6 Week Pregnancy Ultrasound

Why did your doctor order an ultrasound at 6 weeks?

Typically, the end of your first trimester (around 11 to 14 weeks) is when you have your first ultrasound in pregnancy. But if your doctor or midwife wants you to have one at 6 weeks, they'll tell you why. If not, ask them.

It may be because you've had pregnancy complications or early pregnancy losses in the past. Or it may be due to your age or medical history, or if you've had to bleed, or your recollection of your last period is hazy because that's the best time to set the due date.

Why You Might Need NIPT?

NIPT is a non-invasive test which detects chromosome abnormalities as early as from 10th week. 

What should you see on a 6-week scan?

At 6 weeks gestation, you might be able to see:

• A black oval circle (black is fluid on ultrasound) which is the gestation sac
• A little white ring which is the yolk sac where the baby feeds from in the early weeks of pregnancy,
• the embryo (foetal pole)and
• possibly the heartbeat might be visible

Can you see the baby at 6 weeks?

6 weeks into your pregnancy is also the earliest time that you might be able to see the foetal pole and the foetal heartbeat.

What else can you see?

The yolk sac, a ring shape bright circle might also be visible. The yolk sac is where your baby is feeding at this early stage in pregnancy. Sometimes only the gestation sac is visible with no foetal pole or yolk sac, and you might be asked to come back in a week to 10 days. In most cases, this is because you might be earlier in your pregnancy than you think.