Ob wont do a Anatomy Scan

CelticRains77 · September 2015

If this is new and something OB's do now please fill me in. As far as i have known since 2004 with my first child until 2013 with my 4th i had a Anatomy scan around 20 weeks which consisted of me drinking a bunch of water and holding it for almost 2 hours from the moment i had to leave the house, sit and wait and do my Ultrasound. The only reason i know about this is because i had a few questions so i called the Docs office. The lady told me that im only coming in Sept 17th for a Gender ultrasound and if i wanted a Anatomy scan i have to talk to my OB and tell him why i want one and if he wants he can refer me to another OB who does the ultrasounds. WTF?

She said Anatomy scans are done to women whos child/children have a problem/high risk pregnancy etc... i told her it was a lie but thats me! i always had one. She also told me its done when the second trimester screening comes back with issues. Again never heard of this crap.

And the only reason i push for it is because it gives me a peace of mind, secondly i had major problems with my second child (girl) in 2006. when she was born via c-section she couldnt breath. she would turn blue when Nursed, bottle fed or used a Paci. Finally the German Ambulance had to come get her. We found out she had a hole in her right lung and they had to put her under anesthesia for almost 2 weeks with tubes and machines going all over the place.

wisco29 · September 2015

Never heard of it and checking for the sex of the baby doesn't make any sense when the anatomy scan is the most important scan that they do!

I would get a new doctor because that doesn't make sense.

Shatzegirl · September 2015

Hmm I've never heard of this before, either. Go with your instinct and find another OB.

CelticRains77 · September 2015

Im not changing doctors. i live in a ghetto city and hes the only OB that has a nice office and speaks English. Hes the only one that is very nice to me, isnt rude or talks down on me. Plus i have shitty insurance (HMO) and where i live there arnt many obs within 10 mins away. I have to see a OB on thur or fri since my husband has those days off and i dont drive. I live in the high desert of san bernardino county in california. Nothing around.... no doctors take my insurance in other areas plus too far

stephz44 · September 2015

I've never heard of this either. I thought it was routine. It's in all the pregnancy books as a standard thing to do at 20 wks. Usually, people have an u/s early on and then one at 20wks. But if you're high risk anyways, you should definitely get one. This is just weird and UNCOOL! lol

CelticRains77 · September 2015

Cant but thanks! i will just talk to him on thursday. My BFF told me shes never had a scan done with her kids and that shes never heard of it.

CelticRains77 · September 2015

stephz44 said:

I've never heard of this either. I thought it was routine. It's in all the pregnancy books as a standard thing to do at 20 wks. Usually, people have an u/s early on and then one at 20wks. But if you're high risk anyways, you should definitely get one. This is just weird and UNCOOL! lol

sorry if i sounded all crazy earlier. Im just a little confused. I googled online and it looks like every Dr is different. The receptionist is like "2nd trimester screening is more accurate then a 20 week anatomy scan because it can detect down syndrome etc" I told her No what about Placenta, Previa and accreta or fluid levels, heart, blood etc"? all she told me was just talk to the doctor on thursday. Ugh

im not high risk but he didnt even ask me for my records. Not that i can get them because i cant with my second. she was born in germany in a Army Hospital and it closed down that same year (2006) and i lost all the records. nobody knew what would happen with her when she was born. Nothing in the scans as far as i know showed anything. At the same time most of those techs are not even trained that well.

camusoh2011 · September 2015

I have never heard of that at all. My doc doesn't do it personally, but their office sets it up at the hospital.

strlitemiss · September 2015

The lady you talked to is an idiot. The "gender" scan is the anatomy scan. They don't ever specifically do an ultrasound to find out the sex unless it's a specialty ultrasound boutique.

inomniaparatus · September 2015

I never heard of that. I'm not high risk at all - this is my first pregnancy, everything has been going fine, nt scan came back as lowest possible risk and I had one done. My doctor gave a referral to get it done at our hospital between 18-20 weeks.

Also, on another note, why did you have to drink water? I always empty my bladder before a scan.

MississippiCatfish · September 2015

inomniaparatus said:
I never heard of that. I'm not high risk at all - this is my first pregnancy, everything has been going fine, nt scan came back as lowest possible risk and I had one done. My doctor gave a referral to get it done at our hospital between 18-20 weeks.

