When we are concerned about How long is an anatomy scan, we must know about a term named ‘The 20 week anatomy scan. It is also termed level 2 ultrasound.
The 20 Week ultrasound scan is an essential test during pregnancy. It gives you definite results about the baby’s growth in your belly.
The level 2 ultrasound, also known as the 20 week ultrasound, is a routine for pregnant women.
It occurs in the second trimester. Medical practitioners believe that a pregnancy ultrasound is among the best ways to know about the baby’s condition.
By this, you check the gender of the baby, medical condition, and growth rate.
The anatomy scan is the best way to get a clear picture of the baby. You make fun of this picture and can put it into the picture album.
It is a way to save your memories safely and make them enjoyable. In this article, we will discuss the 20 week anatomy scan and how long it is an anatomy scan.
What do you know about 20 week ultrasound or an anatomy scan?
An anatomy scan is also termed a 20 week ultrasound. It is also called an anomaly scan. It is a parental ultrasound.
It occurs in the second trimester, or we can say that it happens between 18 to 22 weeks of gestation. Its main aim is to detect congenital disorders and anatomical deformities.
It also checks the physical growth of the baby. Your healthcare worker will provide a clear picture of the baby in your uterus. The clicked image may be in 2D or 3D, and 4D form.
Your medical practitioner will check that your baby is growing well according to age. You may also know about the gender of the baby.
What is the Average Duration of 20 Week Ultrasound?
There is no idea about the time you spend in the waiting room. You must mentally prepare to invest at least one hour for your 20 week ultrasound.
In reality, the 20-Week scan takes 45 minutes. But it can take the time up to one hour. However, 75 minutes is also the typical duration of a 20 week anatomy scan.
You should clearly explain the body condition to a medical worker.
You should not feel embarrassed if you are feeling irregular shape. Some females think they are embarrassed about telling their pain condition to the medical worker.
It is because they believe that I must bear this pain during movement. A medical worker or sonographer must pen down details of the ultrasound.
It may be helpful for further problems. You must take medication and make an appointment for a different process according to your condition.
Read More: What To Do After Positive Pregnancy Test? 15 best tips
What Event Occurs at the 20 Week Ultrasound?
A 20- week ultrasound occurs in a series of steps explained below:
Gel Application:
A medical worker will apply ultrasound gel to your abdomen.
Transducer Use:
- The next step is to use an ultrasound wand. It is also called a transducer. It is to get ultrasound images.
- The ultrasounds images are high quality and show your baby’s condition in the uterus.
Change in Body Position:
A sonographer may instruct you to change your body position during the 20-week ultrasound.
What type of Deformities Can be Detected in 20 Weeks Ultrasound?
In a 20-weeks anatomy scan, a medical worker will look at the baby’s physical health and abnormalities. To address anomalies is the primary motive for a 20 week ultrasound.
It is crucial for both mother and child. Many deformities can be sensed in a 20 week anatomy scan. Some of them are discussed below:
Heart Problem:
A sonographer looks at the anatomical structure of the heart. He tries his best to detect heart problem if it is not in their proper place.
Spine Problem:
Spine defects are the most common. A baby may suffer from an opening spine problem.
Congenital Disorders:
Several congenital disorders like Down syndrome and trisomy 18 may occur. Genetic disorders can be found early if you have your abdominal ultrasound in the first trimester.
Your baby’s size is large enough then, and you can notice any abnormality quickly.
Which Things are Investigated in an Anatomy Scan?
The anatomy is a way through which many mothers look to advance to. It is also a way to cause stress and anxiety. The anatomy scan is a must in the second trimester, which is between 18 to 22 weeks of pregnancy.
It is because major parts of embryos are formed during your second trimester. It helps a sonographer to detect abnormalities and growth of a baby. A sonographer is an ultrasound technician.
A sonographer that detects during the ultrasound is collectively termed a level 2 ultrasound. As discussed above, a sonographer detects abnormalities.
Moreover, ultrasound technicians can also see pregnancy problems at birth.
