Table of Contents
What is a growth scan?
During the third trimester of your pregnancy, you will encounter a mix of emotions including fear, excitement, nervousness, joy, and more. Your experience in growth scan vs anomaly scan might differ, would be more exciting to watch your baby grow through the screen in your womb.
These are quite normal and your growth scan is your savior during the third trimester as you can get relieved about knowing the condition of your baby.
So, what actually is a growth scan? Typically, A growth scan is carried out between weeks 28 and 32 of pregnancy. In the third trimester, it is a common scanning practice to examine the baby’s growth. This ultrasound scan checks for the growth of the baby.
What is an anomaly scan?
The 20-week anomaly (or anatomy) scan is a crucial ultrasound of your unborn child that includes information on the position of the placenta, the amount of amniotic fluid in the womb, and fetal growth. The anomaly scan’s goal is to find any unusual disorders, such as those that affect the brain, spine, or heart.
This scan is carried out to keep tabs on your baby’s growth. To rule out any severe anomalies in your newborn, this procedure is carried out to swiftly initiate the necessary interventions.
Minor odds exist that some malformations may have been missed during the scan, but we won’t know for sure until the baby is born.
When should you have a growth scan?
In the third trimester, it is a common scanning practice to examine the baby’s growth. During pregnancy, you should undergo at least two growth scans, though you may want more. You’ll have more time to spend with your child and the certainty that everything will be okay.
What does an anomaly scan detect?
Takes 30 to 60 minutes for the scan. Although the majority of structural issues will be detected, a nuchal scan is still preferable for detecting Down’s syndrome. During the thorough abnormality scan, the baby’s bones, heart, brain, spinal cord, face, kidneys, abdomen, and other organs can be seen up close.
The doctor will measure various body components of your unborn child during the scan to assess how well he is developing. She will gauge the diameter and head circumference (HC) of your child (biparietal diameter or BPD), humerus or the arm bone (FL), femur or the thigh bone (AC), and abdominal circumference (AC).
Depending on when your kid is due and how far along he is in his development, the measurements should be accurate. By the time of your dating and viability scan, the due date will have been determined.
Your doctor will also examine:
- Your baby’s development in depth.
- A placenta – Where it is placed and that it is supporting your baby adequately.
- Umbilical cord – The umbilical cord’s three blood vessels—two arteries and one vein—can all be counted.
- The fluid of the womb – To ensure that your baby has adequate amniotic fluid to move around comfortably, your doctor will do a checkup.
Difference between growth and anomaly scan
When it comes to anomaly scan vs Growth Scan; both scans are important to take during your pregnancy period.
The main goal of the anomaly scan is to check the anomalies in the baby and to make sure that your baby is growing normally rather than revealing the gender. You might, however, request a picture of your scan or wish to know if you’re having a boy or a girl.
Whereas a growth scan is suggested in the third trimester to know the development, weight, position of the baby, and movement of the unborn child.
A growth scan gives a clear picture of the baby and it is the most exciting thing to happen in your entire pregnancy period as you get to see the parts that are developed through the display.
Chennai Women’s Clinic is now Jammi Scans