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Fetal wellbeing scan 24-42 weeks
An ultrasound scan to assess fetal growth and wellbeing is offered to all women at about 34 weeks of pregnancy.
For those women who have had previous complications of pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia, growth restriction, diabetes and stillbirth, and for those women who develop a problem during the course of their current pregnancy, it might be necessary to perform such scans regularly throughout the pregnancy.
This scan aims to determine the growth and health of the fetus by:
- Measurement of the size of the fetal head, abdomen, and thigh bone and calculation of an estimate of fetal weight.
- Examination of the movements of the fetus.
- Evaluation of the placental position and appearance.
- Measurement of the amount of amniotic fluid.
- Assessment of blood flow to the placenta and fetus by colour Doppler ultrasound.
Colour Doppler pictures of the umbilical cord and fetal brain are obtained. From the pattern of the blood flow in these vessels it is possible to assess if the placenta is working well and that the fetus receives a normal amount of oxygen.
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