Ultrasound at 6 weeks of pregnancy: how they do it, what it shows, ultrasound norms

Ultrasound at the 6th obstetric week of pregnancy

The 6th obstetric week of pregnancy is the time when the fetus can be seen quite clearly on an ultrasound. As prescribed by the attending physician, a woman can undergo this procedure at this time to determine a further pregnancy management strategy.

Why is an ultrasound scan necessary at 6 weeks of pregnancy?

The timing of mandatory ultrasound is established by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. For the 1st trimester it is 10-13 weeks, for the 2nd – 20-24, for the 3rd – 32-34 weeks. But there are cases when ultrasound diagnostics can be performed earlier:

• the woman has already had miscarriages or missed pregnancies;
• fertilization was performed in vitro (IVF);
• previous pregnancies ended in a cesarean section (that is, a scar was left on the uterus, and it is important to see how close the chorion is attached to it).

An ultrasound is performed to first confirm the fact of pregnancy, then assess where the fertilized egg is attached (in the uterus or outside it), then assess its size and identify existing threats to pregnancy.

What do they look for on an ultrasound?

Performing an ultrasound in the sixth week of pregnancy

, the doctor will first look to see if the fertilized egg is visualized in the uterus. Next, you need to evaluate its size and see if there is a living embryo in the egg.

Also, with the help of ultrasound, you need to see how the fetal heart is formed and at what frequency it beats.

It is important to look at the condition of the organs of the reproductive system of the expectant mother. In particular, evaluate the length of the cervix, since a cervix that is too short can cause miscarriage or premature birth.

In the sixth week, the endometrium is also examined using ultrasound, identifying its pathologies.

Dangerous timing: when can it happen?

Fetal development can stop at any time up to 28 weeks (in rare cases, cessation of development can occur later), but the greatest likelihood of such a pathology occurs in the first trimester. There are also several periods with the highest risks of frozen pregnancy, these include the following periods:

• 3-4 weeks;
• 8-10 week;
• 16-18 weeks.

It is these periods that most often become critical for pregnancy.

What happens to the fetus in the sixth week?

By the sixth week of pregnancy, the fetus has grown to approximately 5 mm. Now his heart makes from 140 to 160 beats per minute, that is, it beats almost twice as fast as the heart of the expectant mother. The shape of the fetus’s body already resembles a human’s; you can distinguish where its head is and where its limbs will be.

The fetal head still remains disproportionately large, but the places where the eyes, ears and mouth will be located in the future are already marked on it.

An amniotic sac has already formed, in which the baby will remain throughout the entire pregnancy until birth.

At the sixth week, the fetus begins to actively form muscles, which means it will soon be able to make its first active movements. At first, the mother will not feel them, only by about 15-16 weeks she will feel the first pleasant kicks of the baby.

This week, all internal organs of the fetus, its nervous system, and brain also continue to develop and grow.

Causes of missed abortion?

Even doctors are not always able to find out with certainty why a frozen pregnancy occurred. In modern medicine, there are a number of reasons that can cause this pathology. They are all divided into several large groups:

