Window to the Womb - early scans

[swiftt]

Hi. Has anyone had an early scan at Window to the Womb? I’m 8 weeks on Monday and hoping to book an early scan with them, I had another place booked but there isn’t as much info on their website so I’m thinking of changing it to another clinic. Would they try an abdominal scan at 8 weeks?

[lucymagoo]

I went to them at 8 weeks and they were great! I think it's TV as a rule before a certain number of weeks there, they didn't even try abdominal with me. Great experience though and we got a video of the heartbeat and multiple photos. Would recommend

[sunlight81]

I've had 8w scans with WTTW for my last two pregnancies. They were both fanny scans!!

WTTW were amazing plus they give u a discount on future scans.

Always book via the link on FB it tends to be cheaper than going direct to their site.

[PlanBea]

I went to ultrasound direct and had an abdominal scan at 7w+2 with a clear image. They would have gone TV if they couldn't find the image but didn't need to

[Sansa87]

This my 8 week scan with them, & it was dildo cam. They were so nice though, & looking forward to going back in a few weeks for the 16 week scan.

[Sansa87]

Not sure if It posted pic?

[LunaLoveFood]

A word of warning op, I had a scan at 8 weeks, saw a strong heart beat everything was good, I miscarried a couple of days before 12 week scan. In hindsight I wish I never had the early scan as it gave me a false sense of security.

[Changedmynameagain1]

In my first pregnancy At 9 weeks I had an abdominal scan (nhs - epu) and you could see a bean.

If you want abdominal just hold off a week or so and you should be fine.

In my 2nd pregnancy I had TV scans every week from 16-24 weeks.... they aren’t bad at all

[Bummsbet]

I work in obstetric ultrasound. I would never recommend a private scan for lots of reasons. But if you aren't having an issues and you really want one I would wait till 10 weeks ish. Often dates can be out by a few days/weeks and that can cause unnecessary worry and upset for you.

On another note, ladies please stop calling them 'Fanny scans' & 'Dildo Cam'! Not only is it vulgar, it also can make a lot of women uncomfortable and reluctant to get help when they need it. It is a very routine medical scan and often the reluctance of patients to have it can be detrimental to their care (think ectopic etc). The probe is long because it gives a nice distance and room to manoeuvre around without causing too much discomfort, it is not a sex toy.

[Namechange8471]

I'm booked in for a scan with Window To The Womb on 1st December. I will be 8-9 weeks approximately.
A transvaginal scan gives you a clearer image and poses no risk to the baby.

[Oneandabean]

I had a scan at 8 weeks and got a lovely clear picture with just abdominal scan. That was a different company though

[GanderousGoose]

@Bummsbet please could you tell us the reasons you wouldn't recommend a private early scan? I am 6+5 and was considering booking one for around the 8-9 week mark.

[swiftt]

@Bummsbet can you expand on the reasons why you wouldn’t recommend a private early scan?

I know it will only reassure me for the day, and that things can still happen but I had a missed miscarriage in my last pregnancy and I can’t bear the thought of getting to 12 weeks and having the same thing happen again. Personally for me, if I see a heartbeat then I’ll be able to relax a little and get through to the 12 week scan. I’m under no illusions that it’s a guarantee of everything being okay, but I’m a nervous wreck at the moment and I don’t have a huge amount of symptoms either, so I think mentally I need to see something tangible so I start to feel like it’s real.

[BeeMakesTea]

I had a scan with Window to the Womb at 8 weeks, it was an internal scan. They didn’t even try an abdominal one, they just said before 10 weeks it will be internal. It was honestly fine though, I was very nervous and she made me feel more relaxed. As a pp said though, the reassurance is temporary.

[Chelseabunsforme]

I had one at 8 weeks exactly and I asked for abdominal scan. Was able to see a clear picture and heartbeat. I wanted to know that everything was normal at this point and that the pregnancy wasn't ectopic. That's the best you can hope for with an early scan and that was the only expectation I had (I'd had a couple of miscarriages with previous pregnancies).

The reason why I chose WTTW is that they have special sessions for these early scans so there won't be women there who are having other types of scans. If the news isn't what you hoped you won't be confronted by a waiting room full of heavily pregnant ladies. They take you to a separate room and talk to you away from everyone. I asked them about the procedure before I booked as I'm a glass half empty person.

[Nimsay1]

Having had recurrent miscarriage, I would highly recommend having private early scans. No they're not a guarantee that things won't go wrong later, but they can provide a lot of information to help inform you, especially if you know a little about expected measurements by week. I had an early NHS scan once and I knew from the measurements that something was wrong but was just told there was a heartbeat so it was fine. I booked myself a private scan a few days later and she confirmed I was about to miscarry, so there is no reason to think that a private scan can't be trusted as much as an NHS one.

[Bummsbet]

There are lots of reasons.

Anyone can buy an ultrasound machine and set up one of these private clinics. They don't have to be a trained sonographer (though this is rare, it's not unknown). First and foremost they are there to make money. They are not regulated and don't work to a set code of ethics like an nhs HCP. There is no aftercare, there is no midwife or Dr available afterwards to discuss your concerns with or if something is wrong. If they find anything wrong you would still have to go through the whole scan process again at your local NHS hospital. And too many times I have seen incredibly distressed women in EPAU who have been told their baby has died, when if fact there is nothing wrong. This also works in reverse, which is unfortunately much more common.

