How Does an Ultrasound Work?
Ultrasound is a diagnostic scan that views the inside of your body via images on a screen. Healthcare providers use ultrasounds for various purposes, including monitoring your developing pregnancy and providing important details.
Understanding how an ultrasound works can help you know what to expect when pregnant. And if you’re experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, Life’s Choices Women’s Clinic offers limited ultrasounds to help you get the information you need.
Schedule a no-cost and confidential appointment today. If you’d like to learn more about ultrasounds, keep reading.
How Can an Ultrasound “See” Inside Your Body?
The technology used during an ultrasound can seem confusing, especially if you’ve never had one before. We’ll break it down into simple terms so you get the facts.
During an ultrasound, a transducer (a small, wandlike device) sends sound waves through your vagina (if you are in the earliest stages of your pregnancy) or abdomen. These sound waves bounce off structures in your body and create images.
A sonographer or registered nurse with sonography training will perform the scan. However, they cannot interpret the results. A doctor will read the images (they are called a radiologist) and send a report to your healthcare provider.
It’s crucial to note that ultrasound does not use radiation. During pregnancy, it views your reproductive organs and the developing embryo or fetus.
Will I Experience Discomfort?
You may have some discomfort if you need to use the bathroom during an obstetric ultrasound (especially if you must have a full bladder during the scan).
You may also feel uncomfortable during a transvaginal ultrasound (when the transducer is inserted into your vaginal canal), but this is temporary discomfort.
If I Have an Unplanned Pregnancy, Why Do I Need This Scan?
Even if you are unsure which pregnancy decision you’ll make, you still need an ultrasound. An obstetric ultrasound provides the following information:
- Viability: Learn whether your pregnancy is progressing and if there is a heartbeat. As many as 26% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, and if you experience one, you may need monitoring or treatment.
- Gestational age: How far along are you? You need this detail to determine your options. For example, medical abortion is FDA-approved only through 10 weeks gestation. Taking abortion drugs after this time is not recommended and can negatively affect your health.
- Location: Is your pregnancy located in the uterus? If you are experiencing an ectopic pregnancy, which is when the fertilized egg implants in a location like a fallopian tube, you’ll need emergency medical treatment.
Life’s Choices Women’s Clinic provides limited ultrasounds so that you can receive these details. We’re a medical facility committed to your care and well-being.
Book a no-cost, confidential appointment today.
Life’s Choices Women’s Clinic does not provide or refer for abortions.
All abortion information sourced in this blog is based on accurate information at the time of writing.
Pregnancy Tests
If you have had unprotected sex or missed your period, you might wonder if you are pregnant. The first thing you should do is take a pregnancy test. We offer lab-quality pregnancy testing at no cost.
Ultrasounds
If you are pregnant, an ultrasound will help determine how far along you are, if the pregnancy is viable (growing), and if it’s located in the correct place. We offer limited obstetric ultrasounds at no cost.
STD Testing
When a person engages in sex or sex-like activity, there’s a chance of contracting an STD. Most people with an STD don’t have immediate symptoms. Regular testing helps prevent later physical risks. We offer no-cost and confidential STD testing to women and men.
Men MENtoring Men
Our fatherhood program, Men MENtoring Men, begins during the first medical appointment. Men MENtoring Men is the opportunity for you to meet with a male advocate to discuss your feelings about becoming a dad.
Pregnancy Tests
If you have had unprotected sex or missed your period, you might wonder if you are pregnant. The first thing you should do is take a pregnancy test. We offer lab-quality pregnancy testing at no cost.
Ultrasounds
If you are pregnant, an ultrasound will help determine how far along you are, if the pregnancy is viable (growing), and if it’s located in the correct place. We offer limited obstetric ultrasounds at no cost.
STD Testing
When a person engages in sex or sex-like activity, there’s a chance of contracting an STD. Most people with an STD don’t have immediate symptoms. Regular testing helps prevent later physical risks. We offer no-cost and confidential STD testing to women and men.
Men MENtoring Men
Our fatherhood program, Men MENtoring Men, begins during the first medical appointment. Men MENtoring Men is the opportunity for you to meet with a male advocate to discuss your feelings about becoming a dad.
