so, i called my insurance company the other day and they told me that they only cover 2 ultrasounds and will cover others that are deemed medically necessary by my doctor. ?fine! ?
but what about in between those ultrasounds? ?how does my dr make sure the baby is healthy and thriving? ?i am so confused about this.
Re: confused and concerned
Most drs only do 2 ultrasounds. They are for diagnostic purposes to see if something is wrong, not for us to see our babies, although that is why we love them. The first will be mostly be to confirm due date the second for checking everything is right. Unless there is cause for concern (GD or other complications) you will have only 2.
They take measurements, do urine screens, listen to heart rate, fetal monitoring, all of these will let them and you know the baby is thriving.
Normally you should get 1 or 2 ultrasounds at most. The only reason for more if there is some problems with the pregnancy or if you have issues due to high risk. You don't want to get too many ultrasounds. The Dr can tell how the pregnancy is going by your symptoms and monthly and then bi-weekly appointments. They do an internal exam each visit. They do blood work.
If your insurance covers two ultrasounds that is good. You wont not get anymore unless there are issues so you don't want more.
MOST doctors do not do multiple ultrasounds. Most only do one or two (generally at 12 weeks and 20 weeks). They make sure the baby is healthy and thriving by listening to it's heartbeat and doing internal exams?feeling your uterus?and blood work and urine tests (yours).
My insurance will cover 3 ultrasounds without pre-authorization and will need the OB's office to contact them if more is deemed medically necessary.
I'd call your doctor and ask what goes on at prenatal exams, what to expect to calm your fears.
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We had the same concern but because I've had 3 u/s's already. All three of them were because I was bleeding. The doctor assured us that it is "medically necessary" because anytime you have bleeding when pregnancy it is deemed necessary. I'm not sure if my insurance will feel that way but it makes sense to me.
Fortunately, now that the bleeding has stopped, I am going back to the normal routine of u/s'. I think there's the nt one at 12-14 weeks (which they really want to do, especially because I've had a subchorionic hemorrhage) and then the one at 20 weeks. I'm not sure if anything comes after that, though.
So I'd say unless you have bleeding, are high risk, or have any other warning signs, be thankful you don't need as many u/s'.s I know it's nice to have the visual reassurance but you also don't want to do anything that's unnecessary.
i wasnt expecting one at every appt, but i havent had an internal exam and today is my third appt. and have already had 2 ultrasounds. ?one to date the pregnancy and another because i had cramping and spotting. ?honestly, everytime i go to the dr, they just take my blood and i pee in a cup and thats it. ?maybe i am being paranoid, but i feel like i am not getting enough attention/guidance from my dr.
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Also, just to add in some science, there have been studies in small mammals (rats, rabbits, etc) that show that excess ultrasound waves can cause problems with nerve/brain cells not appropriately migrating/moving into the right places. Not shown in humans with the average u/s during pregnancy, but something to keep in mind. U/S is not harmful like radiation from xray or CT, but is not completely benign.
Trust in your doctor to do the right thing. Ask them questions-that's what they're there for!
Internal exams don't really show anything until the end of the pregnancy.
As the other ladies said, 2 ultrasounds is normal. And a lot of docs don't start pulling out the doppler until the second tri anyway, since it can be hard to find the heartbeat on one before then.
If you don't feel like your doctor is paying attention to your needs, then maybe you should look for another one. But if you only feel that way because they aren't doing an ultrasound every time, then you just need to take a deep breathe and realize they're doing what they need to.
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