7 week ultrasound: Is It too early and what can you expect to see?

7 weeks of pregnancy is an important milestone in which some pregnant women may already have their first ultrasound screening. Although it’s still an early stage of pregnancy, doing an ultrasound at 7 weeks is not too early. It can be performed if there is:

• Bleeding or pain
• A possibility of ectopic pregnancy
• Previous fertility issues or IVF
• A suspicion of multiples

Despite the reason for scheduling, a 7 week ultrasound is performed transvaginally. It can show the gestational sac, yolk sac, fetal pole, and heartbeat.

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An ultrasound is one of the most important screenings in pregnancy. In the first trimester, this kind of scan is done to confirm a viable pregnancy, rule out any complications, and identify the gestational age, which allows doctors to determine your expected due date. Additionally, early pregnancy ultrasounds are important for identifying multiple pregnancies and for the overall assessment of the baby’s development.

Apart from the medical importance, the first ultrasound screenings tend to be incredibly important for parents-to-be. During your ultrasound, you will see your baby for the first time and hear their heartbeat, so it’s natural to feel excited about it.

While every pregnancy is different and the timing of the first screening can vary, a 7 week ultrasound is quite a common milestone. In this article, we’ll tell you everything you should know about it to reduce anxiety and set realistic expectations.

Is 7 Weeks Too Early for an Ultrasound?

No. Typically, the earliest first-trimester screenings are scheduled around 6-9 weeks. The exact timing of your first ultrasound can depend on a variety of factors, including your doctor, symptoms, previous pregnancy history, and the type of conception. Some pregnant women can have their first ultrasounds even earlier, for example, at week 5 or 6.

Still, 7 weeks is generally not considered too early. In contrast, this is the time when a sonographer should be able to see a gestational sac, fetal pole, and cardiac activity more clearly, allowing for a more accurate pregnancy assessment. So, generally, 7 weeks is a good time for an early scan.

Why Get an Ultrasound at 7 Weeks?

Although 7 weeks isn’t too early to get an ultrasound, often, doctors will schedule your first routine screening a few weeks later. A 7 week ultrasound might be scheduled for certain medical reasons, such as:

• Bleeding or pain are the most common reasons to have an early scan. If you experience both or one of these symptoms, a doctor might schedule an ultrasound to rule out a miscarriage. However, even if you have these symptoms and get scheduled for a 7 week ultrasound, there is no reason to worry just yet. It’s important to remember that bleeding or spotting is rather common in early pregnancy, affecting about 15% to 25% of pregnant women in the first 12 weeks. So, while this can feel alarming and require a consultation with a healthcare professional, it doesn’t necessarily mean a miscarriage.
• Your doctor may also schedule a 7 week ultrasound to rule out the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy. This is crucial because ectopic pregnancies might be threatening if left untreated. Such a screening might be done if you have symptoms like vaginal bleeding, tummy pain, shoulder tip pain, and others. Of course, even thinking about this possibility at 7 weeks is hard. Still, it’s important to understand that ectopic pregnancies are incredibly rare.
• It’s also common to do the first ultrasound scans earlier if there is a history of fertility issues. For example, women who have had a miscarriage before or had an IVF are often screened more meticulously and frequently than others. And this is also not a cause for concern. It’s just an important safety measure to ensure that your pregnancy is viable and develops as expected.
• Last but not least important, early screenings can be done if there is suspicion of multiples. Early ultrasounds enable doctors to identify the number of fetuses in your uterus and prepare a personalized care plan that responds to the situation.

What Happens in a 7 Week Ultrasound?

As you may know, there are two types of ultrasound screening done in pregnancy - transvaginal and abdominal. Chances are that you’ve seen abdominal ultrasound in shows and movies a lot. In this kind of ultrasound, a sonographer applies a special gel and moves a transducer over the woman’s abdomen to receive an image. Due to common exposure of this procedure in popular media, it’s common for women to expect to have the same kind of ultrasound. However, we must inform you that it’s not typically done in early pregnancy.

In the first 11 to 12 weeks, doctors typically use an internal (transvaginal) scan as it offers a more detailed image of a still small fetus. During this ultrasound, a healthcare provider will insert a wand-like transducer into your vagina, which is something you should be prepared for at 7 weeks. But don’t worry about it. Transvaginal ultrasounds don’t cause any discomfort and are considered absolutely safe for you and your baby.

What Can You Expect to See at a 7 Week Ultrasound?

