If the woman has not yet registered with the antenatal clinic, then the 10th week of pregnancy is the most suitable time for this, because in a couple of weeks the first prenatal screening is due. An ultrasound scan at 10 weeks is not considered mandatory, but in fact it is done quite often. Many are worried about what to expect from such a procedure at this time.
The purpose of the diagnosis
It is still too early for the first ultrasound screening, because it is still quite difficult to consider malformations in a little man who just a couple of weeks ago ceased to be considered an embryo and became a fetus at the official level. The tenth week is only about 2 months from conception. However, such a method as ultrasound scanning may still be needed for other reasons. At this time, the expectant mother can be sent for an ultrasound scan for a number of indications:
- Clarification of the term. This problem is usually faced by women with an unstable and irregular menstrual cycle. When registering, they sometimes cannot accurately name the first day of their last period, and this creates confusion.
- Pregnancy pathologies... In the tenth week, a woman may suffer from toxicosis, she may experience pain that is uncharacteristic of the "interesting position" discharge. Also, when staging, not taking into account during a manual examination, a gynecologist can reveal a discrepancy between the size of the uterus and the expected date.
- Multiple pregnancy... If a woman has already done an ultrasound scan to confirm the fact of her pregnancy, and there she was made happy with information about the upcoming birth of twins, then an examination at 10 weeks can be recommended by a doctor to clarify the viability of both babies and secondary confirmation of multiple pregnancies.
Features and preparation
The child is still very small, there is little amniotic fluid, and because of this, it is rather difficult to look at the baby through the anterior abdominal wall. At this time, doctors use ultrasound to diagnose vaginal sensor. This method is called transvaginal... The diagnostician puts on a condom on the scanner sensor, the examination is carried out in a lying position horizontally on a couch or on a special examination chair, which is available in the office of each gynecologist.
At such a short time, visualization through the vaginal wall is clearer and better than through the peritoneum.
There is a widespread misconception among women that they should drink plenty of water before an ultrasound scan in order to enter the diagnostic room with a full bladder. Previously, when ultrasound was performed only externally (through the abdomen), such preparation was justified; no bubble filling is now required for scanning through the vaginal wall. It is even better to show up for examination with an empty bladder and bowels. The problem can be created by intestinal gases, which in the early stages give pregnant women a lot of unpleasant sensations.
If the intestine swells with increased gas production, then its loops begin to squeeze the pelvic organs. This may affect the results of the study. Therefore, a few days before the ultrasound, you should not eat foods that contribute to flatulence (legumes, fatty dairy products, carbonated drinks), and a few hours before going to the doctor it is worth taking Espumisan, to get rid of the accumulation of intestinal gas.
At 10 weeks, they take a second shoe or shoe covers, a small towel or cloth napkin, a diaper to put it on a couch or examination chair.
What will ultrasound show?
The child's organs and systems are being completed this week. Its height is about 35-40 mm, and its weight is only about 5-7 grams. However, this crumb already very much resembles a person. He now does not have an embryonic tail, but he has arms and legs, which can be seen on the monitor of an ultrasound scanner.
The baby's skin is still transparent, no hair grows on it, but small ears and mouth are already formed. The kid from time to time opens and closes his mouth, brings his hands to his face. The brain is being formed, the nervous system is "tuned in". In the tenth week, you will not be able to see all this on an ultrasound, but mom will be able to listen to how hard and often her baby's heart beats, many expectant mothers admit that this is an incomparable sensation.
It is better not to bother with the question about the sex of the child at this time, because the external genitals have not yet formed. Both the ovaries in girls and the testes in boys are in the abdominal cavity, but the production of sex hormones has already begun, which will support the process of forming a visual gender. In the meantime, in place of the genitals is the so-called genital tubercle, almost the same for both boys and girls.
Determination of gender at this time is difficult.
Results and indicators of the norm
On the ultrasound this week, the number of children is well determined. Each of the fetuses has a heart rate and physical activity. If the heart beats and there are signs of movement, then the doctor indicates that the fetus is alive and pregnancy is developing. The size of the ovum in which the baby develops can inform about the gestational age. It is determined by the segment between the inner walls, and therefore this parameter is called the average inner diameter of the ovum or simply - SVD.
In the tenth week, his indicators are as follows:
The appearance of the ovum is considered important. During normal developing pregnancy, it has clear and even contours, does not look deformed, squeezed. The yolk sac, which is still serving as a food storage for the child, is already ready to transfer its nutritional functions to the crumbs of the placenta, which has almost completed its formation. The size of the yolk sac at the tenth week is from 5.0 to 5.1 mm.
