6 weeks pregnant - abdominal or transvaginal scan?

[toobsj]

I’m booked in for a scan @ 6 weeks.

They have said they will try the abdominal scan first, but might need to do transvaginal if they can’t see clearly.

I’m quite slim and I’m really hoping the abdominal scan will suffice.

If you’ve had a scan this early, was the abdominal scan enough to view everything?

I did have one years ago and they could see fine with the normal scan, but then I was a size 8 so that probably helped!

my scan at 6 weeks was transvaginal - I was also very slim but they didn't even try abdominal!

Likely transvaginal in my experience! At 6 weeks your uterus is still tucked very low under your pubic bone, it’s not necessarily anything to do with how thin you are. Also depends on where the baby implants within your uterus. My second pregnancy the baby implanted really low down so they got a much better view doing a TV scan.

Similar to PP, my scans at that gestation have always been transvaginal. I'm also very slim, but abdominal didn't even seem to be an option at 6 weeks.

I had one at about 9 weeks where they tried abdominal but had to go transvaginal as they couldn't really see anything. I'd therefore say to be prepared for that!

I've had quite a few early scans both NHS and private. Anything pre 8 weeks has been transvaginal. Even the 8 weeks sometimes too.

The transvaginal scan gives much better images at that gestation. In my experience (had quite a few) it's also waaay more comfortable because they don't have to push down as much as with an abdominal scan. And it's much thinner than you would think.

Hmm I’ve had two scans at 6 weeks and both been abdominal and both seen what we wanted…!

The place I went would only do transvaginal that early. It was fine though, nothing to be worried about

I had one at what I thought was 6+5 but only measured 6+1 so quite early and it was abdominal only. My BMI is slightly in the overweight category and that wasn't a concern either. In a different pregnancy I had one around 6 and a half and they couldn't see abdominally, but that was a private scan and the equipment was no where near as good as the hospital equipment.

I had a scan at 7.5 weeks they started abdominal but it was measuring behind, about 6 weeks so they switched to transvaginal to get better measurements.
At this point it's the size of the embryo that makes the bigger difference about whether they will see enough abdominally.
Where are you having the scan? All of my scans at the epu have been transvaginally even when I should have been 10 weeks. In the rainbow room at the hospital they start abdominally and switch to transvaginal if they can't get enough detail.

I am about a size 18 and we could see the fetal pole and heartbeat flicker on my abdominal scan at 6+5. I was offered and happy to accept the transvaginal scan to get a better view, but it wasn't essential.

I’m quite thin, at 8 weeks I was hoping for abdominal but they couldn’t see anything due to my tilted/retroverted uterus. The images are far clearer in the internal/transvaginal scans

OP- Is there something you are worried about in having a TV scan???

TV would usually be the norm at 6 weeks as it gives a better view, plus can look at the tubes/ovaries better to for ectopics.

@DarkclothesI don’t even know why I’m worried. I’ve had 2 kids so everyone’s seen it all before, but I just kind of clam up. They couldn’t even get the speculum in last time to try and put a coil in 🙈.

I’m just hoping they can see everything with the abdominal!!

Is this a window to the womb type place or an NHS scan? In my experience, scans at that gestation on NHS / EPU or because of fertility treatment etc have always been transvaginal. But if its a window to the womb place, they might try abdo first. I've had about 50 transvaginal scans during a PCOS diagnosis and then fertility treatment / follow ups and the thought of them is worse than they actually are. It's nothing like a smear can be.

Had the scan today. Fortunately it was only the abdominal scan as they could see everything! Phew!