventricular septal defect. In short, if you suspect a heart problem, cardiac B-ultrasound is a very good examination method. It costs about 200 yuan. At present, B-ultrasound has not been found to have a significant impact on the fetus, so it can be widely used in clinical medicine as a prenatal examination item. Moreover, the pregnancy is now about seven and a half months, and the fetus's organs have already taken shape. Doing an ultrasound examination now can only understand the development of the fetus and will not affect the changes of the fetus.

Of course, no tests are necessary, but if you want to know more about whether the fetus has congenital heart disease, do it. If you don't want to know, don't do it. Under normal circumstances, it is recommended to do a four-dimensional color ultrasound at 22-28 weeks of pregnancy, mainly for fetal malformation screening and to observe the baby's development. It needs to be booked in advance. When the B-ultrasound is being done, the operator can immediately see if there is any problem. The results are already in hand, and all that needs to be done is to enter what is seen into the examination report and then print it out. B-ultrasound has the advantages of being minimally invasive, radiation-free, rapid, and intuitive. The test results can usually be obtained within half an hour. If the hospital is busy, it may be a little later, but it will not exceed an hour. There is no noticeable discomfort during the cardiac ultrasound examination, but you may feel some chest discomfort due to the inflation of the camera. In addition, patients do not need to fast for basic cardiac ultrasound examinations, but except for other examinations that require fasting, transesophageal ultrasound requires fasting.

Are twin babies more prone to heart disease?

First of all, you should see an obstetrician as soon as possible in the early stages of pregnancy. Whether it is a natural pregnancy or assisted pregnancy, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible during pregnancy to determine the number of test tube embryos. It is also helpful for doctors to distinguish whether the twins are monochorionic or dichorionic. Doctors cannot make this distinction after 20 weeks. In addition, the doctor will assess whether the pregnant mother is suitable for conceiving twins. Those with cervical insufficiency, uterine scar, hypertension, heart disease, excessive obesity or thin body may not be suitable for conceiving twins, and fetal reduction surgery may be required if necessary.

In addition, for expectant mothers, twins will increase the burden on the heart. If you are pregnant, choose a cesarean section and pay attention to regular prenatal checkups. Once any abnormality is found, take symptomatic treatment to preserve the fetus in time. In addition, a small part of congenital heart disease is caused by genetic factors, and the vast majority is caused by viral infections or drug effects during pregnancy, especially during the 5th to 8th week of pregnancy. There is no direct evidence that twins are more likely to get sick than singletons. Congenital heart disease can be caused by many factors, including genetic inheritance, infection, natural environment, etc. There is no evidence to show that the incidence rate of congenital heart disease in twins is higher than that in singletons. It is recommended that regular pregnancy checkups can eliminate congenital heart disease.