How many u/s?

Mommy62408

How many u/s will you have during your pregnancy? Does your insurance cover a set number of them or as many as your dr feels necessary? Does your dr do them at set weeks or just when needed?

Mommy62408

WhoCanItBeNow said:

Standard is 1 at around 20 weeks unless you have complications. Most insurance plans will only cover one unless you are having complications.

That's what I thought, but I was seeing every posting about an ultrasound giving them a due date which I had never heard of before!

Manateearmz

I get two paid for by insurance. Dating and Anatomy scans. Most insurance only covers the anatomy scan. With DD I had one additional covered at 34 weeks because I had consistently measured two weeks ahead to check for additional fluid or complications.

WashingtonQueen

It is routine for my office to do 2, dating and anatomy scan. I ended up with 3 for my son and 3 for my daughter.

Alpinator

My experience is the same as WQ and Nicb - my clinic performs a 10-week and an 18-week for everyone, and both are covered by my insurance. Additional US required for medical purposes are also covered by insurance.

And fun bonus: they print out pics for us each time. 

Sofia2529

My insurance covered both my NT scan at 12 weeks and anatomy scan at 20.

cMichelle0423

With my first pregnancy I had two. One at 20 weeks for the anatomy scan, then one at 40 weeks to check fluid. For this pregnancy I've had 3 so far. One at 13 weeks which was a dating ultrasound (I had no idea how far along I was since I only had 1 period in between pregnancies, and it was irregular), then one at 22 weeks for my a/s, then one at 33 weeks to check growth, which is routine at my OB's office. I have no idea if I'll get any more... probably not though.

harmonicbabe26

WhoCanItBeNow said:

Mommy62408 said:

WhoCanItBeNow said:

Standard is 1 at around 20 weeks unless you have complications. Most insurance plans will only cover one unless you are having complications.

That's what I thought, but I was seeing every posting about an ultrasound giving them a due date which I had never heard of before!

If you bother to read many of their stories, many have done fertility treatments or have had multiple losses or are having bleeding which is a complication.



_______________
I don't know that this is necessarily true... Everyone I know (and nobody has been high risk) has had an u/s at about 8w to confirm and establish due date. Then most people will get the NT scan at about 12w. Sounds like some opt out of this one, though why? No idea. Why wouldn't you want to see your baby if tou had a chance. It is not related to high risks or age. I had my DD when i was under 35 and still had it done.
And then you have the 20w anatomy scan...Obviously if there are risks you may have more scans.
But I've had NO losses or fert treatment and i had all those u/s's.

Mizoo

I've had one so far, the A/S at 20 weeks.  If I am still measuring small at my appointment at 3 pm today my midwife said she will order an U/S to make sure everything is okay in there - but that's the only way I'd have more.

I didn't need a dating U/S and I opted out of the NT scan.

welly01

harmonicbabe26 said:

Mommy62408 said:

WhoCanItBeNow said:

Standard is 1 at around 20 weeks unless you have complications. Most insurance plans will only cover one unless you are having complications.

That's what I thought, but I was seeing every posting about an ultrasound giving them a due date which I had never heard of before!

If you bother to read many of their stories, many have done fertility treatments or have had multiple losses or are having bleeding which is a complication.

_______________ I don't know that this is necessarily true... Everyone I know (and nobody has been high risk) has had an u/s at about 8w to confirm and establish due date. Then most people will get the NT scan at about 12w. Sounds like some opt out of this one, though why? No idea. Why wouldn't you want to see your baby if tou had a chance. It is not related to high risks or age. I had my DD when i was under 35 and still had it done. And then you have the 20w anatomy scan...Obviously if there are risks you may have more scans. But I've had NO losses or fert treatment and i had all those u/s's.

Same here.  I was not high risk at all during 1st pregnancy (at least in the beginning) and I had a dating ultrasound and anatomy scan.  I think I also had one near the end as well.

GlitterMuffin914

So far I've had 3. My medical practice prefers not to use dopplers in the first trimester, so at my first OB appointment at 8 weeks we got to see an ultrasound which only showed the heartbeat at that point. I then had one at my NT Scan at 12 weeks and another at my 20 week anatomy scan. As far as I know I won't have another ultrasound unless I 1.) pay for an elective ultrasound somewhere, or 2.) there are any issues that require monitoring.

I know my office is in the minority of preferring not to use a doppler early on, so I know that ultrasound may have been an early bonus for us. Also, NT scans are not required, but Anatomy Scans are (i believe) by most care providers. So I would only count on one for sure unless you're planning on doing some of the extra stuff.

