Why all the early scans?

[maryd84]

Is this a new thing. See a lot of posts from people getting lots of early scans even at 5 weeks gestation. A scan is not going to show much at 5 weeks. The private scan places must be making a fortune.

Very common with fertility clinics. I had a scan at 5 weeks and then at 8.

Also common for those with history of etopics etc

I know lots of women who have had early scans and none are highstreet 'window to the womb' type places. All are for medical reasons and included in cost of treatment OR are on NHS.

With my first pregnancy I had an early scan because of severe pain at 6 weeks so they needed to rule out an ectopic (it was a ruptured ovarian cyst)

In my current pregnancy I was scanned at 7 weeks as reassurance (via NHS) because of a history of recurrent miscarriages.

theres lots of reasons for early scans. I agree reassurance scans shouldn’t be offered privately before 6 weeks because they’re more likely to increase anxiety when a heartbeat isn’t found

Personally I had an early scan due to a long history of infertility and loss and the fact that I had zero pregnancy symptoms (no sickness / tiredness etc.). I had to see it to believe it was true.

I had scans at 6 weeks due to fertility treatment and miscarriages.

I didn't tell anyone though (other than DH)

I had my viability scan at 7 weeks, via my fertility clinic, just standard procedure.

Because of previous losses.

First pregnancies are exciting, people have anxiety due to previous miscarriages, people have bleeding or pain so go to check all is well. Surely you can see why so many people go?

good places shouldn’t scan below 8 weeks. By that point it would be fairly definitive once heartbeat is there. Before that there’s too much uncertainty.

But having recently had a loss, I am happy I didn’t have a scan before it happened. It would have felt real and sadder otherwise

I had an NHS scan at exactly 6 weeks due to bleeding and left sided pain. All was well: we saw a correctly sized baby, in the right place and with a heartbeat. She's now 3.

First pregnancy had a complication picked up at 12 weeks. Had to TFMR at 13 weeks.

I was told by consultant at time that I’d get an additional early scan for reassurance next pregnancy, but when I had that pregnancy I was told nah, you don’t need it.

So at 7 or 8w I booked a private scan.

pregnant again now. Haven’t bothered this time. Hoping everything will be ok. NHS scan in 2 weeks.

I’ve been in a fair few groups with mumsnet people pregnant at same time as me (all 3 times) and I think the ladies who often go for early scans are either very anxious (usually due to previous MC or MMC and go private) or they have spotting/bleeeding so NHS scan them early to check every thing ok

I don't mind saying that for me it's just for a degree of reassurance - it's my first pregnancy and I've been feeling a bit anxious particularly because I haven't had many symptoms. I'm also going to need to tell a small number of people quite soon (i.e. before 12 weeks) and want a bit of confirmation that things look okay so far before I do that, so I booked an early scan for this weekend. The first trimester is a long time to wait if you're feeling nervous, especially when it's the time you're least likely to have lots of people to talk to about it.

This.

I can't even imagine what it must be like to get a positive pregnancy test and just sit merrily waiting for the NHS 12/13 week scan!

It's the thing now to pay for private scans, I know people who are back and fourth all the time, having scans 10 seconds after conception that show nothing, 4D scans and other nonsense.

I did have 2 scans at 6-8 weeks with my first baby but they were NHS and done because I had the symptoms of an ectopic. Second I had normal scans. Third I did pay for a private scan at 9 weeks, pretty pointless really, you're only in 2 minutes and it's a blob. I miscarried a pregnancy between my second and third child at 8 weeks so I didn't want to go to the 12 week nhs scan and find out it'd happened again (I was pregnant again straight after with my third so it was pretty fresh). I still could have have miscarried between the scans, it doesn't change the outcome so pretty pointless now I look back, it only reassures you for the 5min you are in there. If anything it'd be worse to go into a 12 week scan feeling confident after an early scan to be told actually there's no baby.

First pregnancy - referred by GP for NHS dating scan due to irregular/long cycles (PCOS).

