The contact between mother and baby at 22 weeks of gestation can be considered well-established. The woman already feels the movements, can monitor the activity of the crumbs and even understand what he likes and what does not. The second trimester is in progress, behind the first two screenings. At 22 weeks, an ultrasound scan will be assigned to those who did not have time to do it a week or two earlier. We will talk about what the survey will show in this article.
The purpose of the survey
Ultrasound at 22 weeks completes the second prenatal screening, which is performed from 18 to 21 weeks of pregnancy. If, for a number of reasons, the woman was not able to undergo an examination during this period of time (she was sick, left), then now is the time to visit the ultrasound diagnostics room.
Blood for biochemical analysis is usually donated earlier - in the period from 16 to 18 weeks. Ultrasound is not as rigidly tied to blood donation as during the first screening, which a woman underwent in the first trimester. That is why there is time to choose the most suitable day for meeting your baby. While - on the monitor of the ultrasound machine.
The purpose of the examination is to identify possible pathologies and abnormalities in the development of the fetus, both genetic and caused by other reasons.
If the mandatory prenatal examination has already been passed, then this week there may be other reasons to go to the diagnostician. For a control ultrasound, women are sent for whom the second screening revealed increased risks of pathologies, as well as those who carry twins or triplets.
An ultrasound scan will be shown to those who have a threat of termination of pregnancy, complaints of pain and discharge atypical for the "interesting position". If pregnancy has come due to the IVF procedure, then ultrasound is also prescribed more often than usual, and 22 weeks may not be an exception.
Women who have previously had missed pregnancies or miscarriages at this time can go to an ultrasound scan this week. An ultrasound scan may be needed if you have doubts about the exact timing of your pregnancy.
Some women go for ultrasound diagnostics at 22 weeks by own decision, for example, to find out the sex of the child, if this question is of fundamental importance to the family or just out of curiosity.
The baby's gender no longer leaves any doubts, it can be easily seen, because the baby is not yet so large to curl up and close the view, and is no longer so small that the genitals are microscopic in size.
How is the examination going?
You can do an ultrasound this week in two ways - external (transabdominal) or internal (intravaginal). For most expectant mothers, the examination is carried out through the anterior abdominal wall, the child at this time is already quite clearly visible. But if visualization turns out to be difficult (with low water or excess weight in the mother), then the doctor can scan through the vaginal wall, it is thinner and better permeable to ultrasound waves.
If a woman comes for a diagnosis for a reason threats of spontaneous abortion, then the examination will be carried out with a vaginal sensor, since this method makes it possible to carefully study the signs of threat, the state of the uterine walls and the cervix.
If a woman prepared responsibly for an ultrasound scan in the first trimester, refused food that promotes gas formation, and also filled the bladder, if an examination was to be carried out through the anterior abdominal wall for a short time, then now you do not need to prepare for ultrasound scanning.
The amount of amniotic fluid is already sufficient so that the view with external ultrasound is clear enough, and the presence of possible gases in the intestines of the expectant mother no longer plays any role, because the uterus has increased in size, has gone beyond the pelvis, and the intestinal loops can no longer squeeze ...
If you want to undergo an ultrasound in a three-dimensional format, the so-called 3D-ultrasound, then you should prepare for the fact that the procedure will be several times longer than a conventional ultrasound, and therefore you should not drink a lot of fluids so that you do not want to go to the toilet later. A two-dimensional conventional ultrasound at 22 weeks will last about 7-10 minutes, and a three-dimensional one - from 40 minutes to an hour.
A woman should take her passport, policy, exchange card, and also a diaper to put it on the couch and change shoes with her.
What will the study show?
The kid has changed a lot since the last "date" with his mother on the ultrasound monitor in the first trimester, he grew up. Now the size of the fruit is already sufficient so that you can examine the baby in more detail. Its height is about 25-27 centimeters, and its weight is close to 400-450 grams. All internal organs and systems are formed, now they can only ripen and grow.
The woman "stepped over" the equator of her pregnancy, the first half is passed. Now it is less likely to lose the child, the mother is becoming calmer. But the baby is more and more mobile every day, as the nervous system develops, the baby learns to control his body - limbs, facial muscles. On ultrasound, the expectant mother will be shown how the baby has learned to move. At the same time, it already touches the walls of the uterus, and women in the overwhelming majority already feel the movements of their crumbs.
