Video:What Happens in an Ultrasound

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Transcript:What Happens in an Ultrasound

Hi. My name is Dr. Charletta Ayers, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at UMDNJ, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, here, for About.com.

Why Have an Ultrasound

Today I’m here to speak to you about your experience when you have an ultrasound when you’re pregnant. Most of the time there is a few reasons for having an ultrasound when you’re pregnant. One is to confirm pregnancy. The other is to determine the number of weeks you are or how long you’re pregnant. And, the final one is to actually see if the baby or your pregnancy is growing normally. I doesn’t hurt at all.

What Happens in an Ultrasound

The first thing your doctor is going to ask you to do is your abdomen will be exposed. You’ll get a cold gel, and like a film, going over your abdomen. And after that film is placed over your abdomen there will be a transducer or wand which will go across your abdomen.

What Can the Ultrasound Show?

Now, what is an ultra-sound? An ultra sound are like sound waves which are so high that you can’t hear them. But, they bounce off the baby, which is doesn’t hurt. But bounce off the baby in order to see shadows and able to see a picture of your new baby. Now, once that gel goes on and the wand goes over we’re able to actually see how along you are in your pregnancy as well as to look for other structures to make sure that we can tell you that your pregnancy is normal.

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