Typically, your scan for the second trimester falls between 18 and 22 weeks. This is another crucial screening that helps in assessing the necessary details about your pregnancy and the baby.
A pregnancy ultrasound scan is safe for pregnant women. This scan may take a bit longer, and you may feel uncomfortable lying on your back, but you will get to see your baby’s movements on the monitor!
20 Week Ultrasound Evaluation
Your doctor takes into account several details to ascertain the smooth progression of pregnancy and the baby’s health until delivery. During a 20 week ultrasound scan, your doctor will perform the following tests:
- Measurements of baby’s brain, heart, face, bladder, hands, feet, spine, genitals, stomach, and chest.
- Measurement of fetal size
- Measurement of fetal heart rate
- The length of the umbilical cord
- The amount of amniotic fluid
- The length of your cervix
- The location of the placenta
What kind of anomalies can you find at 20 weeks?
Anomalies and genetic disorders can be found very rarely in 20 week ultrasound scan. But the doctor looks for any signs that could indicate a possible risk.
- The scan shows if the baby has any heart defects and the proper functioning of the heart muscle.
- The scan checks whether the kidneys are functioning properly or not, by looking at the amount of fluid present in the bladder.
- The scan detects genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome or trisomy 18. In this case, your doctor may ask you to go for further tests to confirm or rule out these disorders.
Most parents look forward to knowing the gender of their baby at this scan. But, this depends on the positioning of the baby and sometimes it can be hard to tell at this stage. In some rare cases, you may be surprised when the baby arrives, to find out the gender, which is opposite of what the scan said! Know more about you and your baby’s progress at 20 weeks here.