Also, on another note, why did you have to drink water? I always empty my bladder before a scan.

They have you empty your bladder half way through. I think the full bladnder pushes things forward to get a better view...of the placenta/cord? Is that right ladies? I can't remember anymore what they look at before emptying.

wisco29 · September 2015

CelticRains77 said:
If this is new and something OB's do now please fill me in. As far as i have known since 2004 with my first child until 2013 with my 4th i had a Anatomy scan around 20 weeks which consisted of me drinking a bunch of water and holding it for almost 2 hours from the moment i had to leave the house, sit and wait and do my Ultrasound. The only reason i know about this is because i had a few questions so i called the Docs office. The lady told me that im only coming in Sept 17th for a Gender ultrasound and if i wanted a Anatomy scan i have to talk to my OB and tell him why i want one and if he wants he can refer me to another OB who does the ultrasounds. WTF?
She said Anatomy scans are done to women whos child/children have a problem/high risk pregnancy etc... i told her it was a lie but thats me! i always had one. She also told me its done when the second trimester screening comes back with issues. Again never heard of this crap.
And the only reason i push for it is because it gives me a peace of mind, secondly i had major problems with my second child (girl) in 2006. when she was born via c-section she couldnt breath. she would turn blue when Nursed, bottle fed or used a Paci. Finally the German Ambulance had to come get her. We found out she had a hole in her right lung and they had to put her under anesthesia for almost 2 weeks with tubes and machines going all over the place.

CelticRains77 said:
Im not changing doctors. i live in a ghetto city and hes the only OB that has a nice office and speaks English. Hes the only one that is very nice to me, isnt rude or talks down on me. Plus i have shitty insurance (HMO) and where i live there arnt many obs within 10 mins away. I have to see a OB on thur or fri since my husband has those days off and i dont drive. I live in the high desert of san bernardino county in california. Nothing around.... no doctors take my insurance in other areas plus too far

CelticRains77 said:

stephz44 said:

I've never heard of this either. I thought it was routine. It's in all the pregnancy books as a standard thing to do at 20 wks. Usually, people have an u/s early on and then one at 20wks. But if you're high risk anyways, you should definitely get one. This is just weird and UNCOOL! lol

sorry if i sounded all crazy earlier. Im just a little confused. I googled online and it looks like every Dr is different. The receptionist is like "2nd trimester screening is more accurate then a 20 week anatomy scan because it can detect down syndrome etc" I told her No what about Placenta, Previa and accreta or fluid levels, heart, blood etc"? all she told me was just talk to the doctor on thursday. Ugh

im not high risk but he didnt even ask me for my records. Not that i can get them because i cant with my second. she was born in germany in a Army Hospital and it closed down that same year (2006) and i lost all the records. nobody knew what would happen with her when she was born. Nothing in the scans as far as i know showed anything. At the same time most of those techs are not even trained that well.

It seems necessary- so qfp

AdventureMama · September 2015

I'm very low risk and still had an anatomy scan (today actually). I'd consider switching if you can. But I also agree that "gender scan" is not a real thing, maybe they just don't call it an anatomy scan?

And FTR, they don't care if my bladder is full of empty. I'm sure it differs by practice.

inomniaparatus · September 2015

Yea everytime I go for a scan, I happen to always need to use the bathroom after the commute and no one has ever had trouble getting a good view.

But, at my nt scan, I was specifically told to empty my bladder.

kbedfox · September 2015

Re: full or empty bladder, I've only had 2 u/s this pregnancy at my OB, but they gave me written instructions to drink 32 oz of water an hour before my a/s. Not sure of the reasoning but they were adamant I understood I was to have a full bladder for this scan.

strlitemiss · September 2015

They need you to have water to look at your kidneys as pregnancy can sometimes because kidney problems.

inomniaparatus · September 2015

strlitemiss said:
They need you to have water to look at your kidneys as pregnancy can sometimes because kidney problems.

