Sonogram at each visit?

AbbyK1021

My doctor preforms a sonogram at each office visit. Is this standard practice? I have had a very uneventful and healthy pregnancy, not considered high risk. My friends with kids all live in a different state and have not been pregnant for several years - but none of them had as many sonograms as I have.

Jen4033

At our clinic, for normal healthy pregnancies, they only do 1 at 20 weeks for the anatomy scan. They only do one in the beginning to confirm a due date if LMP was hazy or irregular.

I've heard from other bumpies, though, that this is the norm for them to get a scan at each visit. I'd ask your Doc if they really feel they are necessary.  last I knew the general recommendation is to get along with as few as you can. While u/s is known to be harmless to mommy & baby, repeated exposure affects are unknown.

Not to say your clinic is doing this, but there are clinics out there that take advantage of good medical insurance too. If your insurance is covering them, it might be something to think about.

MsCrispy

It is not standard, my OB uses the doppler at each visit and only brings out the u/s if he can't find the heartbeat. I have heard of some offices using them at every visit.

washyourhandsplease

I have one at every visit starting at week 4, but that's because I'm considered high risk.

mplesset23

I'd make sure that your insurance is going to cover all of that.  I get 3 in my Dr.'s office and 1 for the first trimester screen somewhere else.  Most people I know only get 2 through their doctors.  Definitely check with your insurance asap.

Weljadraak

I'm a low-risk, no complications and I get one every time I go. I don't mind hearing the heartbeat so....

ETA: jk, i thought you were talking about something else. ignore this.

PrimRoseMama

AbbyK1021 said:

My doctor preforms a sonogram at each office visit. Is this standard practice? I have had a very uneventful and healthy pregnancy, not considered high risk. My friends with kids all live in a different state and have not been pregnant for several years - but none of them had as many sonograms as I have.

It is not standard at my practice, but every doctor's office is different. I think as long as the doctor feels its is necessary then I wouldn't worry. If you don't like it then decline the sonograms. It sounds like your doctor is being overly cautious, but if you are concerned then why not ask the actual medical professional, themselves, that are overseeing your care? That is the logical, rational thing to do, right?  :-?

Craftymom13

I would ask why they are doing it.  There has to be a reason.  That is not something I would wonder about and not ask. 

Angel5218

I would also ask why they were doing that. I had extra b/c of my HG so they would check ds growth, but if I didn't have a weight gain issue I would had only had 2. 

Whitterpow

My doctor does this as well as do several others that friends have seen. It really depends on your provider.

BrittNR

I have had a U/S at every visit so far. However, I did have a miscarriage a month before this pregnancy... But since 6 weeks everything has come back completely normal! I know I won't have one at this next scan, just the Doppler and the one after is my A/S. I think they tend to slow it down after that.

WinterPumpkin

I've had an ultrasound at each visit for DS and for this current pregnancy as well. Both pregnancies were/are considered low risk. It's not like it's a detailed 30 minute ultrasound each time, more like a 3 minute - there's the heart, the brain/the spine, the placenta and your cervix all is good sort of thing. Honestly considering some doctors spend up to 10 minutes at each appointment to find the heart beat with a doppler, a 3 minute ultrasound doesn't bother me... I don't think the jury is out on the long term risks of either, so if you are worried, discuss with your doctor.

MannaPants

I definitely haven't had this many. I had one at 12 weeks to confirm gestational age and one at 21 weeks for anatomy scan. I don't think my insurance would pay for more, even if I wanted them.

memali26

Not the norm. I had 9 u/s with each of my daughters, but most of those were in third tri due to me having GD. Otherwise it would have just been 2 - one to date the pregnancy between 7-10 weeks and the anatomy scan at 20 weeks. 

apostle85

Sing2phins said:

I had t/v u/s at 8 weeks for dating, an abdominal u/s at 12 weeks for my NT scan, and an abdominal at 22 weeks for our anatomy scan.  That's it to look at the baby (I have a t/v u/s every time to measure my cervix because of my history).  A u/s every 4 weeks seems like overkill to me for a normal healthy pregnancy.  If we had opted out of the NT scan, we'd have only had two so far.

This is the same amount I have minus the t/v at each.  I had one at 8wks, 12wks and will have one at 20.  They check the heartrate with the doppler each time and take my blood pressure and weight.  I see a midwife though and she's into the minimally invasive type stuff.  I had to go to another clinic for the NT scan and she told me I didn't really have to do it, but I really wanted to see the baby.  My SIL was high risk and had one every 6 weeks so that seems like a lot for a normal first pregnancy.

M&Bmeyer

I'm 22weeks tomorrow & I get a t/v u/s done every 2weeks, b/c I had a LEEP procedure done a few years ago.  The purpose of mine is to measure the cervix. I will get this done until I'm 30 weeks.

kw42775

I have had them every two weeks...now I am going in four weeks...

Sawyerplus1

Jen4033 said:

At our clinic, for normal healthy pregnancies, they only do 1 at 20 weeks for the anatomy scan. They only do one in the beginning to confirm a due date if LMP was hazy or irregular.

I've heard from other bumpies, though, that this is the norm for them to get a scan at each visit. I'd ask your Doc if they really feel they are necessary.  last I knew the general recommendation is to get along with as few as you can. While u/s is known to be harmless to mommy & baby, repeated exposure affects are unknown.

Not to say your clinic is doing this, but there are clinics out there that take advantage of good medical insurance too. If your insurance is covering them, it might be something to think about.

I agree ^. 

With all 4 of my pregnancies the only one that is considered 'standard' is the 20 week one. In 2 pregnancies I had to go back just to get some more measurements, and in this one I had an early dating u/s due to unsure dates. 

MissJenna2011

If you are curious I'd just ask your doctor about it. My doctor did one at 9wks to determine due date, one at 13wks for the NT scan, one at 15 wks when I came in concerned about some bleeding i'd been having and I'm having one next week at 21 wks for the Anatomy /gender(hopefully) and I wouldn't be surprised if he did one or two more, and I have had no issues and no risks and this is my 3rd pregnancy & child. But he also has the ultrasound machine all set up and easy to access in one of his examination rooms, so maybe that'sanother reason he's not hesitant to use it.

With my previous pregnancy he performed about 6 ultrasounds total.

I had a different doctor prior for me 1st pregnancy and he did 3 ultrasounds, but he would send you to the hospital w. a slip to have them done

Eguardino7306

My dr does them at every visit. Just the way he runs his practice. Downside is that he gets a lot of patients from all over so we always have a long wait.

jnevin123

My office does them every visit (very quick scans though) during first trimester then switches to the doppler for later visits. Also, I've never received an EOB on the in office scans so I don't think they even bother billing for them.

CaliforniaDream87

MosyMama said:

No, that seems like a lot for someone who has a normal, low-risk pregnancy. My OB only does the anatomy scan at 20 weeks and offers the first trimester screening at around 12 weeks.

This.

dadalou

With my Dr's office they do them at the first appointment, around 8 weeks, and at 20 weeks for the anatomy scan.  Last pregnancy I had 4.  One at the ER, the 2 normal ones at the OB and one more one time when they couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler.  It was nice to see the baby, but since the one wasn't scheduled I had to wait for about 2 hours until they could fit me in.  Also my insurance doesn't cover it 100% so the charges can add up.