Second pregnancy - referred by GP in order to rule out ectopic pregnancy (pain on one side and high risk due to endometriosis).

Third pregnancy - I've paid for a private scan when I'll be about 7.5 weeks pregnant. I'm fairly sure of my dates, but I'd like to know it's in the right place before I get any concerning pain (quite likely to happen due to the endometriosis) so that I don't have to worry when it occurs. I also had a chemical pregnancy just before this pregnancy and would like the reassurance of seeing a heartbeat (miscarriage risk is significantly reduced once a heartbeat has been seen) as I'm a little anxious. I also quite like the fact I will have seen all three of my babies at this stage of pregnancy, however that wasn't a strong deciding factor for going for the scan.

Because I wanted the reassurance that I was definitely pregnant and didn’t want to wait until my 12 week NHS scan. We also had several events in my early pregnancy, we had immediate family visiting from abroad and because I damn well felt like it.

Why does it matter if people want that reassurance and have the funds for it?

I have a lot of anxiety around pregnancy and for me it helped reassure me that things were going ok.

Because they can. And if there are facilities that allow for more than 12 & 20 weeks people should avail of them as they/their finances see fit.

I'm not in the UK so I had scans at least every month from 5+6 until 30 weeks, then every 2 weeks and then weekly from 36 weeks as per my OBGYN.

The NHS doesn't have the bandwidth to offer scans other than the 12 & 20 week anomaly but if an expectant mother wants reassurance at any stage in her pregnancy then crack on!

I had three scans all before 9 weeks - 1 private and 2 NHS. A lot of people want reassurance. Me personally I bled heavily then there were viability concerns but thank god it turned out OK in the end.

I think most people have private scans for sexing or 3d pics later on, not early scans just to see a sac and grain of rice embryo.

I was given early scans. I’d lost my first baby, there was some spotting & I’m an older mum. I felt it was safer to assume that my pregnancy would go the same way as my last one… Every scan was terrifying. The scans at 39 weeks were even more important, due to my age.

First pregnancy I had one at 7 weeks for reassurance. All was absolutely spot on but sadly had a missed miscarriage at my next scan at 10+4 (which was again just for reassurance).

Second pregnancy had a scan at 7+4 which showed a really slow heartbeat so we knew it was almost certain to end in miscarriage. Had 2 further scans at the EPU (as I was referred there after the pirate scan). At the second the missed miscarriage was confirmed.

I know they are just snapshots in time and don't guarantee anything, but for me after 2 missed miscarriages I'll continue to have early scans as I'd rather know if miscarry again as early as possible and not wait until 12 weeks just to get bad news.

When you go through miscarriages you need reassurance to know this time around things are ok

I had a scan at 7+5 just because I wanted too :) first pregnancy and wanted to know everything was as it should be at that stage.

I know it sounds a bit ott to me too unless for medical reasons. I was offered one scan at 18 weeks with mine, standard for single standard risk pregnancies

I disagree with private reassurance scans at 'window to womb' type places before 8 weeks as they are usually anything but, however people do have them in medical settings for particular reasons - e.g fertility treatment, pain/bleeding to check for ectopics.

I had one at NHS at 7+2 (based on LMP 7+5) due to pain and bleeding to rule out ectopic. I did book a private scan at 10 weeks, but that was because we unfortunately lost a couple of close family members in quick succession and I was suffering really badly from morning sickness that I'd struggle to hide at the funerals. As the bleeding and pain continued (and still is at 27 weeks) I wanted the reassurance things were still ok before telling them. I didn't want to tell them and get them excited against the background of those losses to then have to tell them we'd lost the baby too. Otherwise I would have waited for 12 week scan.

I had one done privately at 7 weeks. Following a long time TTC with no success, loads of NHS tests and a diagnosis of ‘unable to get pregnant naturally’, it was then the biggest shock ever to get a positive test. I couldn’t believe it was true, so I had the scan done at 7 weeks as my 12 week NHS scan felt too long to wait with the uncertainty.

I found it brilliant and reassuring as I was able to see my little babies heartbeat x