There is very little left until the end of the first trimester. At 11 weeks, the expectant mother is usually already registered with the antenatal clinic. It is there that she can receive a referral for the first prenatal screening this week, although most often this examination is prescribed from 11 full weeks, at 12-12.5 weeks of pregnancy. We will tell you about what can be seen on an ultrasound scan at 11 weeks and what are the norms for the development of a child in this article.
Objectives of the survey
Week 11 by obstetric standards is approximately 9 weeks from the day of conception of the baby. And about 7 weeks from the delay of the next menstruation. Pregnancy is already obvious, no doubt about it. During this period, ultrasound is responsible for important medical tasks - diagnosis of probable pathologies and developmental anomalies of the child both genetic and unrelated to genetics.
The first screening, which can already be attributed to ultrasound this week, provides information for calculating the likelihood of having children with total chromosomal abnormalities that cannot be corrected or treated. These are Down and Edwards, Patau, Turner, Cornelia de Lange syndromes and other anomalies that are not just incurable, but in most cases, one hundred percent lethal.
In addition to ultrasound scanning, screening includes blood chemistry, which determines the concentration of certain hormones and proteins in the blood of a pregnant woman, which are characteristic of the period of bearing a baby. In addition to this main task, an ultrasound scan at 11 weeks helps to find out how the baby is developing, whether this pregnancy has any complications, to identify possible risks of miscarriage and other unfavorable factors, and also helps to "synchronize watches" - establish the exact timing of pregnancy according to obstetric standards and determine the expected day of delivery.
Methodology and preparation
At this time, the ultrasound diagnosis itself can be carried out in two ways - through the vagina (transvaginal or intravaginal method) or through the peritoneum (transabdominal method). The choice of a specific method is the prerogative of the doctor, which relies not only on the gestational age, but also on the physique of the pregnant woman.
Plump and plump ladies often undergo a transvaginal examination, since through the fat layer on the anterior abdominal wall, with a relatively small amount of amniotic fluid, which is observed at this time, the baby's view is very, very difficult.
Only very slender and thin women can rely on an external ultrasound scan, which is carried out by a sensor on the abdomen.
You need to prepare for a transvaginal ultrasound 2-3 days before undergoing diagnostics. A woman needs to limit herself in sweets and soda, in legumes and cabbage, as well as in cottage cheese and fatty kefir. These foods cause fermentation in the intestines, and the build-up of gases can put pressure on the pelvic organs. Therefore, such a diet, bowel cleansing is desirable, and before going to the consultation, you should drink a dose in a few hours "Simethicone" or "Espumisana". The bladder does not need to be filled during intravaginal examination.
But it is advisable to do this before visiting transabdominal ultrasound diagnostics. Although here, too, much depends on the size of the uterus and the amount of amniotic fluid. It may turn out that the doctor will send the prudent expectant mother to empty the so diligently filled bladder.
For ultrasound, you should take a diaper with you so that you can lay it on the couch, as well as napkins to remove excess special gel, which is used for transabdominal diagnostics. The study will take no more than 10 minutes and will not cause the slightest harm to either the woman or her baby.
What can be seen on an ultrasound scan?
A baby at 11 weeks already knows a lot and is capable of a lot. He has formed all the organs, including the spinal cord, there are basic structures of the brain. The baby's liver has already begun to synthesize proteins that are needed as building materials for a growing body. This organism is growing by leaps and bounds, and at this time the size of the fruit already inspires respect - its height is about 50 mm, and its weight is about 8-9 grams.
This week, the baby can show the diagnostician, and at the same time the future parent, how cleverly he learned to move his arms and legs, his movements become more energetic, because the formation of muscle and bone tissues is in full swing. The skin of the baby on the entire area of the body and head becomes sensitive, the baby can touch. There are ears and very soon he will be able to hear. Taste buds are forming this week, and vocal folds are also forming - the only powerful weapon of the baby right after birth.
On an ultrasound at this time, one cannot see all the incredible transformations that yesterday's embryo is going through, which has already become a fetus with all the external signs of a human cub.
But parents can see in all its glory a tiny creature with a large head and movable arms, with legs tucked into the stomach. When making a movement, the baby has already learned to help himself with his feet, rowing in the right direction. If the period of activity coincides with the time of the study, then on a good apparatus with high resolution one can already see such activity.
