Early pregnancy ultrasound examination to understand the baby's first heartbeat

Ultrasound examination is an important part of pregnancy check-up, and the results obtained from the examination can provide an important basis for obstetricians' diagnosis and treatment. In my country, under normal circumstances, pregnant women need to undergo more than four ultrasound examinations throughout the pregnancy, and the examination time is from 11 to 13 weeks of pregnancy, 20 to 24 weeks of pregnancy, 28 to 32 weeks of pregnancy, and 37 to 38 weeks of pregnancy. As the pregnancy period of the mother increases, the focus and purpose of each ultrasound examination are different. So what is the purpose of pregnant women undergoing ultrasound examinations in early pregnancy? Will it cause certain harm to the growth and development of the fetus? The author explains the above questions below.

1. What is prenatal ultrasound examination?

Obstetric ultrasound examination refers to the use of the physical properties of ultrasound to conduct imaging examinations of the fetus and its appendages. It is a non-invasive and repeatable clinical examination method commonly used by obstetricians to understand the embryo and the general morphology of the main anatomical structures of the fetus. The use of ultrasound examination has a positive role and value in improving the quality of my country's newborn population.

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2. Will prenatal ultrasound examination cause certain harm to the fetus?

A large number of current studies have shown that diagnostic prenatal ultrasound examination is a safe and non-invasive imaging examination technology, and there is no clear evidence that ultrasound examination will cause harm to fetal growth and development.

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3. What kind of examination method should be used for ultrasound examination in early pregnancy?

At present, there are two main methods of early pregnancy ultrasound examination, namely transabdominal color Doppler ultrasound examination and transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound examination, each of which has its own advantages. Transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound uses an intracavitary probe, which is closer to the uterus and ovaries. Therefore, its image resolution and clarity are significantly higher. In view of its advantages, it is particularly suitable for observation of follicular development, examination of small endometrial lesions, judgment of early ectopic pregnancy, diagnosis of small adnexal tumors, etc.; while transabdominal ultrasound has a wider scanning range and is suitable for examination of lesions with a larger range. Generally speaking, the combined diagnosis of these two methods can achieve the best examination effect. In addition, transabdominal color Doppler ultrasound examination requires the examinee to hold urine before the examination. There are a large number of patients who come to do this examination every day. It is extremely troublesome for each patient to hold urine at the door of the clinic. In comparison, transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound does not require holding urine, which is simpler and can eliminate the pain of pregnant women drinking a lot of water and holding urine. Therefore, it is relatively more efficient. In the actual examination process, clinical physicians will select the appropriate examination method based on the actual condition of each pregnant woman.

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4. What does early pregnancy ultrasound examination mainly observe?

1. Whether there are abnormalities in both ovaries and uterus

Such as whether there is uterine malformation, whether there is a mass in both ovaries, uterine fibroids, etc. Secondly, it is necessary to check the number, size, shape, and position of the gestational sac. If the pregnant woman has a history of cesarean section, it is also necessary to observe the relationship between the cesarean section scar and the gestational sac to diagnose and exclude the presence of scar pregnancy.

2. Fetal size

It is necessary to check whether the size of the fetus is consistent with the month of amenorrhea of ​​the pregnant woman. If the size of the fetus is inconsistent with the duration of amenorrhea during the examination, the gestational age should be rechecked based on the size of the fetus and the expected date of delivery should be estimated. This is because the gestational age is extremely accurate based on the fetal head-arm length before 12 weeks, and the error can be controlled within five days. Therefore, when the gestational age shown by ultrasound examination is inconsistent with the gestational age shown by clinical examination, the gestational age result obtained by ultrasound examination should be used as the standard.

3. Number of fetuses

It is necessary to clarify whether it is a single or multiple pregnancy. If it is a multiple pregnancy, the chorionicity of the fetus must be distinguished during the ultrasound examination, because the risk of problems with monochorionic twins is much higher than that with dichorionic twins. Therefore, doctors need to pay special attention during the examination. Compared with pregnant women with dichorionic twins, pregnant women with monochorionic twins need to undergo more ultrasound examinations during pregnancy.

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4. Whether there are serious fetal malformations

The basic structure of the fetus at 11 to 13 weeks has been fully developed. Although the fetus is still small and it is impossible to carry out a detailed examination of fetal malformations, it is possible to check for serious abnormalities in the fetus, such as anencephaly, cystic hygroma, severe spina bifida, severe gastroschisis, severe limb abnormalities, etc.

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5. Fetal heartbeat

Embryonic arrest is prone to occur in early pregnancy, so during the ultrasound examination, it is necessary to check whether the fetus has a heartbeat to determine whether the fetus is alive or not.

(VI) Determination of NT value

NT value measurement is an important item in early pregnancy ultrasound examination. NT examination is also known as fetal nuchal translucency scan, which is an important way to assess the risk of fetal chromosomal abnormalities. The NT value is a risk assessment value, and there is no absolute normal value. At present, most of the top three hospitals in China use 2.5mm as the standard value of NT. If the NT value is below 2.5mm, it is judged as low risk; if the NT value is equal to or higher than 2.5mm, it is judged as high risk; if the fetal NT value is thicker, pregnant women do not need to worry too much. The thickening of the TN value does not mean that there must be a problem with the fetus, but pregnant women need to undergo further examinations to determine whether the fetal chromosomes and heart are normal.

Ultrasound examination is affected by many factors, and not all birth defects can be detected. Pregnant women and their families need to recognize the reality that some fetal deformities are difficult to fully diagnose through prenatal ultrasound, such as simple cleft palate, birthmarks, toe and finger deformities, etc. Some deformities will gradually appear as the gestational age increases, such as diaphragmatic hernia, hydrocephalus, etc. At the same time, it should be stated that the diagnosis of no abnormalities given in the ultrasound report is based on the current technology, equipment, imaging data, screening level, etc. No abnormalities were found, which does not mean it is necessarily normal. Then some pregnant friends may say, since ultrasound examinations cannot guarantee 100% screening of diseases and ensure the health of the fetus, why do we still need to undergo ultrasound examinations? The answer is also very simple, because through ultrasound examinations, at least 50%-70% of serious deformities can be detected. If no examination is done, 100% of the deformities will be missed.