For various reasons, a woman may be interested in when a fetal egg is visible on an ultrasound. Some people want to quickly verify the absence of pathologies in the early stages of fetal development. Others are wondering if the pregnancy is multiple. And the third one needs to find out about the presence of a fetal egg before having an abortion.
How long does the ultrasound show the fetal egg
A fertilized egg enters the uterine cavity about a week after the confluence of the egg and sperm. And already in the fourth week, with the help of a powerful device, you can see the beginning of the development of the embryo with an ultrasound probe. Usually the procedure at this time is carried out through the vagina.
Although the fetus can not always be visualized in three weeks. Sometimes a specialist can discern changes in the state of the uterus that are characteristic of the onset of pregnancy. In this case, a second ultrasound is prescribed after 14 days. At this time, the doctor can already determine whether the fetus began to develop correctly.
If the gestational age has reached 6-7 weeks, then the ultrasound is already performed in the classical way, that is, the sensor is driven along the lower abdomen. If the embryo is not marked at this time, then most likely it attached itself outside the uterus, which means that it will be necessary to find and remove it before the egg does harm to the woman.
Based on this, it turns out that the fetal egg during pregnancy shows an ultrasound at 3-5 weeks from the moment of conception. Although before seven weeks, an ultrasound scan is not very recommended. But after that it’s already necessary. In order to reveal whether an egg has correctly attached itself (to exclude an ectopic pregnancy), how many embryos are available and to exclude a dead pregnancy, which has often been encountered recently.
When is a fetal egg not found?
Sometimes the situation may be such that the woman has a delay, there are all the symptoms and the test showed the presence of pregnancy, but the fetus was not detected by ultrasound (for a short time). This can be for the following reasons: a malfunction of the apparatus, a low qualification of a doctor, structural features of the uterus, or the period is still too short. Therefore, repeated ultrasound is recommended after 10-14 days. If there are doubts about the qualifications, it is best to contact another specialist.
What does a fetal egg look like on an ultrasound during pregnancy? Fetal egg, and later the embryo changes every week in the size and development of organs. The early definition of pregnancy is considered to be the period of the first trimester, starting from the fourth week. What does an embryo look like on an ultrasound scan by week? About it further.
The first and most important week
If the pregnancy is planned, then it is necessary to especially protect the body: you need to give up alcohol, cigarettes, especially drugs; It is necessary to take strengthening vitamins; avoid stressful situations; Strong physical activity is canceled. The first week is an egg ready for fertilization. Ultrasound of the fetal egg will not show.
Second week
This is fertilization of the egg with a sperm, the beginning of the development of the fetal egg. At this time, the body begins to produce hormones for a successful pregnancy. The egg gradually moves into the uterine cavity. Ultrasound is still not visible.
The third week is also important and dangerous.
At this time, the fetal egg is attached. And this is considered the first week of the life of the embryo. If the endometrium (the place where the embryo is attached) is not normally developed, then a miscarriage will occur. At this time, a woman can take this for heavy menstruation. Here it is just a set of cells that carry information about the future baby. At such a time, it is very difficult to see an egg.
Fourth week
You can see only an egg with a diameter of up to 7-9 mm. And a change in the walls of the uterus (they become thicker). There is a bookmark for the development of all the organs of the future baby. At this time (if the egg is examined on the monitor), pregnancy can already be confirmed.
Fifth week
This is the date when a fetal egg is seen on an ultrasound. At this time, the woman already guesses the beginning of pregnancy, this is manifested by the absence of menstruation. The egg is stretched and can already reach 10-14 mm in size. The embryo begins to develop the heart and blood vessels, there is a laying of the nervous system, and a face with the rudiments of the nose, ears and eyes is indicated. Here, if there is evidence, the first ultrasound can already be assigned. On the screen, the egg will be visible as a small dot.
Sixth week
The egg already reaches 20-23 mm in size, and you can hear the heartbeat. The embryo itself already reaches in length (from the coccyx to the back of the head) up to 5-6 mm. The placenta begins to form, which will play an important role until the baby is born. The embryo forms the genitals. From this period, the ovum is well visualized on the screen.
Seventh week
The size varies up to 24 mm, the future baby himself in size (from the coccyx to the crown) is slightly more than one centimeter. On ultrasound, even the expectant mother can make out a tiny baby doll, with arms and legs. Doctors most often prescribe this study at this time, as this is the best period when a fetal egg is seen on an ultrasound. Also, from this moment various pathologies can begin to develop.
Eighth week
At this stage, the unborn baby passes from the state of the embryo to the fetus. There are already the beginnings of all organs, their development has begun. The diameter of the egg is up to 3 cm, the fruit has a sharper outline. Too thin girls can already see a slight rounding of the abdomen.