• Genetic pathologies. It is these reasons that most often provoke the arrest of fetal development. Pathological genes or the presence of an extra chromosome in the embryo can cause the development of many defects that are incompatible with life, which leads to termination of pregnancy. Often genetic pathologies cause pregnancy to stop developing in the eighth to tenth week.
• Infections. A frozen pregnancy can also often occur due to the presence of infectious diseases, since during the period of bearing a child, a woman experiences a fairly serious decline in immune defense. TORCH infections, which include rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes and toxoplasmosis, are considered especially dangerous during this period. The greatest danger to the fetus is the mother’s first “meeting” with the infection while she is already pregnant. Therefore, when registering, pregnant women are strongly recommended to undergo screening for these types of infections. Even seemingly simple and common diseases such as influenza or ARVI can cause pathology, especially in the early stages, when vital organs are forming in the fetus. The infection can affect the fetus directly, causing various types of abnormalities, or it can affect the membranes, resulting in a significant lack of oxygen or nutrients to the fetus.
• Hormonal disorders. Hormonal balance is extremely important for normal childbearing. Therefore, with a lack of progesterone or an excess of male hormones (androgens), the likelihood of miscarriage significantly increases. It is recommended to treat any hormonal imbalances before pregnancy.
• Antiphospholipid syndrome. Because of them, the formation of placental vessels may decrease or become blocked, which leads to disruption of the fetus receiving the necessary nutrition.
• Teratozoospermia. This cause of missed pregnancy is associated with pathologies in the man’s seminal fluid. With teratozoospermia, sperm have an abnormal structure, so fertilization with such a cell leads to abnormal development of the embryo.
• Lifestyle. The presence of bad habits, as well as lifestyle during pregnancy (and the planning period) can also negatively affect the development of the embryo, causing it to die. Drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking, stress, occupational hazards, daily routine, sedentary lifestyle, unbalanced diet - all these are considered negative factors for pregnancy.
• Other factors. Fading of pregnancy can also occur due to a sharp change in climate or a history of abortions (especially if there were several of them).

In some cases, several reasons may be detected at once that could lead to the miscarriage of pregnancy.

How is an ultrasound performed at 6 weeks of pregnancy?

There are two options for how doctors do an ultrasound in the 6th week of pregnancy:

• The transvaginal method
  is the insertion of a vaginal ultrasound sensor protected by a special condom into the vaginal cavity of a pregnant woman.
• Transabdominal method
  - through the skin of the abdomen. Before the scan, women apply a special gel to their abdomen.

The first method may cause some discomfort to the woman, but its results will be more accurate and complete. Contraindications to transvaginal ultrasound for a pregnant woman may include bleeding or abdominal pain.

Signs and symptoms

The symptoms of a frozen pregnancy are the same in any trimester. The main signs that may indicate such a pathology are:

• vaginal discharge with blood;
• general weakness, chills, increased body temperature;
• nagging pain in the lower abdomen;
• cessation of swelling and soreness of the mammary glands;
• sudden disappearance of toxicosis manifestations;
• absence of fetal movements (with pathology in the second trimester).

Despite the existence of characteristic symptoms of the pathology, often the cessation of fetal development goes unnoticed, since the basal temperature can remain within 37 degrees, and the hCG level remains high for several more weeks. In this case, the woman learns about the problem only at her next doctor’s appointment or routine ultrasound.

What will an ultrasound show at 6 weeks of pregnancy?

What an ultrasound scan shows at the 6th week of pregnancy is very important, since it determines how the pregnancy will proceed in the future and whether its continuation is possible in principle.

Ultrasound at 6 weeks

shows:

• Is there a pregnancy?
• Location of the fertilized egg. The norm is the uterine location.
• Number of embryos. At the 6th week it will be possible to determine a multiple pregnancy.
• Dimensions of the fertilized egg. This indicator is necessary for doctors to clarify the gestational age.
• Fetal heartbeat. Only modern equipment can allow you to listen to the heart of an unborn baby at the 6th week. If the ultrasound machine does not have this capability, you will have to wait another 1-2 weeks to accurately assess the beating frequency of the small heart.

At the 6th week, it is too early to talk about identifying any developmental defects, since not a single system or organ in the fetus has yet formed.
If the embryo in the cavity of the ovum is not visualized, this may signal the fading of pregnancy (that is, the death of the fetus). After the ultrasound, you can take a photo in which the outlines of the future baby will be visible.

What it is?

A frozen pregnancy is a pregnancy that initially complied with all medical standards, but at a certain period suddenly stopped developing. The cessation of progress in the development of the fetus leads to its death, but it remains in the uterine cavity. For this reason, this pathology is called a failed miscarriage.

In fact, at the very beginning everything happens, as in a normal pregnancy - the egg is fertilized, enters the uterus and is implanted for further development, but at one moment it stops. This pathology also includes “empty ovum” syndrome. It represents the development of membranes in which there is no embryo. With this syndrome, a pregnancy test is positive, as well as an hCG test.

