Ultrasound

Obstetrical ultrasound provides you and your doctor with images of your developing baby. Gynecological ultrasound provides your doctor with information to aide in the diagnosis and treatment of many pelvic problems.

Quick Facts A safe, painless and non-invasive test. Used to confirm a pregnancy and its location. Used to determine how a pregnancy is progressing, the baby's growth rate, age and sex. Identifies possible fetal anomalies. Identifies abnormalities in the uterus, ovaries, and surrounding organs.

Types of Ultrasounds

• Standard - directs high-pitched sounds waves toward the uterus, which bounces off tissues, organs and bones in the woman’s body, including those of the baby in uterus. This creates black and white images on a monitor.
• Advanced or Targeted - used to further investigate a suspected abnormality identified by a standard ultrasound.
• Doppler - measures slight changes in the frequency of the ultrasound waves as they bounce off moving objects, such as blood cells.

What To Expect

• The examination takes about 30 minutes.
• The patient is positioned on an examination table. For pelvic ultrasounds, a vaginal transducer is used for gynecological exams and may be used during the 1st trimester of pregnacy . During abdominal exams, a clear gel is applied to the abdomen. This improves conduction of sound waves and eliminates air between the transducer (a small plastic device that sends out sound waves and records them as they bounce back) and your skin.
• The abdominal transducer moves back and forth over the abdomen, directing sound waves into the uterus and capturing the reflected sounds waves that are digitally converted into images.