Obstetrical In-Office Ultrasound

High-quality prenatal care is the best thing you can do for your baby. At Northside/Northpoint OB-GYN of Atlanta and Alpharetta, GA, our ob-gyn specialists have brought thousands of babies into the world. We offer advanced ultrasound and all the monitoring you need throughout your pregnancy—along with focused personal attention and support during this exciting time in your life.

We do everything to make your experience with us as comfortable as possible. Our medical team of ob-gyns, nurse practitioners, registered sonographers, and outstanding administrative staff are here to serve and care for you.

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What Is A Standard Ultrasound Appointment?

A standard ultrasound appointment exam checks the fetus’s physical development, estimates gestational age, and screens for significant congenital anomalies. A standard ultrasound appointment exam can also provide information about the following:

• The fetus’s movement, position, breathing, and heart rate
• The number of fetuses
• An estimate of the fetus’s weight and size
• The amount of amniotic fluid in your uterus
• The location of your placenta

If the fetus rests in a good position, it may even be possible to tell the sex.

Obstetrical Ultrasound Appointment Types

Using state of the art in office ultrasound equipment, you will see your baby grow and mark the milestones of their development as your pregnancy progresses.  An obstetrical in office ultrasound is usually done vaginally until after 10 weeks.

Here is the timeline in your pregnancy that you can expect an in office ultra sound. Remember that these ultrasounds are for low risk pregnancies.

Your Early Pregnancy and Dating Ultrasound Appointment

Your first early ultrasound scan provides you with the necessary information regarding the number of babies and your expected date of delivery. The presence of your pregnancy and detection of the fetal heart can generally be seen at 7 weeks by a vaginal scan and from 8-9 weeks by an abdominal scan. Accurate images and measurements are taken of the gestational sac, the crown to rump length.

Your Fetal Anatomy Scan

Between 19-21 weeks, your baby’s anatomy is scanned in detail so that information about their many body systems, such as the digestive tract, urinary tract, heart and major blood vessels, brain, and others, can be interpreted and imaged. During your in office ultra sound, the sex of the baby can typically, but not always, be seen. If a Level II ultra sound appointment is necessary, you will be scheduled with an ultrasound doctor.

Your Growth Scan

This scan can tell us that your baby is growing as expected. We will follow along with a tape measure on the outside at your visits, but this ultrasound appointment gives us a much more accurate idea about your baby’s growth. It will provide us with an early warning if something is not as anticipated.

Schedule An Appointment Today | Call (404) 255-3633

In Office Ultra Sound | Top 7 FAQs

At Northside/Northpoint OB-GYN of Atlanta and Alpharetta, GA, we offer patients the convenience of in office ultrasound technology, right here in our Atlanta location. This allows expectant moms to confirm a healthy intrauterine pregnancy at the time of their OB visit, rather than coordinating and scheduling separate appointments.

An in office ultra sound uses high frequency sound waves and transmits these waves through an expectant mother’s abdomen to create a sonogram. Though typically used interchangeably with “ultrasound,” a sonogram is the actual image of the baby and placenta created during your in office ultra sound.

Ultrasounds are painless, non-invasive, and can be performed at any point during pregnancy to help determine your baby’s gender and due date. Information obtained through sonography can also be used as a diagnostic tool to assist in the detection of abnormalities or defects.

Here Are Answers To Our Top 7 Frequently Asked Questions

1. What Is Sonography? Sonography
   is energy in the form of sound waves—a sonogram is an image produced by these waves. During an ultra sound appointment, a transducer sends sound waves through the body. The sound waves meet body fluids, tissues, and bones. These waves then bounce back, like echoes. Our transducer technology receives these echoes, which are turned into images. The sonography images can be viewed as pictures on a video screen.
2. How Is Sonography Used In Women’s Health Care?
   An in office ultra sound is used to monitor pregnancy, as well as monitor and diagnose medical conditions that are not related to a pregnancy.
3. Are Prenatal Ultrasounds Safe?
   An in office ultrasound is a safe and effective tool for your provider and you to view a baby’s progress, position, and movements. Ultrasounds have been used for decades, and there is no evidence that they are harmful when used correctly.
4. How Is Ultrasound Used During Pregnancy?
   Ultrasound is generally used to view the fetus inside your uterus. It allows your obstetrician-gynecologist (ob-gyn) to check the fetus’s development and health, monitor your pregnancy, and detect many congenital anomalies. An in office ultra sound can also be used during chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis to help guide these procedures. There are three types of prenatal ultra sound appointment exams: 1) standard, 2) limited, and 3) specialized.
5. How Early Can Your Baby’s Gender Be Found With An Ultrasound?
   It is difficult to ascertain when precisely, your provider will be able to determine your baby’s gender because it is dependent on the position of your baby during the ultra sound appointment. If your baby is in a good viewing position, then your provider can generally tell the sex of a baby around 19-21 weeks.
6. How Many Ultrasound Exams Will I Have During My Pregnancy?
   You can expect to have at least one in office ultra sound exam during your pregnancy, which usually is performed at 19-21 weeks of your pregnancy. Some women may have an ultra sound appointment exam in the first trimester of pregnancy. A first-trimester ultrasound exam is not typical because it is too early to see many of the fetus’s organs and limbs in detail. An ultrasound exam done this early does the following:
   • Estimate gestational age
   • Help screen for certain genetic disorders
   • Count the number of fetuses
   • Check the fetus’s heart rate
   • Check for ectopic pregnancy
7. How Accurate Is An Ultrasound Pregnancy Test?
   An ultrasound appointment is often used to confirm and monitor pregnancies, and they are very accurate apart from a few uncommon circumstances. An in office ultra sound can potentially miss a pregnancy if it is located outside of the womb, i.e., an ectopic pregnancy. It can also possibly miss a pregnancy in the early stages, as the embryo may not yet be large enough to see on a screen. To learn more about our obstetric services or to schedule an appointment, please call our main office at (404) 255-3633. If you’re an existing patient—use our online Established Patient Portal Form. Our service area includes the area of Buckhead in Atlanta, Dunwoody, Roswell, Forsyth, Cumming, North Atlanta, Sandy Springs, and Alpharetta in Fulton County, GA.