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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

scan at 9 weeks- internal or external?

37 replies

Autumn2014 · 23/04/2015 12:03

I'm being sent for an early scan due to bleeding. Just wondered what to expect and if I should have shaved my legs!

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FlyingPirate · 23/04/2015 12:07

as far as I'm aware internal scans aren't routinely carried out in the UK.
Although at 9 weeks you may have to pull your trouser down just past the top of your thighs so they can find the baby

ifyoujustsmile · 23/04/2015 12:13

I'm in the UK and I had internal scans up to 12 weeks. It gives them a clearer picture if you are having a bleed etc. I had several bleeds but I'm holding my 5 month old dd now, she was fine. Oh and they don't give a shit if you've shaved your legs or anything else for that matter. As long as you're clean, they don't care. They see all sorts

Original poster

Autumn2014 · 23/04/2015 12:17

Thanks both.

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Choccyhobnob · 23/04/2015 12:39

I had a scan at 8 weeks, external. Wasn't due to a bleed or anything though so don't know if that makes a difference.

Nutellalover14 · 23/04/2015 12:42

I had a Scan at 9 weeks too, they did explain both methods, but they managed to see everything by Tummy. She asked me to pulled my trouser down to about the top of my pubic bone, and could see everything they needed too .
I was a little worried at first too, as my Therapist won't wax me till 12 weeks and after.

EeekEeekEeekEeek · 23/04/2015 12:49

Internal scans are routinely carried out in the UK, I've had a couple. One at 7 weeks, one at 8 I think. It's absolutely fine, just a thin wand thing which they insert into your vagina and move around a bit to find the right angle. It's hard to see the embryo through your abdomen when it's still very small, so they tend to go with an internal scan as it gives a much better picture.

I much preferred my internal scans to the external ones, as internal means you don't have to have a full bladder!

Don't worry about your legs or your bikini line, the sonographer will be looking at the screen the whole time and won't care

happygojo · 23/04/2015 13:32

When I had my MMC it was an internal scan at 8 weeks. They are fine and i wouldn't worry too much as they turn the lights off to see the screen. I have had a couple since due to cervical length. It is all very discreet.

Keep em fuzzy my friend!

lexyloub · 23/04/2015 13:50

I had a scan at 10 weeks for bleeding it was done internally to get a better look at baby and also to see where the bleed Is coming from

BanKimoon · 23/04/2015 13:54

I had an external scan at 9 weeks. I've had internal ones before (loads of both kinds of scan ) so I asked the consultant 'which way are you going in?' as she asked me to get on the table. She laughed and said externally - she also said that it's to do with weight, I'm fairly slim and so I think easier to see and there were no problems with doing the scan externally.

Good luck with the scan, hope it goes OK!

changingagain · 23/04/2015 13:58

My 9 week scan was internal. She tried external first but wasn't getting a good enough view.
Internal was nothing to worry about, I asked her if it would be like a smear and she said "no, nowhere near as bad", and she was right.
Luckily and very surprisingly, I had actually shaved my legs that morning

Amyyy27 · 23/04/2015 14:06

What they usually do is try external first and if they can't see everything they would like they will do an internal. But don't worry if you do need an internal, I was not prepared last time I needed one but they really are not that bad and they are not even looking at your hairy legs lol :) Hope your scan goes well!

BatteryPoweredHen · 23/04/2015 14:08

For an early pregnancy scan, it largely depends on your size/where you carry your fat.

The more fat you have on your tummy, the more likely it is that the scan will need to be internal.

Most sonographers will try TA first, then if they are unable to get a clear image will switch to internal.

If they are scanning your ovaries though, this will pretty much always be internal, as there are sections of bowel between the ovaries and the skin that make a clear view difficult to obtain.

Its nothing to worry about though, I conceived via IVF and always inserted the probe myself, then 'passed' the handle to the sonographer.

EeekEeekEeekEeek · 23/04/2015 14:13

Re weight, I'm slim and had to have internals . . . so maybe it also depends how co-operatively your baby's positioned itself!

BatteryPoweredHen · 23/04/2015 14:16

There will always be the odd exception to any evidence-based finding

Doesn't change the physics of the thing though - the more tissue the sound waves have to pass through, the less clear the image will be.

BatteryPoweredHen · 23/04/2015 14:18

...also, full bladder is very helpful in pushing up the uterus in early pregnancy - if you are hoping to avoid an internal scan, I would arrive with as full a bladder as you can manage, then you can let some out if necessary....

EeekEeekEeekEeek · 23/04/2015 14:21

farmerswifey · 23/04/2015 15:40

I had a bleed at 9 weeks and had an internal scan. I weighed less than 8st and they didn't do an external, I presume different health boards just have alternate ways of doing these things.

I hadn't shaved my legs in weeks, but no one seemed to care and as soon as I saw the heartbeat, neither did I.

I hope everything turns out well for you.

seaoflove · 23/04/2015 15:51

I had a scan at 7 weeks and they managed to get a good picture externally. It does depend on the individual though.

BatteryPoweredHen · 23/04/2015 16:15

Not really farmers, its quite unnecessary to go straight to an internal scan, especially if you have little abdominal fat. The laws of physics don't change depending on which area of the country you live in

I think it quite a shame to see NHS resources wasted like that.

CarrotPuff · 23/04/2015 16:23

They would normally do an external first and if they can't see clearly enough what they need to see, they will offer an internal. Shave your legs just in case

Oh and you can obviously refuse the internal if you don't want it.

BowiesJumper · 23/04/2015 16:30

Battery, why would an internal take more resources than an abdominal? (Genuinely interested, not being snippy!)

I had an internal one but I was only 6+4 at the time.

Variousrandomthings · 23/04/2015 16:31

External. If it was 6 weeks it would be internal but at 9 weeks external

PurpleSwift · 23/04/2015 16:39

I recently had external at 6 weeks and was fine. I'm also a couple of stone over weight
May depend on area, doctor and patient.

Fugghetaboutit · 23/04/2015 17:01

My 8 week external scan was exceptionally clear, I guess it depends how good the tech is at the hospital

Original poster

Autumn2014 · 23/04/2015 20:54

I had to have both in the end. I should have been 9+ weeks but baby was measuring 7+5 and no heart beat. She did the external first but said she need to get some more measurements using the internal so asked me to use the toilet to empty my bladder. In the time I was gone a nurse had joined us in the room. I should have guessed it was bad news. Discharge seems unrelated to the end of the pregnancy as I have no pain. Got to wait s week to if my body will deal with it naturally.

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