24karat

harmonicbabe26 said:

Mommy62408 said:

WhoCanItBeNow said:

Standard is 1 at around 20 weeks unless you have complications. Most insurance plans will only cover one unless you are having complications.

That's what I thought, but I was seeing every posting about an ultrasound giving them a due date which I had never heard of before!

If you bother to read many of their stories, many have done fertility treatments or have had multiple losses or are having bleeding which is a complication.

_______________ I don't know that this is necessarily true... Everyone I know (and nobody has been high risk) has had an u/s at about 8w to confirm and establish due date. Then most people will get the NT scan at about 12w. Sounds like some opt out of this one, though why? No idea. Why wouldn't you want to see your baby if tou had a chance. It is not related to high risks or age. I had my DD when i was under 35 and still had it done. And then you have the 20w anatomy scan...Obviously if there are risks you may have more scans. But I've had NO losses or fert treatment and i had all those u/s's.

Some people are willing to wait till the 20wk A/S rather than pay $150-$300 for an ultrasound their insurance doesn't cover. Many insurances will not cover the NT unless there are risk factors. A lot of OBs also do not offer dating u/s to everyone...usually it's reserved for women who have irregular periods, haven't had a period return postpartum before getting pregnant, or other cases where an LMP dating could be significantly wrong. Or the situations that WCIBN mentioned.

I had zero risk factors with both pregnancies, no loss history, and I opted out. My second pregnancy I had a dating u/s because of irregular postpartum cycles. 

jaminjeff

I had 8 with DS1 and I'll have 8 with this one too (barring no further complications).  My insurance has covered all of them.  Since I have had an ectopic, I'm at a higher risk for more ectopics, so both pregnancies they did early ultrasounds to ensure baby was in my ute.  With both pregnancies I've also had rather large SCH, causing bleeding from ~6-7 weeks to ~13 weeks (I'm 12 weeks tomorrow and fingers crossed I stopped bleeding this past Monday and I'm done).

My RE is doing an NT scan next week and as long as we're good to go, I'll move on to my OB and the only one they'll do is an anatomy scan at 20 weeks.  I just have had to pay any portion of my deductible, figured at each appointment and I've already met my deductible for the year, so I won't be paying a dime for my NT scan or my anatomy scan.

harmonicbabe26

Nicb13 said:

harmonicbabe26 said:

WhoCanItBeNow said:

Mommy62408 said:

WhoCanItBeNow said:

Standard is 1 at around 20 weeks unless you have complications. Most insurance plans will only cover one unless you are having complications.

That's what I thought, but I was seeing every posting about an ultrasound giving them a due date which I had never heard of before!

If you bother to read many of their stories, many have done fertility treatments or have had multiple losses or are having bleeding which is a complication.

_______________
I don't know that this is necessarily true... Everyone I know (and nobody has been high risk) has had an u/s at about 8w to confirm and establish due date. Then most people will get the NT scan at about 12w. Sounds like some opt out of this one, though why? No idea. Why wouldn't you want to see your baby if tou had a chance. It is not related to high risks or age. I had my DD when i was under 35 and still had it done.
And then you have the 20w anatomy scan...Obviously if there are risks you may have more scans.
But I've had NO losses or fert treatment and i had all those u/s's.

The NT scan isn't just fun and games to some people. That scan, coupled with blood work, could tell you if there is possibly something wrong with your child. If you were to ask women why some of them skip it, they've said it's because IF something were wrong, that wouldn't change their plans for the pregnancy so why possibly pay out of pocket for this optional test.

Sure, you could look at it as a chance to just "see your baby" again but an NT scan is much more serious to some people.

_____________
Look, as someone who already had 2 NTs I am well aware of what they are used for. It STILL is a chance to see the baby which totally IS fun and games in my book regardless of the reason.
As for why some people would opt NOT TO find out if something is going on - I will never understand it. Even if bad news doesn't mean much to someone why wouldn't you want to find out to be more informed and prepared for care of a baby with a problem??? I would want to prepare myself as well as I could. But that may just be my personality. I like to be prepared for what's coming as best as i can.

indianaalum

As a 41 year old person who did fertility treatments, I am 12 weeks today and I I have had 3 or 4 (with fertility treatments, you kinda lose track how many times that little "vag cam" is in there- LOL) ultrasounds so far. I go again this week to the ob/gyn and I am pretty sure I will be getting another one due to my high risk nature.

lookame3639

*I haven't read all the responses*

With DS i had 3 ultrasounds, 2 are the norm with my insurance (one for dating and one for anatomy scan) i had another later on due to possible preterm labor and that was to check my cervix was still in tact

LO now I have had 3 and have another schedualed for the end of the month. I am high risk due to a medical condition which causes low birth weight and pre term labor (i didnt have said condition with DS). I had bleeding in first tri so I got one for dating and uterine check, then a level 2 as an anatomy scan, she was balled up so 2 weeks later I had another scan to finish the original. I'm going back to check growth. I may have more scans or i may not it's up to the hospital drs at this point.