I won't give up

I got pregnant and gave birth 3 cycles after I froze. I gave birth to my second one after that. I didn’t do an ultrasound at all, neither for my daughter nor for my son.

Ultrasound errors

“I had a different situation. At 8 weeks of pregnancy, pain began at night. We went to the maternity hospital, where the doctor on duty, after an ultrasound, dryly told me that the embryo looked 5-6 weeks old, no more, a frozen pregnancy. Like, come to us tomorrow morning, we’ll do all the tests and send you for cleaning. In the morning I went to my gynecologist, who in turn noted that everything was fine, we were developing... It was almost exactly 4 years ago, I was surfing the Internet, and my already three-year-old healthy “frozen pregnancy” was sleeping in the crib.”

Source: https://www.babyplan....t#ixzz2Q8NZfkkM

“3 months ago I had anembryonia, all the tests after were good, they recommended, as usual, not to get pregnant, but it so happened that after 3 months there were 2 stripes again, although we were careful, it came out like this. They brought me back from vacation, as soon as they returned, they ran to the hospital - and there the nightmare repeated itself - anembryonia again. The doctor is shocked - this doesn’t happen, she prescribed a cleaning in two days. I myself was on the verge of a breakdown, so I got drunk that day. a couple of days later, just in case, something twitched - I went to another doctor for an ultrasound , she found an embryo. My hair is standing on end, I just want to bury all the doctors...” https://www.pregnancy...eremennost/?p=4

“ I was also told by ultrasound at 6-7 weeks to urgently remove the fertilized egg, despite the fact that they didn’t see a heartbeat... a week later I went to another doctor and they saw everything. Any day now we will give birth to our son. so don't do a quick cleaning. wait.. « https://www.komarovskiy.net/faq/po-uzi-otsutstvuet-serdcebienie-u-ploda.html

“We were diagnosed with frozen pregnancy. ultrasound doctor said that the process is irreversible, there is no heartbeat, the uterus is preparing for a miscarriage, 2-3 days ago the pregnancy froze, the term was set at 5-6 weeks. . Of course it was hard to hear all this. The tears could not be stopped, there was a strong chill. I went home in a zombie state. On the way, I decided to go to a good clinic near my house, have an interruption or schedule it for the next day, because... It was the end of the working day. The clinic did an ultrasound again, but the diagnosis was not confirmed! They let me listen to the heartbeat, they set the deadline at 6-7 weeks, and showed me the fetus. Yes, there was a small placental abruption, but overall everything was fine! Pregnancy can be maintained. Here are the results of 2 ultrasounds between which only 20-30 minutes passed. « https://www.medkrug.r...22&page_pager=4

“The first time I came to the ambulance to be saved, the deadline was 6 weeks. They did an ultrasound on the trail. day - they said it was frozen for a period of 3-4 weeks, PJ 11mm. sent for cleaning. and by that time I had already read a lot of BP and knew that late O , and you can, for example, monitor the dynamics of hCG , or the dynamics of ultrasound . So what ? Did they offer me anything? No. Well, I refused. The doctor screamed at me across the entire floor. but I refused anyway. she brought me a referral to the women’s hospital for an expert ultrasound - she did it - “well, what can I tell you, you have a wonderful baby doll, PI 24mm, look, your heart is beating, do you want to look at the heart?” on the city forum there are a lot of messages “there - my frozen one ran. They have a plan for curettage. If they didn’t love you at first sight, they tell you about the frozen one...”

Source: https://www.babyplan.ru/otvety/_/vrach-skazalaeto-uzhasya-v-isterikedevochki-pomogite-r26729#ixzz2Um0vYOPg

“ On October 3, I went for an ultrasound , the doctor said that the pregnancy was frozen at 2-3 weeks. I waved to him and said that I would come on October 10. Result: October 10, intrauterine pregnancy 3-4 weeks SB+. "

Source: https://www.babyplan.ru/otvety/_/ischu-polozhitelnuyu-istoriyu-r36986#ixzz2eNaeJyk6

«At 7 weeks they didn’t see either an embryo or a heart..

