An ultrasound is a medical procedure that uses high-frequency sound waves to capture live images from the inside of your body. It’s also known as sonography.
Unlike other imaging techniques, ultrasound uses no radiation. For this reason, it’s the preferred method for viewing a developing fetus during pregnancy.
An ultrasound technician will apply a special lubricating jelly to your skin. This prevents friction so they can rub the ultrasound transducer on your skin. The transducer has a similar appearance to a microphone. The jelly also helps transmit the sound waves.
The transducer sends high-frequency sound waves through your body. The waves echo as they hit a dense object, such as an organ or bone. Those echoes are then reflected back into a computer. This allows the medical professional to read the image on a computer or TV screen. And the ultrasound technician can print images of your baby if you request!
You may need to change positions so the technician can get better images. Sometimes the transducer can get a better picture when used vaginally.
After the procedure, the gel will be cleaned off of your skin. You will be free to go about your normal activities after the procedure has finished.
Can I make an appointment JUST for an ultrasound? Because this is a medical procedure, we need to make sure you have been seen by medical staff before having an ultrasound. Like all medical procedures, you will first need to fill out some paperwork and talk with staff before any service is performed.
It is our policy that a pregnancy test will first be administered in one of our clinics. Upon a positive pregnancy test, a member of our medical staff will determine if you are qualified for an ultrasound. That decision is based solely on our medical staff assessment after you have been seen in one of our clinics. What is a limited ultrasound? We perform limited OB ultrasounds for 3 purposes. To determine: 1. that the baby is in the uterus 2. that the baby has a heartbeat 3. the measurements of the baby. We DO NOT assess for gender or other prenatal purposes.