To Be More Accurate, Here's How To Read Pregnancy Ultrasound Results
During pregnancy, check the womb and have the opportunity to “meet” your little one in the stomach through an ultrasound examination is usually the moment that you and your partner have been waiting for. However, do you understand how to read the results of the pregnancy ultrasound?
Well, maybe many mothers are still confused about how to read the correct ultrasound results. What should be considered when reading ultrasound results and what is the correct method? Let’s look at the following reviews to find out.
How do I read the abbreviations on the ultrasound photo results?
Pregnancy ultrasound or ultrasound is included in a series of prenatal checks that pregnant women undergo.
Not only to see the gender of the baby, ultrasound can help doctors and mothers to see the growth and development of the baby in the womb.
2D ultrasound, 3D ultrasound, and 4D ultrasound are some of the most commonly used screening options during pregnancy.
The three types of ultrasound can show results in the form of the condition of the baby in the womb and the possible gender.
However, the difference between the various types of ultrasound lies in the image quality.
No need to worry about confusion about how to read the ultrasound results to find out the baby’s condition and possible gender because the doctor will help you.
Usually, ultrasound results come in the form of photographs and are accompanied by various abbreviated descriptions that may confuse you in worrying about them.
Here’s how to read the ultrasound results of these abbreviations based on UNSW embryology:
- BPD (biparietal diameter) to determine fetal age and development of head circumference based on diameter.
- CRL (crown rump length) to measure the length of the fetus from head to buttocks which is still circular or resembling the letter C. This is usually done in the 1st trimester of pregnancy or 7-13 weeks of gestation.
- FL (femur length) to determine the age of the fetus and the development of leg bone length.
- HC (head circumference) to find out the size of the fetal head circumference which is usually done in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy.
- GS (gestational sac) to find out the diameter of the gestational sac.
- GA (gestational age) to determine the estimated gestational age based on the length of the arm, leg length, and head diameter of the fetus.
- AC (abdominal circumference) to find out the size of the diameter of the fetal abdomen.
- EDD (estimated due date) to know the estimated date of birth which is calculated for 40 weeks from the first day of the last menstruation (HPHT).
So, the ultrasound results can help you to find out the body size and age of the fetus based on 4 examinations.
Generally, doctors look at this from the biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), and femur length (FL).
What do you need to know about how to read ultrasound results?
Apart from understanding the abbreviations in the ultrasound results photo, other ways to read the ultrasound results that you also need to pay attention to are:
USG color results
When you look at the ultrasound results, all you see is black, gray, and a little bit of white.
From these limited colors, you may be guessing which parts of the baby’s body are. The meaning of the color on the ultrasound results, namely:
- Black means liquid
- The gray color means network
- White represents bones
The gray color ultrasound that usually dominates the area around the ultrasound image shows the area of your uterine tissue.
Then the black color you see in it is the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby.
This amniotic fluid which can later break as a sign that you are going to give birth.
The object in the center and surrounded by black on the ultrasound image is the fetal body.
Knowing the meaning of color in ultrasound is the first way to be able to read fetal record results.
This helps you to understand how to read the ultrasound results from the color indicator that appears.
Ultrasound result orientation
Now, when you are learning how to read an ultrasound, don’t just pay attention to the color to find out where your baby is and what he is doing.
However, also pay attention to the orientation of the image on the ultrasound results. By knowing the orientation of the image, you will be able to know how to better read the ultrasound results.
It is important to see whether the baby’s head is below or in a breech position.
In order to see the baby’s head facing to the right or to the left, you can look for the baby’s spine through an ultrasound from the doctor.
What is the purpose of finding out how to read the ultrasound results?
Here are the uses for finding out how to read ultrasound results:
1. Knowing the characteristics of the baby
When you start the ultrasound and get the results (around 6-10 weeks of gestation), you can see the baby is still in the shape of a small lump.
Then on the ultrasound results of 12 weeks of gestation, you can begin to see the head.
Furthermore, on the ultrasound results at 20 weeks of gestation, you can begin to see the fetal heart, eyes, nose, legs, spine, and gender.
The picture of the baby that you can see also depends on the angle of the shot from the ultrasound transducer or the device used to take the ultrasound image.
How to read ultrasound results to know the characteristics of the baby may not be so difficult when the fetus is getting big.
Because at this time various organs such as the nose, feet and eyes are starting to become clear.
2. Knowing the gender of the baby
Knowing how to read an ultrasound can also satisfy your curiosity about the gender of your baby.
This is usually what many couples look forward to when learning how to read a pregnancy ultrasound result.
In order to know the sex of the baby, you are usually advised to do an ultrasound at 18-22 weeks of gestation.
This is because until the age of 14 weeks of pregnancy usually male and female babies cannot be distinguished on the ultrasound results.
A number of factors also determine the ease of reading pregnancy ultrasound results to determine gender, namely the position of the baby and the age of the baby.
When you are trying to learn to read the ultrasound results, it can sometimes be a bit difficult for the doctor to determine the gender of the baby because the baby’s feet get in the way.
You have to wait for the baby to be in the right position to find out the gender.
Doctor usually knowing the baby is male by looking for a turtle-like sign when the tip of the penis peeks out from behind the testicle.
Meanwhile for know baby girlUsually, the doctor will look for a sign like a hamburger because the clitoris is between the lips of the vagina (labia).
This is one way to read pregnancy ultrasound results to find out which gender you can learn.
Determining the sex of the baby through ultrasound results does have high accuracy.
However, errors in determining gender can also occur. This depends on the clarity of the image and the doctor’s ability to interpret the ultrasound results.
Indeed, the ultrasound results are not specifically designed to determine the sex of the baby. Primarily, the ultrasound results are intended for medical purposes, such as to determine the development of the baby in the womb, the condition of the placenta, and the condition of the baby’s umbilical cord.
Some facts about the gender of the baby that can be seen from the ultrasound results:
Not visible penis does not mean a baby girl
Many claim that if the penis in the fetus is not visible, it means that the baby is female.
In fact, in early pregnancy, the clitoris and penis are the same size and shape. So, there are still two possibilities in this regard.
These are the things you need to pay attention to when reading the ultrasound results in a guesswork manner.
Do not be too quick to conclude yourself at the beginning of the examination because the way you read the ultrasound results may be wrong. Always ask the doctor to confirm this.
Ultrasound detects the labia and clitoris
When the doctor performs an ultrasound test to determine the sex of the baby, the doctor will look for the female genitals, namely the labia and clitoris.
Some people call it a “hamburger” because the clitoris is located on the lips of the labia, which resembles a hamburger between two buns. When these two things are seen on the ultrasound results, it is a sign that your child is a girl.
Looking for the “turtle shape”
The doctor examining the boy’s ultrasound will look for a “tortoise shape” in the mother’s stomach. This is when the tip of the penis peeks out behind the testicles.
This “tortoise shape” will be seen when the baby is slightly positioned nungging or back to the ultrasound transducer.
3. Knowing the abnormalities of the baby in the womb
When doing an ultrasound, the doctor can take the size of the fetus so that the doctor knows if your baby is growing well in the womb.
Launching from the Mayo Clinic page, the doctor’s ultrasound results can also see if your baby has structural abnormalities or birth defects.
such as congenital heart defects, cleft lip, spina bifida, signs of Down syndrome, and others.
Abnormalities in the placenta can also be found when you know how to read the ultrasound results.
If an abnormality is found in the fetus, the doctor may advise you to do further tests.
But usually, special understanding is needed to know how to read ultrasound results that show abnormalities in the baby.
These tests include amniocentesis and CVS to check for chromosomal abnormalities in the baby.
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