02/27/2026
📅 When is your first ultrasound during pregnancy?
▫️We usually schedule your first scan somewhere between 8-9 weeks.
▫️The reason for this is to increase the chance of seeing a heartbeat, and therefore decreasing unwanted anxiety.
▫️While some people are 100% sure of their last menstrual period (LMP), some are not.
▫️We leave a little room on either side, and see you at 8-9 weeks in case you are somewhere between 7-10 weeks.
💗 The goal is to minimize the anxiety in the first trimester by seeing a heartbeat!
🔸 Let’s give an example. Someone comes in, believing they are 7 weeks but they are really 5.5 weeks (very common!) In these situations, sometimes the fetus is too small to see or hear a heartbeat —-> this causes increased anxiety in the mother, often thinking she has miscarried, when in fact, we just did the ultrasound a little too early!
▫️ in addition to the unwanted anxiety this may have caused, this patient now needs another (sometimes very expensive visit and ultrasound, as@these visits are often not covered under the “Global” OB insurance plan.
▫️Of course, there are often times we need to see you earlier than 8-9 weeks. Some women are already anxious, (maybe they have had a miscarriage before) and we will do our best to accommodate an earlier scan, explaining the caveats to this. Some women have bleeding before 8-9 weeks (also common!) and we will request to see you earlier.
▫️In addition, some women would like to confirm the pregnancy as early as they can. We can always (if requested) do beta Hcg hormone blood tests (usually every 48hrs) until we confirm an adequate rise.
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