Pregnancy dating scan 7 weeks

The person doing the scan spreads a special gel on your lower abdomen (below your belly button and above the line of pubic hair).He or she then moves the scanner over the gel, sometimes pressing down, until the uterus (womb) and pregnancy can be seen.The best time to have a scan is from about 7 weeks’ gestation when it should be possible to see the baby’s heartbeat in a normal pregnancy.But it can be hard to detect a heartbeat in early pregnancy and in those cases it can be hard to know whether the baby has died or not developed at all, or whether it is simply smaller than expected but still developing.

At that time, the person doing the scan will be looking for a clear difference in the size of the pregnancy sac and for a developing baby and a heartbeat.

Most pregnant women are referred for their first routine (or booking) ultrasound scan somewhere between 11 and 14 weeks of pregnancy.

The purpose of the scan is: Some women may be offered a nuchal scan between 11 and 14 weeks.

There is no evidence that having a vaginal or an abdominal scan will cause a miscarriage or harm your baby.

If you bleed after a vaginal scan, it will most likely be because there was already blood pooled higher in the vagina and the probe dislodged it.