Hm- they look at my ovaries, but not not kidneys from what I've seen. I guess every place is different.

strlitemiss · September 2015

Have you had your anatomy scan yet @inomniaparatus ? Because it's standard procedure. They might not have told you they were looking, it's also a total different scan then whatever scans you've been having.

inomniaparatus · September 2015

strlitemiss said:
Have you had your anatomy scan yet @inomniaparatus ? Because it's standard procedure. They might not have told you they were looking, it's also a total different scan then whatever scans you've been having.

Yep - had my anatomy scan last week. They looked at my ovaries. Maybe I missed them looking at my kidneys, but I definitely emptied my bladder right before walking in to the exam room.

MississippiCatfish · September 2015

inomniaparatus said:

strlitemiss said:
Have you had your anatomy scan yet @inomniaparatus ? Because it's standard procedure. They might not have told you they were looking, it's also a total different scan then whatever scans you've been having.
Yep - had my anatomy scan last week. They looked at my ovaries. Maybe I missed them looking at my kidneys, but I definitely emptied my bladder right before walking in to the exam room.

You lucked out. It's really not very pleasant having the ultrasound tech pushing around on your big-gulp-filled bladder.

I do remember this discussion coming up in my previous two birth boards, and there were always a few who didn't have to do it. You're not alone.

mwmiller4 · September 2015

I think it has more to do with the type of ultrasound machine being used than what they're specifically looking for (though I don't think the tech looked at my kidneys. She certainly didn't comment on them and definitely commented on my ovaries and everything else). I asked when I checked in if I needed a full bladder. The front desk said that after about 9 weeks they have you empty your bladder because their machines get better images that way.

wisco29 · September 2015

MississippiCatfish said:

inomniaparatus said:

strlitemiss said:
Have you had your anatomy scan yet @inomniaparatus ? Because it's standard procedure. They might not have told you they were looking, it's also a total different scan then whatever scans you've been having.
Yep - had my anatomy scan last week. They looked at my ovaries. Maybe I missed them looking at my kidneys, but I definitely emptied my bladder right before walking in to the exam room.
You lucked out. It's really not very pleasant having the ultrasound tech pushing around on your big-gulp-filled bladder.

I do remember this discussion coming up in my previous two birth boards, and there were always a few who didn't have to do it. You're not alone.

Ugh that reminds me they said full bladder.

SoSirius · September 2015

I would get the referral for the anatomy scan. They probably don't have the right equipment. You can drive a bit for one scan and then resume with your normal doctor.

BBEA2006 · September 2015

I had to empty for the vaginal u/s but have full bladders for my 20 week u/s for both and now this lo.

Latina211508 · September 2015

I actually live in Riverside. I'm 30 mins away from SB. I have an aunt who lives in Colton. But I have never heard of a dr not doing an anatomy scan. I thought that was routine. But that sounds crazy that they would let you have a ultrasound to find out the sex but not do an anatomy scan.

acuteangles · September 2015

Regarding your anatomy scan: I would speak directly to your doctor to clarify what procedures he offers. My doctor's office calls the anatomy scan an ultrasound, which is confusing because they also do an ultrasound at every appointment. If he does not intend to do that A/S, explain to him that your daughter had medical issues right after birth and you would be more comfortable doing the scan. It can't hurt to ask.

Regarding the full bladder question: I believe it helps with visibility when they are doing the scan, but I could be wrong and it could depend on the equipment. My office has requested I come with a full bladder to the A/S. But then I was also supposed to do that for my NT scan, but I got to the hospital and had to go so bad I went beforehand anyway, and the tech never mentioned it. So I think they often ask you just in case, but it's not a big deal.

SoSirius · September 2015

@Latina211508, my parents live in Riverside.

g8trkim · September 2015

I didn't read all the response so I apologize if it's been said. I'm surprised this isn't a routine thing since it checks for health problems and such, but I'm wondering if this has to do with your insurance benefits.

Latina211508 · September 2015

@SoSirius oh really, what city? I grew up in murrieta but currently moved to hemet to be closer to my husbands base. Not sure if you heard of March in Moreno Valley.

meg+on+the+DL · September 2015

I have my anatomy scan on the 5th. I will be 21 weeks. I'm a FTM and not high risk. I have only had my original blood work done. The nurse scheduled my scan at a clinic with the proper machine. Then I head down to my regular doc for the followup to the scan. From what I understand, this scan is more than just finding out the sex of the baby. They are looking at the heart, kidneys, spine, brain development and more. I was also told to drink lots of water before and go with a full bladder. At my last u/s, my bladder was a little full and he said it was so much more helpful in seeing the baby. Granted, I was about to pee myself when he was pushing down. But I was grateful to see my sweet baby as well as I did.

