What to Expect During an Early Ultrasound

I would like to begin by stating that I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice. This is what I experienced during my early ultrasounds and what you may experience as well coupled with a few articles from reliable medical sources that share more of the anatomy side of things.

I have been pregnant three times. With my first daughter, I had an early ultrasound around seven weeks due to consistent spotting. With my second, I did not have an ultrasound until eleven weeks, when I was diagnosed with a blighted ovum. You can read more about my experience with a missed miscarriage here. With my third, I pushed towards an early ultrasound because I didn’t want to wait until eleven weeks to find something heartbreaking out again. If you feel that you would benefit from an early ultrasound speak to your provider about the pros and cons. Another consideration is that they may not be able to order due to insurance coverages. You may be able to then speak to the biking department regarding this.

When I say “early ultrasound,” I am referring to an ultrasound done early in the first trimester. I would say between 6-8 weeks. I’ve been told by my past providers that six weeks is the earliest an ultrasound can be done, but your experience may vary. According to the Miscarriage Association website, a seven week ultrasound is more ideal as it will show more detail. Having an ultrasound any earlier may result in not seeing much and further your anxiety. If you are experiencing any sort of anxiety, please reach out to your care team. Of course, the answers you may receive are not complete, but hopefully they can work to put your mind at ease.

How to Prepare for your Ultrasound

After your ultrasound is scheduled, you will likely receive instructions on how to prepare for your appointment. My instructions were to drink 24 ounces of water an hour before my appointment and hold my urine when I begin drinking the 24 ounces. Your instructions may vary based on your current and previous health conditions. Consult with your doctor if you have any medical questions or concerns regarding your preparation instructions.

I had to do this twice (with my first and third pregnancy.) In pregnancy I tend to be very nauseous and throw up quite a bit, this makes drinking all of this water challenging. I tried to drink the water with some saltine crackers to help settle my stomach. According to a quick Google search, you should not be eating excessive amounts before your ultrasound. However, I few crackers to help keep the water down did not hurt in my circumstance.

Another tip is to measure out 24 ounces exactly and pace yourself. Don’t just gulp it all down in two minutes, but sip on in for an hour until it is completely gone. My provider gave me a timeframe in which to drink the water, so time was a factor but pacing myself did help.

What to Expect during your Ultrasound

Both times I had early ultrasounds, they completed both a regular ultrasound and a transvaginal ultrasound. The regular ultrasound is just on your lower stomach. The ultrasound tech will add some warm gel to the transducer (the wand used for the ultrasound) and just rub it around to see inside. This part should not hurt, I definitely remember being uncomfortable because the urge to pee was horrific. The added pressure of the transducer certainly didn’t help.

Luckily you shouldn’t have to hold your urine for too long. After the normal ultrasound is completed, they should be able to let you go use the bathroom. If you are extremely uncomfortable or don’t feel like you can hold it, speak up and let your ultrasound technician know. They don’t want you to be uncomfortable and can likely move along the exam if they are informed.

The transvaginal ultrasound seems to be the exam most women are concerned with. I did not find it to be that bad or nearly as intrusive as I imagined. The Cleveland Clinic has an all inclusive article detailing the medical side of things.

The ultrasound tech will put (a lot) of gel on the tranducer and insert it into your vagina. This is a slightly different transducer than the one used prior as it is meant to be inserted and shaped more wand like. For me, I did not hurt at all but there were certain ways the tech moved it that made it slightly uncomfortable.

If you do experience any pain during your ultrasound, let the tech know. They definitely do not want to cause you pain and will do something to either help the pain like repositioning or stop the exam.

If you are concerned about damage to your pregnancy during this exam, I encourage you to do your own research on reputable sites such as the Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic websites as well as speak to your doctor about your concerns. I am here to merely share what my experience was and hopefully help to set your mind at ease to what you may experience during your exam.

Your Ultrasound Results

During my first and third pregnancy early ultrasounds, the techs let me see the heartbeat but didn’t tell me anything else. During my first, I actually got to hear the heartbeat and for third I just got to see it on the screen.

You can chose to have the screen on or off. But regardless, they will likely not be answering any “what is that” sort of questions. They tend to leave the results giving portion up to your doctor. However, they will print you an ultrasound image of your bundle of joy. Although, during this time, it really won’t look like much.

Your doctor’s policy may vary by health care facility. My doctors office waited two days to call me with the all clear and good results. Usually, with my doctors office anyway, they say that no news or delayed news is usually good news.

Final Thoughts

An early ultrasound may be routine in some practices or it may be something you need to advocate for if you are feeling uneasy. Either way, you should feel in control of your healthcare. If you are concerned with costs, you can also speak to your insurance company about what the associated costs will be.

Drinking all of the water and holding your urine can be uncomfortable, but I promise, it is worth it in the end. There’s nothing sweeter than seeing your baby and possibly even seeing their tiny flicker of a heartbeat. It kept my mind at ease during my third pregnancy, just for a little while, knowing that everything was going as planned.

As always, I would love to hear from you and wish you all of the luck in your journey to expand your family. Have you had an early ultrasound? What were some helpful tips on consuming all that water?