when did you get your first ultrasound?

[missgenzmum]

i want to as early as possible.

Privately, a lot of clinics will offer scans as early as you want.

On the NHS, my first scan was at 13+2

7 weeks to make sure they'd definitely see the pregnancy.

6 weeks due to having problems in the past. It was private though. NHS won't give you one before 11 weeks and could be up to 14 weeks

Wait until 8 weeks at least, or the heartbeat won't be seen, and you'll just get more anxious.

The NHS will scan you for free at 12 weeks, to date the pregnancy.

Don't waste too much money on private scans.

DIL had one at 8 weeks, private, said it was decidedly underwhelming all though you could see the heartbeat in a blob.

We paid for early scans for my first pregnancy after MMC. We did this at 7 weeks, and then 10 weeks. I was very anxious this time around and couldn’t wait for 12 weeks.

I wouldn’t do it until they could do it externally and a heartbeat be visible unless there’s a reason to think it’s ectopic. Early scans don’t really offer much reassurance. It’s just a money making exercise. What you see one hour might not be what you see the next hour before 12 weeks.

Just had my first today at 7+3, I booked a private scan after an early pregnancy loss at 6+ weeks last year.
It was very reassuring to see the pregnancy in the right place and have them find the heartbeat.

I wouldn't have bothered with a private scan if it hadn't been for the previous loss though, it wasn't cheap and would rather have that cash for a nice dinner with my husband!

If you are going private, wait until 8 weeks. I had one earlier in NHS due to bleeding and previous MC. I hadn’t had one before my MC. Just remember it doesnt change anything. I only found the scans reassuring in that moment!

In IVF pregnancies you have a viability scan between 6 and 8 weeks. We discovered last year we had an empty sack at 6.5 weeks so knew then that it probably wasn't good news. Miscarried at 9 weeks.
This time round we had a scan at 6 weeks and again at 8 weeks I'm now nearly 29 weeks.
I would say they are definitely worth it as they do allow you to know sooner if things aren't likely to progress. There is also a significantly decreased risk of miscarriage after a heartbeat and foetus is seen at 8 weeks. It doesn't take the anxiety away but for me it was a huge reassurance.

I went at exactly 8 weeks privately and that felt like a long wait! Then again at 10 weeks and had my NHS one at 13+3.

In my first pregnancy i had my first scan at 12+3. This ended in loss.

In my 2nd i had a private scan at 7 +3 and then my nhs at 12 weeks.

I then suffered a series of losses and had many early scans but no babies.

In my final pregnancy i had 3 early nhs scans at 5 weeks, 6 weeks 7 weeks and then the 12 week one.

Dc1 - 34 weeks (didn’t know I was og)
dc2&3 - 11/12 weeks ish.
Too early and there’s nothing to see I thought?

@TheChosenTwo you can see a blob with a flicker (heartbeat) between 6 and 7 weeks..
At 8 weeks it's like a little prawn with arm and leg buds visible.

DC1 - really early, about 6/7 weeks as it was right before Christmas and I wanted to tell family, and the scan set my mind at ease to do so

DC2 - about 10 weeks, when we did Harmony testing

Was under no illusion I’d be seeing a baby at my early scan but it was so reassuring seeing the pregnancy in the right place, and a heartbeat at 6 weeks after previous ectopic. Not underwhelming or a waste of money for me at all.

if it’s what you want to do and it’s reassuring then do it, don’t pay much attention to anyone else’s opinion on them!

7 weeks NHS as previous was ectopic x

With my DS I had one at 5 weeks on the NHS due to pain and bleeding (and a previous loss) which just located the pregnancy was in the right place. They scanned me again at 6 weeks (6 +2 I think) and saw a blob and a heart beat. It was very reassuring after a miscarriage.

I'm 4 weeks pregnant and so will get one at around 6.5 weeks either on the NHS (if they'll do it) or private if they won't. It won't guarantee a successful pregnancy but I don't have it in me to wait till 12 - 13 weeks to know if there's an early problem. If going privately it needs to be an internal scan as external scans aren't accurate before 12 weeks.

Having had an MMC found at first NHS scan at 12 weeks last time, I will be paying for one at eight weeks and possibly at 10 next time. Things can of course go wrong in between but nothing quite prepares you for being 12 weeks+ pregnant with all symptoms and no sign of miscarriage only to be told there is no heartbeat and the embro is only 6 weeks in size.

6 weeks with IVF/ICSI to check for heartbeat.

As said previously, it's a blob with a flicker but was very reassuring for us. DS now 24.

6+something weeks, NHS, previous issues. They didn't see a hb. Rescanned in a week, hb. By 8 wks, no growth or hb. Mmc

I'd previously had a private scan at 8wks because I recently had my first MMC, only discovered at the 12 (actually 13 wk scan). The 8wk scan was healthy. At my 12 wk NHS scan, it was still measuring 8 wks no hb. Mmc.

I did have healthy pgs before and after all this, and don't say it to worry you. Just to point out that there is no guarantee of anything at any time, but particularly in the first trimester. Scans can only reassure you so much! It's awful I know when the weeks feel sooo long to wait.
All the best x

First pregnancy: 5 weeks (NHS for one-sided pain)
Second pregnancy: 7 weeks (private)
Third pregnancy: 10 weeks (NHS for bleeding)