The sex of the child is not yet visible, only the genital tubercle is determined, which is still completely the same in both boys and girls. At 11 weeks, the doctor can clearly see all the organs of the baby, its position in the uterine cavity.
Norms and interpretation of results
Having found a fetus in the uterus, the doctor necessarily assesses its position - a fertilized egg is fixed in the upper, middle or lower part of the uterus. The determination of the child's vital activity is also considered primary - his heart should be beating and signs of physical activity should be observed.
The main parameter that speaks about the rate of development, about the condition of the child, about the correspondence of his pregnancy to the date of the last menstruation, is the size of the fetus from the coccyx to the crown. It is called that - the coccygeal-parietal size or simply the CTE.
Coccyx-parietal size at 11 weeks:
According to the same table, which is always at hand at the ultrasound diagnostics doctor, compliance with the deadline is checked. If the size of the fetus is normal, then the doctor indicates that the CTE corresponds to the gestational period.
The baby's heart beats rhythmically and loudly enough. Doctors definitely let expectant mothers listen to it. In the conclusion, the frequency of heart contractions per minute is indicated. Heart rate is an important indicator of a child's condition. Normally, at 11 weeks, a small four-chambered heart beats at an average speed of 153-170 beats per minute. The rhythm is clear, without interruption, the tone is clear.
One of the important parameters that are measured at 11 weeks are the so-called markers of genetic disorders. Knowing that some defects are characterized by shortening and thickening of the neck, as well as swelling in the back of it, measure the thickness of the collar space.
The TVP rate this week is 1.5 mm, increases or decreases from 0.8 to 2.2 are allowed.
Another marker - nasal bones. In children with chromosomal abnormalities, the face is often flattened, signs of such flattening allow you to see the measurements of the bones of the nose. At this time it is very difficult to see them, even more difficult to measure. Their average size is only about 1 mm, so when examined at 11 weeks, doctors simply indicate whether the nasal bones are visualized in the fetus without taking measurements.
Possible problems
Let's analyze them in more detail:
- TVP is more than normal. If this indicator is significantly exceeded, a control ultrasound scan is prescribed in 1-2 weeks, and the results of the blood taken as part of the screening are also evaluated. If there are fears that the risk of pathology is high, the woman is referred for a consultation with a geneticist, who can offer the expectant mother invasive procedures, for example, a chorionic biopsy. She answers the question with high accuracy whether the child has anomalies.
- KTR is out of date. Most often, the reason for the discrepancy is an error in calculating the gestational age, as well as in late ovulation. If the embryo was implanted later, then the discrepancy can be from a week to one and a half weeks. If the difference is more than 14 days, then the woman needs additional examination, since the slow growth of the crumbs can be both a sign of abnormalities at the gene level, and a symptom of malnutrition, developmental delay, intrauterine infection.
A small lag (several days) should not cause concern for a pregnant woman. All children are already individual, and they have different rates of development.
- The bones of the nose are not visible. If the bones of the nose could not be examined at 10-11 weeks, then this is not a sentence, but a reason to visit the doctor again, in a week, when the fetus grows up and its nasal bones will also increase and will be available for examination and measurement. An alarming sign is the absence of nasal bones at 12-13 weeks of gestation, but not at 11 weeks. If all other parameters and indicators for ultrasound are normal, then the decrease or absence of nasal bones this week can be regarded as a hereditary feature of appearance - parents with neat little noses, obviously, gave the same small nose to their child. After a week, the bones will be visualized.
- Frozen pregnancy. Intrauterine fetal death can result from a wide variety of reasons - from gross malformations to exposure to the maternal body of radiation, infectious diseases, poisons, medications, hormones. If the baby does not develop, ultrasound will show not only a decrease in all sizes, but also the absence of heartbeat and movements. There is only one way out - to surgically cleanse the uterine cavity in order to avoid inflammation and sepsis, and then conduct a biopsy of the chorion and fetal tissues in order to establish in laboratory conditions which particular cause led to the tragic ending. This will help when planning your next pregnancy.
Pictures
In the ultrasound images taken at this time, the first outlines of the profile of the baby's face, his tummy and limbs are already visible. If you carry twins, you can take pictures with a three-dimensional machine - 3D ultrasound. Children are clearly visible, even if they are identical twins. The main thing is to remember that paper ultrasound images are short-lived, and if you want to preserve the wonderful moments of 11 weeks of pregnancy forever, it is better to ask the doctor for a photo or video on an electronic media.
