Can ultrasound detect pregnancy before missed period

You may have had a positive pregnancy test but when will you be able to have an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy?

The first part of the pregnancy that can be seen is the gestational sac. The gestational sac can be seen around cycle days 32-35, which is about 18-21 days after ovulation/fertilization. However, sometimes it can take a couple of days longer to see the gestational sac on transvaginal ultrasound. On abdominal ultrasound, the sac can be seen several days later.

The gestational sac is a structure that surrounds the embryo and can be seen even before the embryo is visible. About 7-10 days later, the embryo can be seen on transvaginal ultrasound (at approximately 6 weeks, 3 days). You can likely now also see the fetal heartbeat.

Usually, you cannot see the pregnancy on a transvaginal ultrasound until a blood hCG level reaches at least 1,500.

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Introduction to Ultrasound

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with Specialist Doctor I Truong Thi Phuong - Doctor of Ultrasound - Department of Diagnostic Imaging - Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital.

A missed period is a phenomenon where the menstrual period comes but a woman still has not had a period (menstrual cycle lasts longer than the previous month's cycle from a few days to a few weeks or sometimes a month or more later). Usually, 5 days to 7 days late in the menstrual cycle during sexual intercourse, a woman can go for a fetal ultrasound to determine the possibility of pregnancy.

1. Missed period is a sign of pregnancy in women

One of the most common causes of missed periods in women is pregnancy. Normally, during a menstrual cycle, the lining of the uterus gradually thickens in preparation for a fertilized egg to implant. According to the normal physiology of women, if the egg and sperm don't meet, the conception process doesn't start, the body will remove this mucosal layer, causing bleeding. menstruation), at which point a new menstrual cycle begins. Thus, if menstruation occurs, the woman is not pregnant.
On the contrary, in case the egg is fertilized and implanted inside the uterus, at this time the lining will not fall off but will continue to be nourished to start the development of the fetus. Therefore, during pregnancy, the mother will not have periods. Thus, a missed period in women is most likely a sign of early pregnancy.

Một trong những nguyên nhân phổ biến nhất của hiện tượng chậm kinh ở nữ giới là mang thai

On reproductive health information pages and social networking sites, it is easy to see questions such as: "How many days late to go for an ultrasound?", "Can I have an ultrasound 5 days late for my period? ? "... The answer is that the period is 5-7 days late, so women can go for a pregnancy ultrasound to check.
Late period is the most characteristic sign for women to know if they are pregnant or not. Because after conception, the embryo will move into the uterine cavity to implant, the lining of the uterus thickens to create a firm attachment point for the embryo, preventing menstruation.
However, after conception, the embryo needs about 10-13 days to move into the uterus, equivalent to 3 - 5 days late for our period. That's why you should wait 5-7 days for your period to go for an ultrasound. An earlier ultrasound may still not show an intrauterine pregnancy. There are even many cases after 10 days of delay in seeing the pregnancy into the uterus.
At this time, when going to ultrasound, the doctor usually assigns transducer ultrasound to detect the earliest and most accurate image of the gestational sac in the uterine cavity. At this time, because the embryo is very small, only a few millimeters, it will be difficult to diagnose with an abdominal ultrasound.
If after 10 to 15 days of delay in menstruation, ultrasound still does not show the gestational sac in the uterus, it is necessary to pay attention to follow up in the following weeks. If pregnancy test results do not show pregnancy after 10-15 days, this could be a sign of ectopic pregnancy.

3. Ultrasound methods to know if pregnant or not

The choice of ultrasound method is one of the factors that determine the accuracy of the pregnancy test. Currently, to know if a mother is pregnant or not, there are two common ultrasound methods:
Transducer ultrasound This is an important diagnostic method for checking the mother's pregnancy. After 17 days of fertilization or 7 days of missed period, transvaginal ultrasound will accurately indicate whether we are pregnant or not.
Abdominal ultrasound An abdominal ultrasound is a method that is applied to many cases including pregnancy testing. An abdominal ultrasound can know the results of a pregnancy problem or be slower than a transvaginal ultrasound. Usually when the pregnancy is more than 6 weeks old, that is when we have a missed period from 3 to 4 weeks.

Siêu âm cả vùng bụng là một phương pháp được áp dụng cho rất nhiều trường hợp trong đó có kiểm tra mang thai

4. Benefits of having an ultrasound to know if you are pregnant or not

Pregnancy ultrasound is one of the most popular methods today that many people choose to know for sure whether they are pregnant or not. Some benefits of ultrasound to detect pregnancy include:
Checking the implantation site of the fetus After the egg meets the sperm and is fertilized, about 10-13 days, the zygote is in the fallopian tube. will move to the uterine cavity for implantation. At this time, an ultrasound to check pregnancy will result in images of the fetus in the mother's uterus. In some cases of slow moving pregnancy, the above time period will be longer.
Many cases of eggs do not move and instead of implanting in the uterus, they implant in the ovaries or other locations such as the abdomen, fallopian tubes, cervix. All cases of pregnancy that implant outside the uterus when developing will be able to burst, causing abdominal bleeding, dangerous to the life of the mother and baby if not treated promptly.
Checking the normal development of the fetus The ultrasound is not only to detect whether you are pregnant or not, but also to help the mother monitor the development of the baby, especially in the first 3 months, the pregnancy is often easy. problems such as:
Empty eggs is a condition in which the gestational sacs develop but there is no embryo. Ovulation is a condition in which the vesicles do not develop, degenerate into vesicles, or grow abnormally and stick together. This case has a high risk of developing into trophoblastic cancer, requiring curettage and removal of the entire fetus. Fetal abnormalities can also be detected during pregnancy ultrasound. Anencephaly, anencephaly, serous tumour,... can be quickly identified through ultrasound, from which there can be timely treatment and prevention of dangers to pregnant women.

Việc siêu âm không chỉ để phát hiện là bạn có thai hay không mà còn giúp mẹ theo dõi được sự phát triển của con

In order to protect the health of pregnant women and babies during pregnancy, Vinmec International General Hospital provides a package of maternity services as a solution to help pregnant women feel secure because of the companionship of the medical team. throughout pregnancy. When choosing Maternity Package, pregnant women can:
The pregnancy process is monitored by a team of highly qualified doctors Regular check-ups, early detection of abnormalities The Package Maternity package helps to facilitate convenient for the birthing process Newborns are taken care of comprehensively.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec application to schedule appointments and get reminders. MyVinmec app is also available and convenient for your bookings management and Telehealth service with Vinmec doctors all in one.

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