Where to go for early pregnancy scan?

[Tropicaliyes]

Hello all, I have just found out I’m pregnant and initially I had a scan booked in Manchester however I’m in London and don’t think I can make that trip again and so I was wondering if anyone knows where I can go in London to get my first scan done?

I have checked Google and prices are very different depending on where I look and I’m not too sure what I should be looking for if I am being honest. I am yet to inform my GP because I only done the test today so I have spent the day looking around.. But not too sure if £150 -£250 is the right price for the initial scan or if I should be looking for something cheaper?

thank you in advance

You will have a 12 week scan offered to you once you have booked in with your midwife.

Some health trusts allow you to have early scans at an Early Pregnancy Unit, some will only allow you if you have had bleeding etc.

If you want a private scan you can look at places like Window to the Womb. Be aware that these places don't have actual doctors or antenataloy trained sonographers.

*Antenatally

I wouldn't go to one of the Window of the womb places for an early scan personally. In my experience they aren't medically trained and its a bit amateur at that gestation. You could probably find a private gynae in London- more expensive but at least it would be a trained medical professional.

Why do you want an early scan and when do you plan to have it? Right now there’d be very little to see.

We’ve been to The Birth Company on Harley St for all our pregnancy scans across two pregnancies - early and later scans. Would recommend them highly, the sonographers are second to none.

We used Ultrasound Direct which was recommended to us by our fertility consultant (and was significantly cheaper than the scans his own company offered!). We went at 8 weeks and were able to see a heartbeat. I’m not sure how reassuring a scan much earlier would be, because if you run the risk that you are too early to see something.

Book from 7 weeks or later. Earlier you won't see much and it'll just cause anxiety.

Choose somewhere that 1) offers transvaginal scans and 2) uses trained sonographers. The place I went only uses sonographers who also work for the NHS.

The cost in Scotland is about £60 so those prices seem very high

Ultrasound direct were also recommended in our area. However, we weren't able to get an appt with them so went elsewhere.

We used one in Manchester but they were brilliant. I think it was about £70 but it was with a midwife who was also a trained sonographer which was important to me!

Also we went at about 9/10 weeks - I personally wouldn't have gone earlier but thats just me ☺️ congratulations!!

If you're happy going slightly out of London, the Surrey Park Clinic near Guildford is excellent, their sonographers are properly trained (many work for the NHS too) - I think it's about £110 for an early scan.

She's asked for one's in London...

Where in London are you?

I just googled Women's Health clinics or similar in my area and went to one near me. It wasn't cheap - circa £150. So yes that's roughly the right ball park for a private scan in London.

Thank you for all the replies!

we had IUI at Manchester Fertility and had success in the 2nd cycle and part of the package was a early pregnancy test which looking at the date they have booked me in for, it’s at the end of the month so I would be around 8 weeks then.

I just didn’t want to have to travel all the way up there again for a scan I know I can get done down here and I’m not sure if they 100% need the scan but I know it’s something the andrology team wanted before I can secure the same donor for future siblings.

I am yet to get a midwife and am seeing I must choose a hospital before I can even get a midwife which is a bit annoying as 1) I’m hoping for either a home birth or birth centre and 2) nearly EVERY hospital near me has very poor maternity scores which makes me even more apprehensive! A lot of the good hospitals I’m apparently out of their catchment area (which I didn’t know they had but makes sense I guess).

Im in East London and I can get to most locations from here so if one place is great but a little further out like the mentioned Surrey one, We don’t mind the travel.

Also the place that doesn’t have people trained for anti-natal doesn’t sound so great for my circumstance as I would need someone to go through everything and possibly give me a more certain date than I have (July 12th).

Thank you all again I’m going to Google some of the names mentioned here.

Fetal Medical Centre is the best IMO. The Birth Company was good but more for a nice experience to see baby moving etc - not for medical checks.

I would speak to the fertility company they may work with another centre or be able to recommend somewhere to ensure you get whatever checks etc they wanted to do. Congratulations!! Most areas you don’t get a midwife you will get a team in my case I rarely saw the same one twice and luckily she was no where near me during the birth. I don’t know about private, but have you considered a Doula?

I had a scan with an obstetrician and it was about £300.

Might be different with IUI/your clinic but I had IVF and my clinic had to see me for the 8 week scan to discharge me from their care and then provided info that I had to my maternity team.
So it might be worth checking. But I’ve used ultra sound direct and they were very good, very thorough and didn’t feel rushed etc

I've had 2 scans with ultrasound direct during my pregnancy and they've both been great - the sonographers have also worked in the same role in the NHS so they knew their stuff.

I've used The Birth Company and Ultrasound Direct in London. Both were great. Ultrasound Direct was in the last couple of weeks. £70

I don't think a date from a scan, especially if done at 8 weeks, will be more accurate than the date given to you by the fertility clinic.

I'd also check if the clinic need the scan to discharge you from their care. It may be they can refer you to a team closer to you, but I don't think a private scan will suffice. I'd check it all out before you spend money and still need to travel back to Manchester.

Obviously. I was giving her an idea of price according to expertise 🙄

Ultrasound direct seems like a lot of people have used them and their prices are really quite cheap in comparison to what I have seen down here! I think I might go with them but I will wait until 8-9 weeks like some here have mentioned.

how comes some of you were released after the scan? My package doesn’t end until the birth of a live baby so that also accounts for a miscarriage or stillborn and should that be the case i will still be left with the 1 cycle I had left before I got my positive test.

im going to call my GP tomorrow and enquire about the midwife or team. I feel so totally clueless at this stage and hoping as time goes on I will learn the ropes 😬.

Thanks people I really appreciate your help and guidance Xx