An ultrasound is essential to protecting your health and making an educated pregnancy decision. Having this scan before moving forward will ensure you receive critical pregnancy details and consider all your options.
Below, we’ll outline three critical reasons to have an ultrasound. You can also request an appointment with Ava Health to learn about your eligibility for a limited ultrasound.
1. Learn whether your pregnancy is progressing.
A positive test alone isn’t enough to verify a viable pregnancy. A pregnancy test only tells you if there is increased hCG in your urine, but it will not tell you if your pregnancy is viable or its location. An ultrasound verifies that your pregnancy is progressing.
Around 25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, with 80% of those losses occurring within the first trimester. If your pregnancy has ended, you may need medical treatment to prevent complications.
2. Determine how far along you are.
Gestational age refers to how far along you are in your pregnancy. This information is essential to decision-making because it can help determine your options.
For example, medical abortion is FDA-approved through 10 weeks gestation. Taking abortion drugs after this time is not recommended because of the potential for health risks or serious side effects. Additionally, the later these drugs are taken, the more likely they are to fail.
3. Verify whether the pregnancy is in the right location.
Pregnancies should develop in the uterus. However, some women experience an ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when the fertilized egg implants in another location (such as the cervix or a fallopian tube).
This complication occurs about 2% of the time, making it a rare occurrence.
Ectopic pregnancies cannot survive and can lead to life-threatening complications without treatment. Moreover, since women can have typical early pregnancy symptoms with this condition, they may not detect an issue until later on.
An ultrasound is crucial to verifying your pregnancy’s location and keeping you safe. This scan is easier to obtain than you may realize.
No-Cost Services
Our patients are our priority. If you are facing an unexpected pregnancy, you can receive lab-quality urine pregnancy testing with us. If your test is positive, you may be eligible for a limited, first or second-trimester obstetric ultrasound.
Ava Health is here for you. Request a no-cost and confidential appointment today.
Ava Health does not provide or refer for abortions.
All abortion information sourced in this blog is based on accurate information at the time of writing.