12 weeks pregnant

Every pregnant woman should determine whether to undergo a NT examination based on her own physical condition, because the NT examination is not a mandatory test item for pregnant women. However, for the health of the fetus, it is recommended that every pregnant woman undergo NT examination as much as possible. NT examination can effectively detect whether the fetus has chromosomal abnormalities. Generally speaking, NT examinations are performed between 11 and 14 weeks of pregnancy. So what are the precautions for NT examinations at 12 weeks of pregnancy?

Do I need to hold my urine during NT at 12 weeks of pregnancy?

unnecessary. The NT test during pregnancy is a voluntary test. If you don’t want to do it, you won’t be forced to do it. However, the country is now paying more and more attention to the NT test, and it is generally recommended to do this test. Especially for people at high risk of Down syndrome, such as elderly pregnant women over 35 years old, pregnant women who have given birth to Down syndrome children before or have a family history of giving birth to Down syndrome children, etc., it is necessary to undergo NT examination, unless the pregnant woman does not care whether the fetus is deformed. For those who are not in high-risk groups, it is better to be safe than sorry. It is recommended to do an NT test to give you peace of mind.

How to do NT test

1. During ultrasound examination, the crown-rump length (CRL) and biparietal diameter of the fetus are first measured to determine the ultrasound gestational age. Then the fetal structure is checked in sequence, and some important indicators such as fetal heart rate, fetal movement, the connection between the umbilical cord and the fetus, the development of the fetal limbs, and the intracranial choroid plexus are observed to exclude fetal abnormalities such as holoprosencephaly, choroid plexus cysts, umbilical hernias, and other developmental abnormalities.

2. The thickness of the nuchal translucency is measured in the sagittal section of the fetal long axis, with the fetal head and spine in a straight line during measurement. Adjust the magnification so that the fetal body occupies about 3/4 of the screen size. The measurement point is placed at the inner edge of two high-echo lines for measurement. These two high-echo lines represent the skin echo and the soft tissue echo on the spine surface respectively, and the part between them is the nuchal translucency.

3. Take a sagittal section of the fetal long axis, with the fetus in a naturally flexed position, and measure the thickest part of the subcutaneous echo-free transparent layer in the fetal neck, from the inner edge of the skin layer to the outer edge of the fascia layer. Measure three times and take the thickest value.

There is no need to hold urine when doing NT at 12 weeks of pregnancy. The NT test is not required by the state like Down syndrome screening. This test is voluntary. If the conditions are good and you have time, you can also take the test to know how the baby is developing and whether he has certain congenital diseases.