Obstetrical Ultrasounds in Naperville, Illinois

Fetal ultrasound provides you and our team with a first glimpse of your developing baby. An obstetrical ultrasound produces a picture of the baby to monitor the size and position of the fetus and allows us to check for problems. This type of imaging is non-invasive and uses sound waves to produce an image. Ultrasound results may estimate the due date, check for multiple pregnancies, and find major birth defects. No radiation is used, so there is no risk for you or the baby.

Learn more about ultrasounds and schedule your appointment at The Wright Center for Women’s Health today.

Ultrasound Facts

• A safe, painless and non-invasive test
• Typically performed between 18 and 20 weeks of pregnancy
• Used to confirm a pregnancy and its location
• Used to determine how a pregnancy is progressing, the baby’s growth rate, age, and sex.
• Used to determine location and development of the placenta
• Identifies possible fetal abnormalities

Types of Ultrasounds

• Standard – directs high-pitched sounds waves toward the baby, which bounces off tissues, organs, and bones in the mother’s body, including those of the baby in the uterus. This creates black and white images on a monitor.
• Advanced or Targeted – used to further investigate a suspected abnormality identified by a standard ultrasound.
• Three-dimensional (3-D) – offers 3-D images with a high level of detail.
• Four-dimensional (4-D) – offers 3-D images in real time.
• Doppler – measures slight changes in the frequency of the ultrasound waves as they bounce off moving objects, such as blood cells.

How To Prepare

You should wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing to your prenatal appointment. The test most likely needs to be done with a full bladder. For trans-vaginal ultrasound or those in late pregnancy, a full bladder usually isn’t necessary.

What To Expect During your Ultrasound at The Wright Center

Typically an ultrasound is approximately 30 minutes long. For a Nuchal Translucency it may take up to 45 minutes for the exam. During the anatomy scan around 20 weeks, it is detailed and could take up to 60 minutes since we are evaluating everything on the fetus, inside-out from head to toe. The guest is usually positioned on an examination table and ultrasound gel is applied to the lower abdomen. The gel allows conduction of sound waves, eliminating the air between the transducer (ultrasound camera,) and skin. The transducer is moved back and forth over the abdomen, which directs sound waves and captures reflected echoes that are digitally converted into images.