PRIVATE SCAN AT 15 WEEKS..

[HelenCS]

Hello,

Me and my partner are paying for a private scan next friday, because to be frank, the RBH are tight as anything when it comes to scans, il be 15 weeks, possibly a bit more when i have it, what will i see on it and is it worth having it?

i had an 'emergency' scan at 10+4 due to stomach ache and the baby was kicking about, they said the baby then was measuring 11+1, so a bit bigger than my dates.

at 15 weeks is it to early to ask if they have any idea what sex it might be?? my 'sex' scan at RBH isnt until may 19th.

Any help would be appreciated!!!

Hiya Helen,

I believe they MAY be able to tell the sex at 15 weeks at a private scan. However NHS only tell you at 20 week if they ask.

You should be offered a 20 week anomolie scan, may be better to wait for that rather than paying again?

xx

you'll see a baby shaped baby !

not sure why you are having one, if you have had one already and are having another scan around 2o weeks, which will be big anomaly scan

One of the main reasons im having it is because im very paranoid after mc last year and i need to no its ok. I even bought a doppler the other day for extra reassurance!!

Also, i really dont think ive been given a great service by royal berks when it comes to scans so im hoping that paying for one i will have a better experience

well, i hope the scan puts your mind at rest.

Am not sure what you mean by "great service" as a private scan will be pretty much the same as an NHS scan -

helen -can totally understand you wanting the extra reassurance - I felt the same.

they may be able to tell (they were pretty sure that my bump was girl at 16 similar time scan) but not guaranteed.

They can check for somethings but you won't get the assurance of a 20 week scan on the various development stages.

I have had a number of private scans across pregnancies and have always found the private scans a better and lovely experience if you can afford to have them.

Our hospital dont seem to have a fantastic scanner - at my last 20 week scan they actually had to label head and body on the scan photo as it was just a blurry blob! I have always seen much more detail eg fingers and toes on a private scan than an nhs one.

However the nhs sonographer has always been able to interpret the scans fine with no worries so if you cant afford it i wouldnt worry about that.

What I found was well worth the money was the treatment you got at the private scan. My last nhs one at 14 weeks was awful - the sonagrapher was in a foul mood, snapped and me and the first words out of her mouth were actually "oh no"! She then followed this up with "your bladder isnt full enough" - but seriously, come on!! It lasted about 3 minutes, she finished and said "all we check is that baby is alive at this stage". I actually had to ask "is baby alive then?" !! In contrast my private nuchal scan was lovely - they seemed genuinely interested, were nice, chatty etc. Made you feel more like an adult/human being/individual. But it did cost £180.

Think private scans say they can tell sex with a good level of accuracy at 16 weeks. They can probably tell before but its less clear.

So I would say the private scans are clearer (depending on your hospital) and again depending on your hospital it is a much better experience. However they are a lot of money which could be spent on baby/other things. But if piece of mind is important to you, makes you feel happier/less stressed/better about the pregnancy then I would say go for it!

Yes, they should be able to tell you - my consultant is a scan expert and told me at 12w it's a boy and explained how they tell the difference (this was in NHS hossie but seeing him privately). This is a great site here which explains the same thing. You will see from the studies that accurate determination after 12-13 weeks is very high. Although always room for mistakes I guess; I am not buying blue until the next scan!!