2D images are casual images from the 20 week anatomy scan. But a sonographer can use 3D or 4D images.
An ultrasound technician will make the following things during the 20-weeks anatomy scan:
Body Prts:
A sonographer will measure all parts of a baby, which include:
- Head
- Hip
- Belly
Body Organs:
An ultrasound technician will observe body organs. It includes:
- Stomach
- Brain
- Kidney
- Lungs
Heart:
During heart examination, four chambers of the heart are observed.
Gender:
Gender identification is also a significant part of the 20 week anatomy scan. The genital organs are of important focus.
Heart rate:
The Baby’s heart rate is also measured during the 20-week abdominal scan.
Amniotic Fluid:
It is fluid. It acts like a cushion to protect the embryo from pressure damage. It is also analyzed during 20—a week of ultrasound.
Pregnancy Structures:
The observance of pregnancy structures is vital to know. It includes:
- Umbilical cord
- Cervix
- Placenta
The Function of These Structures is also Observed.
A sonographer must get clear pictures. It is not because you have to show these to your grandparents. But it is because you must show these ultrasound images to your healthcare worker.
Through these pictures, the medical worker will investigate a baby’s health and physical appearance. It is done to ensure that baby is healthy and not suffering from any other disease.
An ultrasound technician may advise you to change your position if he faces any problems in taking pictures. You have to come another day if this problem happens.
You should not worry if an ultrasound technician faces any problem taking baby pictures. Your baby’s position may be inappropriate and tough to see. It is not a sign of worry.
Some ultrasound technician does not allow you to tell the abnormalities they noticed in the 20 week anatomy scan. It is because most technicians are not well educated, and they are not able to detect abnormalities. However, he can clarify the gender of the baby. He is also able to click clear pics, videos, and so many things related to it.
How to Prepare for a 20 week Anatomy Scan?
Here are some simple pieces of advice which you must follow before the 20 week anatomy scan.
Hydration:
- You must drink plenty of water before the 20 week anatomy scan.
- You can also use orange juice to keep yourself hydrated.
- You can take any other sugary drink for hydration.
- Your bladder should not empty before the ultrasound
- Proper body hydration keeps the baby moving; thus, an ultrasound technician may take proper measures.
Clothes:
You should wear loose clothes before the 20 week ultrasound.
Diet:
You must take the proper meal. It is important for both the baby and the mother.
Children:
A most important thing to remember is that your ultrasound will perform in the ultrasound room or the perinatologist’s office.
Children are not allowed to come with their mothers to the ultrasound room.
Is the Gender of Boby Can be Judged with a 20 week Anatomy Scan?
Yes, you can investigate the gender of your baby. But you must tell the sonographer you want to know about the baby’s sex. If you ask the ultrasound technician at the start, he will be able to check gender with concentration, like abnormalities and health.
In some, it is not allowed to tell you the gender of the baby. An ultrasound technician can tell you if you want to know about the gender of the baby.
Is a 20 week Anatomy Scan Can Affect my Baby or Me?
There are no clear harms of a 20 week anatomy scan. You must consider whether you should have an ultrasound or not.
One thing you must remember is that it has benefited more than harmed. You can check the condition of the baby. This may help you decide whether you should proceed with the pregnancy. You can also judge whether you should perform the further test or not.
Can I Take my Husband or a Family Member is the Ultrasound Room?
This question’s answer depends on the hospital’s rules. It is because, during the current COVID condition, some hospitals allow only patients to come into the ultrasound room.
Caretakers are not allowed to go with the patient. If you want to take someone to the anatomy scan room, you should work as the hospital’s administration.
How Much Time is Required for the Results of the 20-Anatomy Scan?
There are two types of results that you can find in 20 week anatomy scan. One is during the ultrasound, and another is after an ultrasound.
During Ultrasound:
- You can determine the baby’s sex during an ultrasound. If you want to know about the sex of the baby, you should consult the ultrasound technician.
Duration:
- It requires about five to 10 minutes to determine the anatomy scan.