Each scan with both DS and this LO have all been covered by insurance.

oh...i forgot I also had genetic testing which also included an ultrasound(this LO) so I guess I've had 4 scans so far and schedualed for one more at the end of the month

runningmama22

I had a dating scan at 7 weeks bc I was on the pill and had no idea when I conceived. Had another at 9 weeks when I switched OBs. Had another at 12.5 weeks because a scary "gush of fluid" (ended up being BV without the obvious symptoms), and had one at 13 weeks for NT scan. The 9 and 12.5 were in my OBs office, and the others were at maternal and fetal medicine centers. I will also have the 20 wk anatomy scan... And probably will schedule a 3d/4d scan later when baby's features are defined just because I want those pictures... and as someone who used to work with quite a few ultrasound studies at work think it's pretty awesome technology.

24karat

harmonicbabe26 said:

snip

_____________ Look, as someone who already had 2 NTs I am well aware of what they are used for. It STILL is a chance to see the baby which totally IS fun and games in my book regardless of the reason. As for why some people would opt NOT TO find out if something is going on - I will never understand it. Even if bad news doesn't mean much to someone why wouldn't you want to find out to be more informed and prepared for care of a baby with a problem??? I would want to prepare myself as well as I could. But that may just be my personality. I like to be prepared for what's coming as best as i can.

I, for one, didn't want to know if my odds were elevated. The NT can't say yes or no, it can only give odds. To me, that makes the NT scarcely better than complete uncertainty. For example if my child were born with Down Syndrome (which I don't consider a "problem") I'd like to at least have a few months of pregnancy without additional worries. Special needs come with a lifetime of potential concerns, why start worrying earlier? Sometimes too much information can be a bad thing and, given we have immediate family members with special needs, it was not a blind decision. 

That's how my mind works at least, so foregoing an unnecessary NT scan was the best choice for me. Everyone needs to make the choice that is best for their situation and circumstances. Just because I chose against finding out in advance doesn't mean I am a bad parent who went into the motherhood poorly prepared and unaware. 

harmonicbabe26

@WhoCanItBeNow‌ wow! Just wow!

@kjkarats03‌ I guess that's why this one is optional because I would def want to know and I'd be upset if i didn't have the option...

Mizoo

kjkarats03 said:

harmonicbabe26 said:

snip

_____________ Look, as someone who already had 2 NTs I am well aware of what they are used for. It STILL is a chance to see the baby which totally IS fun and games in my book regardless of the reason. As for why some people would opt NOT TO find out if something is going on - I will never understand it. Even if bad news doesn't mean much to someone why wouldn't you want to find out to be more informed and prepared for care of a baby with a problem??? I would want to prepare myself as well as I could. But that may just be my personality. I like to be prepared for what's coming as best as i can.

I, for one, didn't want to know if my odds were elevated. The NT can't say yes or no, it can only give odds. To me, that makes the NT scarcely better than complete uncertainty. For example if my child were born with Down Syndrome (which I don't consider a "problem") I'd like to at least have a few months of pregnancy without additional worries. Special needs come with a lifetime of potential concerns, why start worrying earlier? Sometimes too much information can be a bad thing and, given we have immediate family members with special needs, it was not a blind decision. 

That's how my mind works at least, so foregoing an unnecessary NT scan was the best choice for me. Everyone needs to make the choice that is best for their situation and circumstances. Just because I chose against finding out in advance doesn't mean I am a bad parent who went into the motherhood poorly prepared and unaware. 

^ All of this is exactly why I also opted out of the NT scan.  SO has a family history of cystic fibrosis so we did meet with a genetic counselor who explained all of our odds to us for our baby being affected by CF along with a number of other diseases/defects and after that meeting we decided not to pursue any additional testing.  We both felt good about the odds we were given enough to not worry after that appointment. 

The way I see it is that my insurance wouldn't have covered the 1st tri screening, and I would continue the pregnancy regardless of the outcome - so why waste the extra money?  It's not like they can cure a fetus's trisomy, if my baby has it there is nothing I can do anyway so for us it just wasn't worth the extra money and stress.