The most important indicator that can tell the doctor a lot about the pace of development of the little man, and will also help in correcting the gestational age, is the coccygeal-parietal size. The CTE should not be confused with the height of the child. The segment is measured from the crown of the head to the tailbone, and not to the heels. CTE this week on average has the following values:
Another important dimension concerns the work of the baby's heart. The doctor registers the rate of contraction of the small heart. In conclusion, this is abbreviated as heart rate. In the tenth week, the average is 170 beats per minute. Variations from 161 to 179 beats per minute are possible. Do not look for signs of a child's gender in the heart rate.
Many pregnant women on forums on the Internet ask who is more like a heartbeat of 155 beats per minute - a boy or a girl? The sex of the child in the early stages does not affect cardiac activity in any way. It is in the later stages that experienced obstetricians predict gender by the frequency and tone of the heartbeat, although such a diagnosis from the point of view of medicine has no confirmation.
In the tenth week, the risk of miscarriage is still high, and therefore the doctor will definitely examine the ovaries and fallopian tubes, the uterine cavity, the state of the endometrium, and also the cervix.
If signs of thickening of the uterine walls, changes in the cervical canal are found, then the threat of termination of pregnancy may be put.
Possible problems
During screening at week 10, the following concerns may arise.
Fertile egg is not up to date in size
This is the most common and alarming situation for expectant mothers. If in the tenth week the SVD is below normal, then you should not despair. It is best to undergo a follow-up ultrasound scan in a couple of weeks, when the study begins as part of the first screening. If possible, you should ask your doctor for a referral for an ultrasound of an expert class, such equipment is available in medical genetic centers.
In itself, the inconsistency of the ovum with the real date may also have harmless reasons - for example, ovulation was late, the fetus was fixed later, therefore, development occurs later than the woman herself thinks. Pathological reasons for the discrepancy may lie in developmental delay. The kid will not just start to "lag behind".
There are always prerequisites for this - poor nutrition of the mother, a lack of vitamins and trace elements in her blood, bad habits (smoking, alcohol, drugs), infectious diseases suffered by the mother in the early stages of pregnancy, as well as taking medications. The baby can grow slowly also because of the genetic pathologies he has, gross malformations that are not yet visible on ultrasound.
The upcoming first scheduled prenatal screening in the next 1-2 weeks will help clarify this issue.
If the ovum is not deformed, the child gives signs of life, then you should not panic, it is quite possible that the baby will "pick up" his own and catch up with the norm in the near future. If there are additional signs of trouble (tone of the uterus, deformation of the ovum, lack of heartbeat), doctors may talk about a frozen pregnancy or a miscarriage that has begun. In any case, careful observation of the situation is required.
KTR does not meet the deadline
A decrease in the coccygeal-parietal size without signs of other pathologies in the child (there is a heartbeat and physical activity is noted) is a reason to reconsider the timing of pregnancy, perhaps they were not calculated correctly. However, a decrease in CTE and the absence of signs of vital activity - the basis for immediate hospitalization and a surgical curettage procedure the uterine cavity followed by a biopsy of the fetal tissue to understand why the baby died in utero.
The result, in which the CTE is less than the norm, and there are signs of life, requires rechecking. At the upcoming first screening, doctors will try to find the true cause, because the slowdown in the growth of the embryo, and then the fetus, may be accompanied by chromosomal abnormalities.
A decrease in CTE in twins or triplets may be normal; in the case of multiple pregnancies, such deviations are not considered pathological.
Risk of miscarriage
If the walls of the uterus are thickened, the diagnostician indicates the threat of losing the child, the woman should definitely listen to the opinion of the attending physician. If he insists on hospitalization, don't argue. If he allows you to be treated at home, you should take care of your position, take the prescribed drugs, observe a calm and measured regimen.
Pictures
In pictures taken by ultrasound at 9-10 weeks, the baby, most likely, will not show anything special, except for a disproportionately large head and pens (if you're lucky). In the pictures, the twins look like this.
There is no reason to do 3D ultrasound, which is fashionable today, at this time, because so far a three-dimensional image is not able to give a clear picture in which mom and dad could see the features of their unborn child.
However, the baby no longer resembles a grain or a pea at all, as it was a month earlier, and therefore such a picture may well become the first in a family photo album.
All about the development of the baby at 10 weeks of gestation, see the next video.