Ninth week
The diameter of the egg reaches 32 mm; the body and head are formed in the embryo. The baby at this time begins to completely depend on the placenta. Therefore, mom should carefully monitor the intake of products. The kidneys of the fetus are already functioning, and even the first portion of urine is excreted.
Tenth week
The egg in diameter is already a little more than 4 cm, the baby already looks like a person, although the head is still large. Organ development begins.
Eleventh week
The next important stage in development. At this time, you can determine the pathology in the development of the baby for Down syndrome, at the twelfth week this will not succeed. The fetus is active at this time, moves its arms and legs, already knows how to swallow. Mom does not feel the movement.
Twelfth week
Conclusion of the most important and dangerous period of fetal formation. It is already possible to make a full assessment of the state of the future baby and whether the important organs that develop on this date were formed correctly. At this stage, you can determine up to a day which week of pregnancy. An experienced specialist can already name the gender of the baby.
When passing through the procedure, it is advisable to choose a trusted specialist with high-quality equipment. It is important already at this stage not to see the beginning of the development of possible pathologies.
What abnormalities can a doctor see?
We already found out when a fetal egg is seen on an ultrasound. Sometimes a woman may need to undergo research on short terms. For example, there was a serious illness in the early days of pregnancy, there is a high risk of embryo freezing, in previous pregnancies there were abnormalities in the fetus.
Ultrasound for a short time allows you to determine the following deviations in the development of pregnancy:
- due to a small detachment of the placenta or an increased tone of the uterus, deformation of the egg is possible. If you start treatment immediately, there is a big chance of a normal pregnancy outcome;
- improper attachment of the ovum. If it attaches itself at the very bottom of the uterus, then the risk of miscarriage is great, a woman needs complete rest, sometimes bed rest until birth is possible;
- the absence of an egg in the uterine cavity;
- mismatch in egg size or embryo;
- frozen pregnancy. This happens due to the fact that the egg shell did not allow the embryo to develop normally, in which case the egg is removed by curettage;
- in the fetal egg there is a tumor that presses on the embryo and prevents it from developing;
- in rare cases, the embryo may be absent in the fetal egg, this is noticeable after the seventh week of pregnancy;
- the amount of water is determined, since their excess or deficiency negatively affects the development of the fetus.
If one of the above abnormalities is detected, this is not a mandatory indication for abortion. Most often, a second ultrasound is prescribed after two weeks. Upon confirmation of the diagnosis, treatment or abortion is prescribed.
A fetal egg on an ultrasound scan for 12 weeks helps to accurately determine the gestational age and the expected date of birth, identify serious developmental abnormalities, and also find out how many embryos are in the uterine cavity.
Myths about ultrasound
Women are often afraid to go for an ultrasound scan because of the prejudices and horror stories told by friends and grandmothers, not thinking that the procedure allows you to identify dangerous deviations in time and the ability to endure a healthy baby.
It is believed that ultrasonic waves harm the baby. Unfortunately, there is no evidence or refutation of this statement. A danger to the fetus can be when an ultrasound scan for a short time is done through the vagina, as this can cause a miscarriage. And three mandatory procedures (at 12, 24 and 33 weeks) must be completed. They will not do much harm. It is important for the doctor to see what the fetal egg looks like on an ultrasound scan to determine if there are any pathologies, it is also necessary to set the exact term.
It is believed that waves during the examination can change the fetal DNA. This statement has not found any evidence.
There are mothers who are simply not interested when a fetal egg appears on an ultrasound scan, since the procedure is considered unnatural by them. When a mother has such beliefs, then she has the right to refuse the procedure, if pathologies in the development of the fetus are missed, then all the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the mother.
There is a myth that ultrasound is a kind of experiment on people. And this is partially true, because with the help of the procedure it became known how the baby develops - from the stage of the fertilized egg to the embryo. But it has brought many benefits and allows you to determine even the slightest deviations at an early stage and save the life of the child and mother.
The procedure is carried out only with the written consent of the woman, not necessarily. The doctor knows when to see a fetal egg on ultrasound, and prescribes the procedure for an approximate period if there is a likelihood of developing a pathology or it is necessary to determine the exact duration of pregnancy.
Conclusion
With the help of ultrasound, you can save the life of a child if placental abruption is noticed on time and bed rest with medications is prescribed. It is not worth it to decide when to do an ultrasound. Now it is possible to undergo a procedure for a fee at least every day. But it is recommended to do this only on the recommendation of a doctor, and not every time when the expectant mother is sick, or she does not like the feeling in her stomach. A doctor can also determine if there is a threat of miscarriage by means of an initial examination, or prescribe an ultrasound with a specialist.