The embryo appeared at almost 8, without a heart, and at 8 and 2 days only a heart appeared..."

Source: https://www.babyplan.ru/otvety/_/nerazvivayuschayasya-beremennost-r37202#ixzz2eZTDyUNm

“ In my first B, only PJ was found. In the second, only at 8 weeks, SB was found.”

Source: https://www.babyplan.ru/otvety/_/nerazvivayuschayasya-beremennost-r37202#ixzz2eZTahIkP

“according to ultrasound , 7 weeks and 2 days. Here is my story! I had a blood clot on Sunday 21, on Monday. still smeared. I went from work to the ambulance straight to the hospital and was taken into custody. and there……. I was diagnosed with a ST and told to undergo curettage. I'm panicking. No preliminary tests, no normal ultrasound , etc. They scare me that decomposition will begin there and the like, that there is no time to delay! I argued with the doctor and the manager. and then they told me that without tests no one would take me to surgery and if I don’t want to, write a refusal on the sheet and go. At the same time, the nurse told me twice that you have a cleaning tomorrow or today!!!! Am I deaf and don’t understand what they’re saying to me? But there can’t be a doctor, etc. The next day I told my relatives the bad news. I don’t eat, I don’t drink, I lie down. By lunchtime we have an ultrasound and... We are 6 weeks 2 days, my heart is beating perfectly!!!! And an hour later the same doctor - We will save!!!!! The question is why did they put non-development first? She said that my cycle is more than 30 days and it is unrealistic to count from the first day of my last period. But the doctor doesn’t matter to me!! And after the ultrasound she said, it means your fertilization is late! I asked her, so why was it so nerve-wracking, straight away cleaning and that’s it? How is that possible? She’s angry at me that I talk to her disrespectfully, etc.”

Source: https://www.babyplan.ru/user/25998-mama-shmakodyavki-zhdet/page__tab__charts?c=12#ixzz2Um3L99C9

«I spent so much nerves in literally a month.

I was admitted for preservation with spotting, and ended up taking antibiotics because of kidney inflammation (which I didn’t even feel), after which the doctor hit me in the head and said that I needed to have an abortion.

As soon as I survived this blow and did not agree, she sent me for an ultrasound , and then they diagnosed me with anaembryology, again for cleaning - I was rejected.

I had to wait 10 days for a second ultrasound , but I somehow lived for a week and here it is:

I had a paid ultrasound :

There is an embryo, the heartbeat is rhythmic, pregnancy is 6-7 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Right in the office I burst into tears from happiness, tension and all the feelings that are overwhelming me now! «

Source: https://www.babyplan.ru/otvety/_/radost-r36710#ixzz2e6DminWS

“Author, I had exactly the same story, only they didn’t give me a VB , but a frozen one! And this is for a period of five weeks! Off to the cleanup! We also found the Good Doctor, our Sorceress, who saved our daughter for us!!! And I still feel sick when I drive past this hospital, and I want to kill that bastard who almost deprived me of my happiness!!!

By the way, they get an additional payment for cleaning in addition to their salary, so they clean everyone in a row!!!”

Source: https://www.babyplan..../#ixzz2ShEtR7JP

a ST at 5-6 weeks because I couldn’t hear my heartbeat. 05/22/12 I had an ultrasound ultrasound in 3 days and with my things already, because... They will do the cleaning. I came on May 25, 2012 (though without my things) - and my heart started beating!!! Now my son is 4 months old.”

