9 week ultrasound: Why and how it’s done, and what to expect

At 9 weeks, you enter the last month of your first trimester, which is a major milestone. At this time, your baby is developing rapidly, gaining the first notable facial features, starting to develop its genitals, and reaching the size of a strawberry.

Now that your baby has grown a little, you may have your first medical screenings performed. A 9 week ultrasound is commonly done transvaginally because the fetus is still too small. A transvaginal probe allows a doctor to confirm pregnancy viability, detect multiples, and rule out any complications. At this time, you can expect to see the following in a sonogram:

• The gestational sac
• The yolk sac
• Placenta and the umbilical cord
• An embryo with its head, body, limbs, and some facial features

Additionally, you should be able to detect your baby’s heartbeat, after which the risk of miscarriage decreases significantly.

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9 weeks of pregnancy is both an exciting and stressful milestone. This is the beginning of the last month in your first trimester and, often, the time when your first pregnancy screenings will begin. First-trimester scans matter for many reasons. They are known as “dating and viability” ultrasounds because during them, your doctor will finally confirm a healthy pregnancy development and determine the due date.

While you may feel excited to see a doctor and have your first ultrasound, chances are that you still have a lot of questions about your 9 week ultrasound, especially if this is your first child. In this guide, we’ll answer all the questions you may have concerning your first screening to help you prepare for it.

What’s Happening in Your Body in 9 Weeks?

9 weeks is still early in your pregnancy. Nevertheless, this term is large enough to start noticing more and more prominent pregnancy signs.

At this time, it’s typical to feel unwell. This happens due to the main pregnancy hormone – human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which starts releasing from the moment of implantation, and doubles every 48-72 hours from that point. Respectively, by 9 weeks, hCG is already flooding your body, which can cause severe morning sickness, breast tenderness, mood swings, and other pregnancy symptoms.

As for your baby, by 9 weeks, it should be around 22 mm long from head to bottom. This is similar to the size of a strawberry. Compared to prior weeks, the fetus no longer looks like a small, curved dot. It already has a more recognizable face, hands, and feet. All the major organs and systems continue developing, and your baby is growing rapidly.

Is a 9 Week Ultrasound Too Early?

No, a 9 week ultrasound is not considered early. Often, your first-week screenings begin between 6-9 weeks, meaning that 9 weeks is a good time to have it done. At this time, a doctor can use an ultrasound to evaluate the baby’s location in the uterus, establish the due date, identify multiples, check the heartbeat, and rule out any complications.

Although it’s not considered too early, it’s important to remember that every pregnancy is unique. That is, the exact timing of your first screening can depend on a number of factors, including your symptoms and your healthcare provider. Sometimes, you may be scheduled for an earlier ultrasound, for example, at week 5 or 6. In other cases, it’s also possible that your healthcare provider decides to wait longer and perform the first ultrasound closer to 12 weeks. It’s important that you remember that all variations are normal. So, don’t worry too much and set realistic expectations.

How to Prepare for a 9 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound and What to Expect

If you’ve been scheduled to have a 9 weeks pregnant ultrasound, you might be wondering how exactly it will be performed and how you need to prepare for it. So, let’s clarify these points.

The first thing you need to know is that there are two kinds of ultrasounds used in pregnancy. The most well-known type is an abdominal ultrasound. You’ve probably seen it on TV many times. This type of screening is performed by applying a special gel on the belly and moving the transducer around to receive an image. But that’s where many women have false expectations. Although you will have abdominal screenings in your pregnancy, most likely, they will be performed later, after 12 weeks. Until that time, a transvaginal ultrasound is usually preferred.

A transvaginal ultrasound is performed internally, by placing the transducer inside the vagina. This kind of screening is usually chosen for early screenings thanks to a greater image clarity. When your baby is still small, an abdominal screening cannot provide a detailed image. However, a transvaginal ultrasound implies that the transducer will be very close to your pelvic organs, allowing for a clearer image. So, when you learn that you will have an ultrasound at 9 weeks, you should be prepared for an internal probe. But don’t worry, it’s generally painless and doesn’t cause any harm to you or your baby.

And how do you prepare for it? Generally, there is no special preparation required for a transvaginal ultrasound. You may be recommended to pee before the screening. This can help avoid discomfort from the pressure on the bladder.

What Does a 9 Week Ultrasound Look Like?

So, now you know that a 9 week ultrasound isn’t too early and understand what kind of screening you will have. And there is one more question left. What should you expect to see in a 9 weeks sonogram?

Firstly, an ultrasound at this time will show you the basic pregnancy structures. These include the gestational sac filled with amniotic fluid. In the sonogram, this sac appears as a large, dark spot inside the uterus. Additionally, you will see the yolk sac, which looks like a smaller, white spot located next to the embryo, and the growing placenta. All these structures are typically seen in earlier screenings too, for example, during weeks 7 and 8. What makes a 9 weeks pregnant ultrasound different is that you will finally be able to see some features of your baby, rather than seeing it as a small, curved dot.

At 9 weeks, an ultrasound will show your baby’s head, body, and limbs more clearly. Facial features will also start looking more pronounced and visible. And you can also notice some early fetal movement at this time. Trunk movement typically starts around 8 weeks, and individual limb movement can be noticed at 9 weeks.

And what about the heartbeat? Can you hear it during a 9 week ultrasound yet? Although it’s possible to detect early heart activity as early as 6 weeks, a transvaginal Doppler will likely detect a true heartbeat starting from 9 weeks. So, yes, this is around the time when you can hear the heartbeat of your baby for the first time.

FAQ

Does a 9 weeks pregnant ultrasound show the gender yet?

At 9 weeks, the fetus already starts to develop genitals. However, they need time to take shape. That’s why it’s unlikely to learn the gender so early. Typically, you will be able to know whether it’s a boy or a girl much later, around 18 to 21 weeks.

What does a healthy 9 week ultrasound look like?

A healthy 9 week ultrasound should show you the gestational sac, the yolk sac, the placenta, and the umbilical cord connected to it. You will also see a more distinctly shaped embryo with its head, body, and limbs. The embryo should be the size of a strawberry if it develops fast enough. Some early facial features, such as eyelids and an upper lip, are also typically visible, though whether you will be able to distinguish them or not depends on the clarity of the image. Lastly, your ultrasound should detect the heartbeat.

Is there a possible risk of miscarriage at 9 weeks with heartbeat?

One of the primary reasons for first-trimester ultrasounds is to confirm pregnancy viability, so it’s quite natural if you want to know for sure that there are no risks. Unfortunately, early pregnancy loss is a common occurrence in the first trimester, and there is still a slight risk even after your doctor detects the heartbeat. The good news is that this risk is very small. According to numbers, the risk of miscarriage at 9 weeks with heartbeat is only 0.5%, so this is not something you should stress about if there are no clear reasons for that.

Conclusion

A 9 week ultrasound is an incredibly emotional moment for every mother-to-be. Often, this is the first medical screening you will have in your pregnancy, though some healthcare providers may wait until 12 weeks to schedule the first screening.

If this is your first pregnancy, waiting for your first scan can feel quite stressful. At this time, you might be wondering how an ultrasound will be done and what you will see in your 9 weeks sonogram. Hopefully, this article will help you gain more clarity in terms of what to expect from your first-trimester screenings. Use it as a roadmap to prepare for what comes next and as a tool to reduce anxiety about the upcoming scan and set realistic expectations!

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