[Stacy2]

I agree with this, I went for an early scan, would of been 8 weeks 2 days, it’s given me nothing but stress and worry and I really regret ever doing it. My scan was inconclusive and I’ve since been back and forth with private scans and now with the nhs. I think it’s best to sit tight for the 12 week mark

[KateColx]

I had a very early scan with WTTW, I thought I was 7 weeks but was actually 6+4. I had an abdominal scan and it was really clear, could even see the little heartbeat. I'm quite an anxious person but I felt like this reassured me for the time being, fully aware it isn't giving me the all clear long term but I think if you feel like it would help then go for it. The girls at the one I went to were lovely x

[Turtleturtle81]

[quote GanderousGoose]@Bummsbet please could you tell us the reasons you wouldn't recommend a private early scan? I am 6+5 and was considering booking one for around the 8-9 week mark.[/quote]
You might also want to consider how you would cope if it was bad news at a private scan. I went for one at 8 weeks at ultrasound direct and there was no heartbeat. The staff were not well equipped or trained in how to deal with grief. They sent me photos with an email saying they hoped I enjoyed my experience and asked for a review! They just sort of patted me on the back and said “maybe next time” and sent me on my way. I had to leave the room to a waiting room full of heavily pregnant women and a gift shop full of gender reveal tat.
I have also had bad news at 8 weeks at an EPU scan, the nurses were well trained in how to deal with grief and looked after me properly and were able to explain next steps and get a doctor to come and talk to me. I was also given information on miscarriage counselling. These high street scan places will not do this, they exist to make money and they can’t make money out of women who have miscarried.
For this reason I honestly wouldn’t recommend any private high street scan clinic for early scans. If you have a reason why you need one go to your local EPU (they scanned me twice in the height of lockdown)

[leftitlate37]

totally get differing points of view - but having decided not to wait til 12 week scan as was getting a bit stressed out, we had a private scan last night. it was not the news we wanted at 10.5 weeks, was only measuring 6+2 with no heartbeat. going for an NHS scan tomorrow and take it from there, under no illusion about what the outcome will be. me and hubby were honestly so impressed with the private place, they were professional, friendly and compassionate and made the phone calls to my hospital this morn and got me an appt booked for mid week, but as didnt want to wait that long they rang another local hospital for me so i could get a call from triage nurse this morn who sorted my appt for tomorrow. Even if all had been well last night, i knew it would only tell me things were ok at that point in time. For us, this has been the right decision - just had a gut feeling things werent right hence why we booked short notice for last night.
depending who u r going to @swiftt i found more info on the consent form they emailed me once i booked, it wasnt too clear on their website whether they would do TV or TA. best of luck, keeping everything crossed :) x

[Stacy2]

@leftitlate37 this is what I’ve been told, I should of been 8 weeks but they told me it’s 5 weeks, unfortunately window to the womb did not sort anything out, said they couldn’t refer me to nhs and just told me I had to wait another two weeks and pay them again to find out if it has grown. In the mean time I went to another private scan place where the lady was so helpful and lovely and the next appointment would of been free but My midwife then got in touch with me and got me an nhs appointment straight away where they confirmed it is growing but just very slowly So likely to not be a positive outcome. I do hope it is on for you but you seem to be like me and know the unfortunate outcome

[leftitlate37]

Ah @Stacy2 I'm so sorry it really is crap isn't it. I'm so sad to hear u had a bad experience with window to the womb, its such an awful thing to have to hear from someone when u have a scan, and then for the them not to sort anything is really bad. Glad to hear your nhs midwife got you an appt quickly. Just shows what a difference there is with these private places.
I dont think there's any hope for me, way too far on and no HB. I really hope u get some good news, defo seen posts where ppl have been behind and then caught up. Ill keep everything crossed for u xx

[readyforroundtwo]

I had a mixture of NHS and private scans during my last pregnancy as I was incredibly anxious due to a MMC the pregnancy before. The MMC I had was only picked up at the 12 week NHS scan and I think when you've been through something like that you understand why someone would want the early reassurance scans, even if it is temporary. For my last pregnancy it was about knowing if I'd lost the baby again and I didn't have to think I was waiting for the 12 week scan only to find out bad news like the time before. Not only did the sonographer at the NHS scan just blurt out 'there's no heartbeat', we were taken into a side room, given a leaflet and shown the exit. I didn't receive any aftercare whatsoever from the NHS. Everyone's experiences are different and what works for one person may not be the right thing for another. Personally I've felt that at private scans the sonographer's have been much more warm and welcoming than at an NHS appointment, but that's my own personal experience. The sonographer I had at BabyBond actually worked at the local hospital as well as part time at the private clinic, so I never had any concerns that they didn't know what they were doing.

[Rowler22]

Hi @swiftt, as others have said an early scan can be a bit of an emotional risk. If you really feel the next few weeks will be unbearable then an early scan with positive news could give you some reassurance and reduce your stress, which is obviously healthy.

I suppose the thing to weigh this against is that a private scan clinic may not be the best place to get bad news. I had to stand in a car park waiting for my paperwork after a scan with bad news at WTTW - while the staff were pleasant it was a world away from the care I received at my local EPU. WTTW also unfortunately misdiagnosed me. That said, had I not had the private scan, my local EPU wouldn’t have seen me and my ectopic pregnancy may not have been picked up until it became acute.

My experience is obviously very personal to me and to the specific clinics I attended.

I was scanned at around 8 weeks and they did try an abdominal scan first before the internal.

I hope all this helps you make a decision about what’s best for you! Good luck xx

[leftitlate37]

Sorry to hear that @readyforroundtwo :( if we can get pregnant again I will without doubt get an early scan, as cant believe I could have been waiting til my 12 week nhs scan being none the wiser had a MMc at 6 weeks this time. Sorry to hear the NHS experience was negative.