Ultrasound

Why an ultrasound is necessary

After you receive a positive pregnancy test, you will need to schedule an ultrasound to confirm your pregnancy and determine specific information concerning your pregnancy. If you are undecided in your pregnancy decision, an ultrasound provides information that will help you confidently determine your next steps.

An ultrasound confirms a pregnancy.

An ultrasound verifies that you are actually pregnant. This is especially important if you have received a positive pregnancy test shortly following a previous abortion or previous miscarriage.

If you have recently undergone an abortion procedure or you recently experienced a miscarriage, it is possible that the pregnancy hormone hCG is present in your urine and blood without you actually being pregnant.

In this case, only an ultrasound can confirm if you are really pregnant or not.

An ultrasound determines how far along you are.

If you are sure you are pregnant, you still need to schedule an ultrasound to confirm the gestational age of the pregnancy. Only an ultrasound can determine the gestational age of the pregnancy and how far along the pregnancy has progressed.

This information is vital when weighing your various pregnancy options.

An ultrasound can detect signs of an ectopic pregnancy.

An ultrasound can also detect the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy, a severe medical condition where the embryo implants outside of the uterus in the fallopian tube. If left undetected and untreated, an ectopic pregnancy can rupture inside of a woman, cause infection, and be life-threatening to her.