After Ultrasound:
- Ultrasound technicians are not allowed to tell the abnormalities found during an ultrasound.
- After the ultrasound, they pen down the report and send it to the radiology department. Here it is examined properly.
- At last, your report is transferred to your healthcare worker. Your healthcare worker will guide you about results.
Duration:
- The duration of this procedure may vary. It may take up to 2 days. In some cases, it may take more time than usual.
Should I be Worried about any Abnormality in the 20 week Anatomy Scan?
As we know, a 20 week ultrasound shows the baby’s good health. It is good news for the parent. At the same time, some deformities may also occur.
But you must remember that it is not the best tool. Due to the inappropriate position of an embryo, ultrasound results may be affected.
As we know that Diana Spalding wrote a book named The Motherly Guide to becoming a mama. In this book, a report state that the ultrasound results are not too accurate and may contain different errors. But it can detect certain deformities like:
Heart Disease:
About 40-50% of heart disease can be detected.
Nervous Disorders:
70-90% of nervous disorders can be detected by it.
Urinary Tract Abnormalities:
25% to 70% of abnormalities can be detected.
Abdominal and Digestive Problems:
About 46-100% of abnormalities can be detected.
Bone Deformities:
20% to 50% of bone deformities can be detected.
Remember that it is not accurate. It may give errors.
You should talk to your doctor or midwife if you face abnormalities-related anxiety. Your healthcare worker will guide you according to your condition. You may have to perform another ultrasound to get better results.
Should we Follow the Specific Date of the Ultrasound?
If you follow the specific due date of the ultrasound, you can check your baby’s growth rate. Your expected delivery date is estimated at the start of pregnancy.
Your doctor or midwife can track the date of delivery with the help of a 20 week anatomy scan.
How Accurate is the Gender Determination by 20 week Ultrasound?
Primarily an ultrasound result for sex investigation is accurate. Suppose your ultrasound worker investigates that you are conceiving a baby boy.
But you can ask them to investigate again if you are sure to have a baby girl.
An ultrasound worker has a firm grip on investigating gender and other deformities. For a 20 week anatomy scan, one small study in 2014 revealed that an anatomy scan could cause 100% accurate gender determination.
You Can get a Picture by 20 week Ultrasound.
It would help if you asked a sonographer for a picture in black and white form. You can take this picture home to make it a part of your memory. You can use this picture:
- You can place this picture in the memory book of your baby.
- Sling it on your refrigerator.
- Demonstration to the family relative.
- It helps you to make your memories useful.
What is the Next Step in ap 20 week Anatomy Scan?
As you know, an ultrasound worker can tell the investigators what he observed during the examination. You should ask your physician or midwife if you want to know about ultrasound results. Thus, you can decide what you should do at the 24-week ultrasound.
Benefits of a 20 week Anatomy Scan?
Development:
You can easily track the development of the baby.
Organs:
You can check the progress of the heart and brain.
Delivery date:
We can estimate the expected delivery date.
Conclusion:
When we are concerned about the 20 week anatomy scan, the anomaly scan occurs in the second trimester of pregnancy. You can check the growth rate of the baby and the expected delivery date.
Its standard duration is 45 to 70 minutes. You can also investigate deformities like nervous disorders, bone deformities, and heart diseases.
FAQs:
Can I intake juice before the 20 week anatomy scan?
It is essential thing that you should take fresh juice or sugary product before an ultrasound. Your body must be hydrated. Some doctors did not advise you to drink plenty of water.
Which is the severe utmost week of pregnancy?
The first 12 weeks of pregnancy are the most important. In this period, most of the body’s organs are formed, which is the most critical phase of pregnancy.
Which type of clothes should I wear before the 20 week ultrasound?
You should wear loose clothes before an anatomy scan. It is because your abdominal area is exposed during an ultrasound. You must wear a face mask.
Which type of food should I eat before the 20-week anatomy?
It would help if you were hydrated. You should drink fresh juice and eat healthy food.