Pregnancy Scans

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is a way of investigating the chance of your baby having a chromosomal anomaly. These tests do not definitively diagnose all chromosomal anomalies but rather assess the category of risk for various conditions. There are two main types of NIPT – Nuchal Translucency Testing, and The Harmony Test. As it is the most accurate of the tests, ROC Private clinic offers The Harmony Test.

The Harmony Test requires an ultrasound and maternal blood test – meaning there is no risk to the baby, unlike other more invasive procedures.

A sample of blood is taken from you, in the exact same way as routine bloods are taken, and the baby’s DNA is identified in that blood sample. This sample of DNA is then analysed for certain genetic anomalies, and these results combined with measurements from the ultrasound. This information is then used to provide information regarding the chance of:

• Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome)
• Trisomy 18 (Edward Syndrome)
• Trisomy 13 (Patau Syndrome)

The Harmony test is more accurate than traditional screening tests and can be performed from 11 weeks of pregnancy.

As this test analyses the DNA of your baby, it will also give confirmation of the sex of the baby – which can be provided to you should you wish to know.

The typical ultrasound you are probably familiar with is the 2-dimensional (2D) black, white, and grey image. This is the kind of ultrasound that has been used for decades for all diagnostic scans and has been proven to be safe. 3 and 4-dimensional ultrasound (3D/4D) is relatively new technology. ‘3D’ means you see an image that looks three-dimensional. ‘4D’ means you see the baby moving in 3D.

The best way to see your baby’s anatomy and to measure all the relevant structures is with traditional grey-scale imaging. 3D and 4D imaging have a rather limited role when it comes to medically necessary scans. 3D scans can be useful in certain circumstances, such as to assess for facial abnormalities during an anomaly or reassurance scan. But typically, in normal pregnancies, 3D and 4D ultrasound is not necessary. Whilst it can be interesting to see your baby in 3D, there are risks involved with ultrasound. For this reason, we do not perform ‘keepsake’ or ‘souvenir’ ultrasounds that are purely 3D/4D scans with no medical purpose.

If you would like more information, you can discuss your options with our sonographers.

You will be greeted by our friendly receptionist team and given paperwork to complete. You will then be greeted by your sonographer and invited into the private ultrasound suite to have your ultrasound carried out. This process usually takes 15-20 minutes.

When you attend an ultrasound appointment the sonographer will ask you to lie down on the scanning bed and expose your abdomen. There is a lot of gel involved in ultrasound so don’t be surprised when your abdomen is covered in it. The sonographer will run a transducer over your belly to obtain images of your pelvic anatomy and your baby. The scan shouldn’t be painful at all but if you have concerns, please tell your sonographer.

If your bladder isn’t full, the sonographer may ask you to drink water to help fill it up. If it’s over-full, you may be asked to go to the bathroom and empty a bit – not as easy as it sounds but just do your best! You may also be asked to roll onto your left or right side or even stand up and jump around a bit to help get the baby to move into a more accessible position.

In most cases a transabdominal ultrasound provides all of the required information. In some situations, however, the sonographer may need to perform an internal ultrasound, called a transvaginal ultrasound. This may be due to the position of your uterus or if your bladder isn’t filled adequately. A transvaginal swab is taken by inserting the ultrasound probe into your vagina, to allow better visualisation of the pelvic organs and the baby. This may be slightly uncomfortable but not painful. If this is required our sonographer team will explain this to you and ask if you wish to proceed.

If you are having Harmony testing performed, one of our health practitioners will see you and take a sample of blood. This part can take around 20 minutes.

After the scan, you will be given an image of your baby as well as a CD with all your images saved as jpgs. A report will be emailed to you, and your referring doctor if applicable, later in the day.

If you have had a Harmony test the results will be emailed to you between 5-7 days later. Should you wish to discuss your test results you can book an appointment with one of our GPs.

You will need to come prepared for this test with a full bladder. To ensure your bladder is full you should drink 750ml of water an hour before your appointment and hold on. If you become uncomfortable you can pass a small volume of urine to relieve the discomfort, but please do try not to empty your bladder completely. Easier said than done, we know!

If you would like to find out the sex of your baby, more often than not this can be confidently seen from 18 weeks onwards. If you wish to have this information kept a secret, the sonographer can document this without telling you. Seeing the sex with an untrained eye is not that easy so don’t worry about accidently seeing it and ruining your surprise.

We understand the first few weeks of your pregnancy can either be very exciting or a time of great anxiety and you want an ultrasound as soon as possible to see your baby. However, if you’re not experiencing any problems like significant pain or bleeding, it is best to wait until at least 6 weeks after the first day of your last menstrual period to book an ultrasound appointment. Even if everything is developing in a normal fashion, the embryo may not be visible before 6 weeks. Or, if an embryo is visible but there is no fetal heart motion seen, this could simply be because the heart hasn’t started yet and not a sign of any anomaly. A foetal heart doesn’t start beating until 5 ½ weeks.

If you have a very early scan and the findings are equivocal, a repeat ultrasound and blood tests will be needed to confirm the state of your pregnancy. To save yourself time, money and any anxiety caused by non-specific findings, we feel it is best to wait until after 6 weeks to have a scan. If you can bear to wait, a great time to come is around 8 weeks when everything should be seen quite clearly.

We appreciate this is an exciting time and you may wish to share it with friends and family. Seeing your baby and hearing its heartbeat is a wonderful experience. However, we wish to remind you that having an ultrasound is actually a medical examination. The sonographer has a very important job to do and needs to be able to concentrate and communicate with you in a quiet space. Occasionally we need to perform an internal ultrasound or deliver distressing news and discussing this is made more difficult by having an audience present. Please be mindful of this and only bring your partner or someone else who is close to you to your scan. If you have young children, if possible please try and bring someone with you to mind them while you’re being scanned. Little ones can get quite distressed in a dark ultrasound room while their mother is on the bed and that’s not fun for anyone.

Please note that there are currently restrictions in place regarding bringing someone to your scan with you. Please contact our admin team to enquire before you book.

Our experienced GPs have daily appointments available, should you require a consultation with one of our doctors. We work closely with a team of obstetricians, should expert input be required.

If you would like to make an appointment or discuss anything with our friendly staff, please call us on 01224 515 254 and we will be very happy to help.