@CelticRains77 I hope your doctor is able to clarify this foe you. It's not good to have you stressing over this.

@Latina211508 My husband's family is in Riverside. He grew up in Chino though. We are hoping to go down over Easter. Love the area!

SoSirius · September 2015

@Latina211508, technically in the actual city of Riverside but only 5 minutes from March Air Reserve Base! I was in college (LBC) by the time they moved there but we use to be in Perris so I went to Perris HS. Very glamourous

).

AdventureMama · September 2015

strlitemiss said:
Have you had your anatomy scan yet @inomniaparatus ? Because it's standard procedure. They might not have told you they were looking, it's also a total different scan then whatever scans you've been having.

Had my scan today and she explained every single thing she looked at- I know for a fact she didn't look at my kidneys.

g8trkim · September 2015

AdventureMama said:

Have you had your anatomy scan yet @inomniaparatus ? Because it's standard procedure. They might not have told you they were looking, it's also a total different scan then whatever scans you've been having.
Had my scan today and she explained every single thing she looked at- I know for a fact she didn't look at my kidneys.

With my other pregnancies I don't remember them mentioning anything about my kidneys. They also didn't tell me I needed a full bladder. Like @inomniaparatus they always checked my ovaries though, and of course all of baby's parts.

ohbaby714 · September 2015

AdventureMama said:

strlitemiss said:
Have you had your anatomy scan yet @inomniaparatus ? Because it's standard procedure. They might not have told you they were looking, it's also a total different scan then whatever scans you've been having.
Had my scan today and she explained every single thing she looked at- I know for a fact she didn't look at my kidneys.

I've never had them look at my kidneys either. They did ask me to have a full bladder on earlier ultrasounds because it helped push baby up and gave them a better view. That's what the ultrasound tech told me anyway.

rainbowminion · September 2015

Four years ago they asked me to have a full bladder for my anatomy scan. This time I was specifically told I didn't need to. Same office. I've never had my kidney's looked at, my Dr. looks at urine and bloodwork to check kidney function.

purpletulip · September 2015

I think the receptionist doesn't know what she's talking about. The gender scan IS the anatomy scan. Why would an OB care about whether your baby was a boy or a girl but not whether heart and lungs were functioning?

I think the bladder thing is dependent upon the machines used. If it's a newer/better machine they don't need a full bladder. I had to have a full bladder with my first pregnancy (and different practice) and then none after that.

As for kidneys, maybe the PP was confused about her kidneys vs baby's kidneys. For a kidney scan for mom, she'd be laying on her stomach.

DrillSergeantCat · September 2015

I agree with PPs that the receptionist and you are using different terms to mean the same thing (gender scan vs anatomy scan). Or maybe in that office they consider an anatomy scan like a level 2 ultrasound. I'd definitely ask your doctor tomorrow.

Wurrkingurrl · September 2015

I had an anatomy scan with my first pregnancy and am scheduled to have one with this one as well. Neither have been high risk. I didn't need to drink a ton of water, but that's besides the point. To me it seems like if they want to say one isn't "necessary" it would be the gender scan, not the anatomy one. Good luck to you in finding the answers you need from your doctor.

funkypineapple · September 2015

It's interesting how different each office is. At the beginning of every appointment my dr's office, we check in and then go straight to the bathroom to pee in a cup.

We had our A/S on Monday and the tech didn't tell us everything she was looking at unless it wasn't obvious and part of baby

salixjoy38 · September 2015

I had my anatomy scan on Monday and the tech told me the full bladder was to get a good look at my cervix and the placenta. She let me pee halfway through once she got the shots she needed that the full bladder helped

AdventureMama · September 2015

I just remembered that my U/S tech actually asked me if I needed to use the restroom while she was taking me back to the room. So I agree that it's probably based on the type of equipment they have.

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