ETA:  Just to clarify my post, I don't mean to suggest that the NT scan isn't a valid test for some people and I do totally understand why many choose to do it - it just wasn't for us.

normandyn7

I had 6 throughout my pregnancy with my son. A dating internal one at 8 weeks, one at 12 weeks, one at 18 weeks, another at 26 weeks when I was in the hospital for preterm labor, one at 30 weeks when I was diagnosed with GD, and another at 37 weeks to check the growth of DS because I was so tiny and because of my GD. I didn't have insurance so I paid OOP for ALL of them. Would not recommend. If I didn't have complications I only would of had the one at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 18 weeks.

alysonmh

I think every insurance is different but my insurance covers 1 ultrasound per trimester plus 1 extra that I had at 12 weeks for NT scan. It is different on my insurance however if you are considered high risk, then it covers more ultrasounds if needed. I had one dating ultrasound at 8 weeks, NT scan at 12 weeks, anatomy scan at 20 weeks and then one final one in the last month to check on things and see what position the baby is in.

momthatlifts

The anatomy scan was the only one I would have gotten at my old office. Then I switched doctors and I got a growth scan at 35 weeks. I also had two extra ones done for other reasons that are not routine

baloneydisc

My OB's office typically only does 1 unless there are complications. I ended up with 2 from my RE, then my A/S and 14 more in third tri due to possible pre-e and IUGR. Our insurance paid for the ones the RE did, the A/S and then we had to meet our deductible before they paid for the other u/s at 80%.

MrsAdventure

I had one every visit to my OB with my first pregnancy (a total of 4, I believe, including the NT), and will have one every visit for the foreseeable future with this LO as well. I was down graded from 'high risk' last visit, because my Verifi results and NT scan were all happy and sunshiny with this pregnancy. All my u/s have been covered, including the NT, so I consider myself lucky. But my insurance is very good, and the u/s are considered medically necessary in my case.

I believe in typical cases, my OB does a dating scan, and one at the beginning of the 2nd tri, if a woman opts out of the NT, just to make sure baby is progressing properly, and then the a/s. After that, I don't know what is typical for my OB. I never even made it to a/s last time, so it'll be uncharted waters for me.

AlanaB2010

May I ask, for those of you for whom only the dating and the anatomy scans were covered, how much did the NT scan cost you out-of-pocket?  Thanks!

Unknown

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MNgirl326

with my son I had one at 20 weeks.

With this one I will have a viability scan at 6 weeks and then a regular u/s at 20 weeks.

Last time around I was a regular pregnancy, this time I had an iUI/secondary infertility, which is the reason for the viability scan

 

BC&LM

Some people only ever have the one at 20 weeks. I ended up being high risk and had 6 or 7: dating ultrasound, NT scan, anatomy scan, 1-2 growth scans (can't remember for certain if there were two or just one), biophysical profile, and a quick one at L&D to check baby's positioning.

ETA: The insurance covered whatever my doctor deemed medically necessary, including the NT scan.

marathonmommy82

My insurance covered: dating, NY scan (low risk) and AS

PrimRoseMama

I had five.

A dating ultrasound, anatomy scan, a follow up anatomy scan (more measurements) growth scan & NST at 41 weeks.

I do have a history of miscarriage though. No history of IF. I believe my experience is atypical. Insurance covered all.

jessicabeeee

I've had 2 so far. I had one to get a due date figured out and then a second one when I went to a new doctor. My next one isn't until 20 weeks. I'm not high risk, for what it's worth!

marathonmommy82

RedheadBaker said:

Oh, please, no more NT scan debate. Had quite enough the first time around. 

Well that was.... yeah.

byrne15

With ds#1, I had 4 (12 weeks, 20 weeks, 36 weeks and 38 weeks).  12 week was my NT scan, 20 week was anatomy scan, 36 and 38 weeks were because my belly was measuring small and they were checking growth.

with ds#2, I had 12 (7 weeks, 8 weeks then every 2 weeks until 24 weeks, 36 weeks and 38 weeks).  I had gone to an RE to get pregnant and was followed by him for 10 weeks and then I had to go every 2 weeks because of a cervical surgery I had.  They wanted to make sure my cervix didn't get too small.

with #3, I have had 2 u/s so far (7weeks and 8 weeks).

jlamb1206

I have no history of loss and no complications (FX!) and my Dr does one at 8-10 weeks, another at 20 weeks with the possibility of a third closer to due date but not guaranteed if the pregnancy is uneventful. My insurance has a $3K deductible for the entire pregnancy so that's what I pay regardless of how many US I do or don't have. If I had to wait until 20 weeks for the 1st US I would have gone stir crazy!!