The baby's brain at 22 weeks "acquires" the first convolutions. The formation of the spine is completed - the vertebrae and the discs between them are almost functional. The heart of the crumbs becomes larger in size, it beats rhythmically and loudly, a woman can hear it on an ultrasound scan.
Eyelashes and eyebrows appear, but they are so thin that it is impossible to see them even on a high-resolution apparatus. The child, although still very small, distinguishes well between "friends" and "others." If the mother puts her hand on her stomach during the ultrasound scan, the baby will come closer to her own palm, and he will react to the scanner sensor and the doctor's hand that is alien to him and the doctor's hand, it will start to move away.
Decoding and norms
In the ultrasound scan received on her hands, a woman will see a large number of numerical values. To understand how correctly and according to the gestational age the fetus develops, doctors use special tables. Fetometry of the baby will help to understand if everything is in order with him. At this time, all children grow at approximately the same rate, and therefore the values given in the tables are relevant for most expectant mothers.
The doctor measures the transverse and longitudinal dimensions of the head. They are called biparietal and frontal-occipital. These are the most important indicators of the development of a baby at a given time. The proportion of the body is indicated by the size of the paired bones - the femur, the lower leg, as well as the humerus and forearm bones.
About how well the baby is eating, whether he has internal edema or malnutrition, say the circumference of the abdomen, the circumference of the head, chest.
Average fetometric norms at 21-22 weeks of gestation:
The amniotic fluid normally has a transparent consistency, their normal amount at this time is 88-97 mm. The thickness of the placenta is 22.8-23.6 mm, the degree of maturity of the "child's place" is still zero. The position of the child in the space of the uterus is not yet of great diagnostic value. The pelvic or transverse position of the fetus, which is determined by ultrasound, should not disturb either the expectant mother or her attending physician, because the baby will turn over many times before it becomes cramped and movements are limited.
Possible problems
The most common problem that an expectant mother may encounter based on the results of an ultrasound scan at 22 weeks is a discrepancy between the size of the fetus and the obstetric term. A slight deviation does not cause concern, but a significant excess or lag may be signs of possible pathologies in the development of the child. A difference of 2 weeks is considered significant.
Obstetric term is considered from the first day of the last menstruation. It differs from embryonic, in fact, by about 2 weeks. The difference in parameters, therefore, may be due to an error in setting the deadline. This is not uncommon in women with irregular menstrual periods, or in women who do not remember the exact date of their last menstrual period.
If all sizes of the fetus simultaneously differ from the norm in a larger or smaller direction, doctors may also consider the option of symmetric intrauterine growth retardation. And then additional examinations will be needed to find out if the baby is getting enough nutrients, vitamins and minerals, if he has an intrauterine infection.
The growth of children in the second trimester can be intermittent, and therefore it is possible that on the control ultrasound in a week or two, the baby's parameters will return to normal. If not, then a treatment will be prescribed to improve uteroplacental blood flow, which will enrich the blood of the expectant mother with vitamins and other important substances useful for the child.
If the increased or reduced sizes of the child's body parts, according to doctors, are associated with possible developmental pathologies, then this will indirectly confirm both the biochemical blood test, which was donated earlier, and the study of anatomical features. Genetic abnormalities in 99% of cases are accompanied by defects of internal organs, and they are already clearly visible at this time.
Among other problems of ultrasound diagnostics at 22 weeks is the inability to consider the sex of the child. This is possible only if the baby is located with his back to the sensor, sits with his booty down, and then the doctor does not have the physical ability to examine the external genital organs of the crumbs. In this case, if gender determination is of great importance, the woman will be advised to come for an ultrasound scan later, after a couple of weeks. Perhaps the baby will change the position in the space of the uterine cavity, then the diagnosis of the child's sex will not be difficult.
Another common problem is the threat of termination of pregnancy. A woman will be informed about her if an ultrasound scan reveals a thickening of the uterine walls, hypertonicity of the uterine muscles, as well as changes in the cervix and cervical canal.
Forecasts in most cases are positive, timely measures taken to preserve pregnancy guarantee the birth of a completely healthy and strong baby on time.
Pictures
In the ultrasound images, the baby is already clearly visible. He is still thin, and this is completely normal. Three-dimensional ultrasound allows you to see the baby in more detail. This week's twins look like this.
If you plan to get a snapshot for the family archive, it is worth asking for it on electronic media. The paper on which ultrasound images are printed is short-lived, the “photo” of babies quickly loses its sharpness and fades. Pictures are provided for a fee.