Although 7 weeks is about the right time to have your early scans, it’s important to understand that this is still a rather early stage of gestation. That is, the results from the screening might still not be exactly what you expected to see. At this point, the embryo’s crown-rump length (CRL) is about 10mm, and it’s the size of a grape. That is, the ultrasound image will likely show you only a small dot. Besides, the limbs and other physical features of the baby are only forming, which means that you will only see a silhouette of the embryo, rather than a developed baby.

These differences between what expectant mothers want to see and what they actually see during a 7 week ultrasound can cause a lot of worries and disappointment. And this is why setting realistic expectations for your first scans is crucial. To help you do this, let’s briefly review what you can expect to see during your early screenings:

• Gestational sac – This is a fluid-filled sac that protects the baby during pregnancy. In a screening, doctors look at it to confirm an intrauterine pregnancy. Typically, it appears as a darker area inside the uterus.
• Yolk sac – This is a smaller sac inside the gestational sac that supplies oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. In the ultrasound, it’s seen as a smaller, white circle next to the embryo.
• Embryo – At 7 weeks, your baby is still too small to see a distinct embryo shape. However, you can expect to see a fetal pole, which is an elongated or curved shape from which your baby develops.

Can You Hear a Heartbeat at 7 Weeks?

Apart from the gestational sac, yolk sac, and embryo, there is another important developmental milestone detected in an ultrasound – the heartbeat. Typically, you can already detect the heartbeat at 7 weeks successful pregnancy.

The beating of cardiac tissue begins around week 5 and 6 of pregnancy. At week 7, the pumping chambers (ventricles) and receiving chambers (atria) of the fetus’s heart begin to separate and develop. Thus, at this time, the heartbeat can become more pronounced and faster.

If you don’t detect the heartbeat during a 7 week ultrasound, this can feel somewhat frustrating and alarming. This could mean that the pregnancy has stopped developing. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, the absence of the heartbeat can be due to an incorrectly calculated pregnancy start, a tilted uterus, or other factors that make it harder to detect the heartbeat. In this case, your doctor will likely schedule a follow-up appointment in several weeks.

Miscarriage 7 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound

If you’ve been scheduled for an ultrasound at 7 weeks due to disturbing symptoms, there might be a suspicion of a miscarriage. Although this might be hard to talk about, it’s important to know what to expect from a screening if you’re experiencing a pregnancy loss.

If there is a miscarriage, an ultrasound image might show the following:

• No gestational sac
•  An empty gestational sac
• Irregular gestational sac
• An embryo that’s smaller than expected
• No heartbeat

If any of these signs are detected, a doctor will likely schedule a blood test to check hCG levels and discuss the next steps with you. It’s important to adhere to the doctor's recommendations and receive the necessary support at this stage.

FAQ

Why do I need to get a transvaginal ultrasound at 7 weeks?

This is mainly because your baby is still very tiny and may not be clearly visible in an abdominal ultrasound.  Internal screenings offer a more detailed image and enable doctors to assess your pregnancy more accurately. There is also no reason to worry about this because this kind of ultrasound is absolutely safe.

Should I worry if I have a miscarriage 7 weeks pregnant ultrasound scheduled?

Screenings used to rule out a miscarriage are normally scheduled if there are any concerning symptoms, such as bleeding or pain. It's important to see your doctor and follow their advice if you have these symptoms. However, it's also important to remember that bleeding is common in early pregnancy and is not necessarily a sign of a miscarriage. An ultrasound is needed to check for a heartbeat and confirm pregnancy viability.

What’s the normal heartbeat at 7 weeks successful pregnancy?

7 weeks is typically the time when it’s possible to detect the fetal heartbeat. According to different sources, the normal heartbeat at this time can range between 90 and 110 beats per minute (BPM). Generally, there is no reason to worry about the BMP rate at this point because your baby’s heart is still developing, and detecting the heartbeat is generally a very positive sign.

Conclusion

As you now know, doing a 7 week ultrasound is generally not early. Although routine screenings often begin later, you can be scheduled for an earlier scan for medical reasons, for example, if you experience pain or bleeding or have a history of fertility issues.

In any case, there is no reason to worry about early screenings. Typically, they are performed to confirm a viable pregnancy, identify gestational age, and prepare a personalized care plan to make your pregnancy run smoothly. Hopefully, this guide will help you understand early screenings better and set realistic expectations.

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