Source: https://www.babyplan.ru/otvety/_/vrach-skazalaeto-uzhasya-v-isterikedevochki-pomogite-r26729#ixzz2UmGRww9N

“I was diagnosed with twins at 8 weeks, even already at 9 (we didn’t think we were pregnant at all, much less with twins). Naturally, there were already little people with beating hearts there.” https://forum.forumok.ru/index.php?showtopic=53970

Embryo 10 weeks

At the end of the 10th week, the size will be about 4 cm. The eyelids will close before the eyes; the baby will be able to open them himself at 7 months. The respiratory system is almost ready for use. The rudimentary tail disappears, and buttocks form in its place. The baby moves freely inside the uterine area.

The skeleton and its structure fully correspond to a person. The arms and legs become longer to the appropriate proportions. But the head will occupy almost half the length of the body. This is explained by the active development of the cerebral hemispheres, the cerebellum is growing. The external genitalia develop according to gender. You will soon find out if he or she is growing in your belly. The baby's blood acquires its own group and Rh factor.

Causes of heart rate disturbances

There are often cases when a baby’s heart beats faster or slower than the generally accepted norm.
There may be several reasons for this. For example, if at a period of 6–8 embryonic weeks the heart rate is 200, this may indicate the development of hypoxia in the child - oxygen starvation. In this case, various pathologies of the development of the cardiovascular system or physiological disorders may occur.

In the same case, when the beat is heard less frequently than the established norm (80 times per minute), this may signal the development of bradycardia in the fetus.

The reasons for the absence of a heartbeat may include factors such as the mother’s smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages, her development of anemia, severe toxicosis, etc.

There are often cases when in the initial stages of pregnancy the heartbeat is not heard at all or is heard very faintly. There are several main reasons:

• old equipment - in this case, the woman can be advised to go to another clinic, where the equipment is more sensitive, which will allow the fetal heartbeat to be heard;
• too much or insufficient amount of amniotic fluid - this situation simply does not make it possible to hear the baby’s heart beat. In this case, it is recommended to wait a while and repeat the examination;
• multiple births - during an ultrasound examination, the specialist cannot listen to the mixed sound of beating several hearts;
• the woman’s pregnancy period is incorrectly determined - since heartbeats can be heard for the first time only after six weeks, if the period is incorrectly determined (too short), this is simply impossible to do;
• fetal position - if the baby lies pressed against the opposite abdominal wall, during an ultrasound examination the contractions of his heart are simply not audible.

These indicators cannot be considered borderline. In each individual case there may be slight deviations from the above standards. But this is not a reason to panic.

Embryo 16 weeks - 19 weeks

During these three weeks, the fetus will noticeably increase in size and will be 22 cm in height, 240 g. in weight. During this period, the entire body will be covered with vernix lubrication, the glands begin to produce hormones, and the skeleton becomes much stronger. The lower part of the fruit begins to grow faster than the upper, that is, the proportions are equalized. Sex cells are formed in girls. This week may be accompanied by the first fetal movements. They won't be active at first, so don't worry if you don't feel your baby all the time.

What tests should I take after?

Before becoming pregnant after a frozen pregnancy, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of a recurrence of what happened. Treatment must be appropriate to the problem that caused the pathology. Therefore, it is extremely important to undergo a full examination, which will help determine the reason for the fading of fetal development. Based on the results of the examination, doctors prescribe treatment in accordance with the detected diseases.

It is recommended to undergo examination after the woman’s menstrual cycle has returned (usually this takes about 30 days after cleansing). But both spouses should get tested. A full examination includes:

• genetic examination of spouses;
• tests for TORCH infections;
• study of hormonal levels;
• blood coagulogram;
• Gynecological ultrasound;
• spermogram;
• immunogram.

Such an examination is usually sufficient to determine the causes of frozen pregnancy both in the early and late stages. The attending physician may prescribe additional tests if necessary. All these examinations can be completed at the IVF and infertility treatment clinic of Academician V.I. Grishchenko.

A frozen pregnancy is not a death sentence - in 90% of cases, after the occurrence of such a pathology, spouses in the near future become happy parents of healthy babies. The main thing is to undergo a full examination and eliminate the cause of the pathology. And if necessary, you can undergo the procedure of artificial insemination (IVF).