29 Weymouth Street, Marylebone, London, W1G 7DB 020 3633 4902 [email protected]

Gender Scan - 16 to 34 Weeks

The baby Gender Scan

Some expectant parents like surprises, and they don't want to know the gender of their unborn baby. Others, however, are inpatient, and they want to know the gender as soon as possible. This scan is not only to identify the gender of your baby but also a mini well-being scan to make sure that everything is in order for extra reassurance.

The purpose of this scan is to:

Determine foetal sex
General foetal well-being
Placental position
Normal levels of amniotic fluid

What is included with this scan?

Ultrasound report with a 2D b/w picture

Preparation for this Scan

We need your bladder full for this scan so you need to drink 1lt (2 pints) of water an hour before your scan.

What should I expect?

Before the scan, our sonographer will explain the examination procedure and discuss the reasons for having the scan.

You will lie on the examination couch, asked to expose your lower abdomen and a small amount of gel will be placed on the skin. The ultrasound probe will be moved in different directions to obtain the best possible images.

Depending on the image quality of the transabdominal scan (TS), an internal or transvaginal scan (TV) might be necessary. Our sonographer will explain the reasons and the procedure and will get your consent.

The Pregnancy Ultrasound Scan

Pregnancy or baby ultrasound scans are a very common part of prenatal care. This is because ultrasound scans are completely painless, have no known side effects on mothers or babies, and can be carried out at any stage of pregnancy: in early pregnancy, ultrasound is being used to confirm the baby's heartbeat and exclude any early-stage abnormalities; later in pregnancy ultrasound is being used to evaluate the baby's overall health.

About Ultrasound

Ultrasound imaging is a medical diagnostic technique where sound waves are being used to image various parts of the body.

Other terms for ultrasound imaging are sonograms, US and sonography.

Ultrasound is widely used these days as it is painless and safe to adults, children and foetuses. There are no side effects such as the ones associated with radiation.

During the ultrasound scan, the sonographer rests a small probe over the skin. This probe produces sound waves i.e pulsations that travel through the tissues. Some of the sound waves are being reflected back to the transducer and the computer analyses the returning echoes and produces the image on the screen. It is the same principle as the sonar the navy uses.

Ultrasound is being used to image mostly solid organs such as liver, kidneys, uterus and ovaries, muscles and blood vessels and babies in the womb.

It has however limited value in organs such as lungs, bone, stomach and bowel/colon.

Ultrasound images are black and white but colour Doppler is being used to evaluate organ and blood vessel blood flow and this is what the red and blue colours on the screen are.