Can I have a vaginal ultrasound for early pregnancy? After six months of careful preparation, Xiao Jing finally got pregnant as she wished. After she got pregnant, she bought a lot of pregnancy care materials and studied them carefully. However, she was distressed when she suddenly experienced a small amount of vaginal bleeding at 40 days after menopause and went to the hospital where the doctor recommended an ultrasound. However, she remembered that she had heard that ultrasound has radiation and that multiple ultrasound examinations during pregnancy are not good for the baby’s development. Three days later, she suddenly developed severe pain in her lower right abdomen, accompanied by dizziness and nausea, and went to the hospital urgently. Although she lost one of her fallopian tubes, she was able to save her life. The doctor told her that if a vaginal ultrasound is performed after 6-7 weeks of pregnancy, it is possible to detect ectopic pregnancy early and treat it early to avoid tubal rupture and hemorrhage at a later stage. It is not uncommon for ectopic pregnancy to rupture, bleed, or even take a life due to refusal of an early pregnancy ultrasound. Can I have a vaginal ultrasound in early pregnancy? Can it really affect the development of the embryo and affect the intelligence of the child? Some people even attribute early spontaneous miscarriage to vaginal ultrasound, which is actually a misconception about vaginal ultrasound. Next, I will give you a detailed explanation of what vaginal ultrasound is, why you should have it, and finally, the safety of vaginal ultrasound, which is a major concern. What is this vaginal ultrasound? Gynecologic ultrasound includes both routine ultrasound and transvaginal ultrasound. Routine ultrasound is the most common and is performed by placing an ultrasound probe in the lower abdomen to look at the pelvic organs, focusing on the uterus, adnexa and pelvis. You need to drink about 1000ml of water half an hour to one hour before the examination and hold your urine to the maximum. This is because only when the bladder is filled to a certain level can the shape of the uterus and ovaries be clearly shown by the light and dark contrast of the images. Transvaginal ultrasound is performed with a special probe on the ultrasound machine. A film is placed over the vaginal ultrasound probe and the probe is inserted into the vagina for examination. Because the probe is positioned close to the uterus and ovaries, the images are clear with high resolution and the results are more accurate. In addition, it has the advantage of not requiring the need to hold urine, which saves time and makes the patient feel better. Is vaginal ultrasound necessary in early pregnancy? Vaginal ultrasound in early pregnancy is obviously necessary to monitor the location of the gestational sac and the growth and development of the fetus. Vaginal ultrasound in early pregnancy has the following benefits: 1. To clearly understand whether the location of the gestational sac is normal and whether the pregnancy is intrauterine or ectopic. Ectopic pregnancy can increase in size as the gestational week grows and the trophoblast cells erode the location of the bed, causing rupture and bleeding of the organs (commonly the fallopian tubes), resulting in anemia and even death due to massive blood loss, which is one of the common emergencies in obstetrics and gynecology. This is one of the common emergencies in obstetrics and gynecology. 2. Verify the gestational week and determine the development of embryo. Judging the gestational age based on the average diameter of the gestational sac, the size of the fetal germ, and the head-rump length of the fetus is helpful in determining the fetal development during mid- to late-term pregnancy. Ultrasound uses a real-time imaging system to clearly visualize the fetal heartbeat. A fetal heartbeat should be seen on transabdominal ultrasound when the fetal bud is greater than 9 mm (5 mm on transvaginal ultrasound). If no fetal heartbeat is seen, it indicates the possibility of embryonic arrest and should be reviewed regularly. Once the embryo stops developing, it is called an abnormal miscarriage and the embryonic tissue should be surgically removed as soon as possible. 3. To determine the number of embryos, this is the most accurate method for early diagnosis of multiple pregnancies. With the wide application of assisted reproduction technology, twin and triplet pregnancies have become commonplace. If there are more than 2 pregnancies, not only the obstetric complications such as gestational hypertension increase significantly, but also the risk of preterm delivery, and less full-term newborns are born, so early surgical reduction should be performed to ensure the safety of mother and fetus. 4. Observe the early development of the placenta. At 6 weeks of gestation, the primordial placenta begins to form between the lobulated chorionic membrane of the embryo and the underlying metaplasm of the uterus, and at 8 weeks of gestation, the placenta can be identified. Ultrasound also helps to identify trophoblastic disease in pregnancy, commonly known as staphylocytosis. 5. Early detection of uterine and adnexal abnormalities. To know if there are uterine abnormalities, fibroids and swellings in the adnexal area, etc. Thus, it can be seen that ultrasound does have important applications in the diagnosis of early pregnancy and differential diagnosis of diseases. Does vaginal ultrasound have any effect on the fetus? I believe this is the main concern of the parents-to-be. It is generally believed that ultrasound is a kind of sound wave conduction and there is no ionizing radiation or electromagnetic radiation, so there is no harm to human tissues. In fact, the medical use of ultrasound is low intensity and below the safety threshold; the short duration of early pregnancy examination, usually less than 3 minutes, and the non-scheduled glide examination are very safe for the embryo, and so far there are no reports of fetal malformations caused by ultrasound examination. Put another way, the few ultrasounds necessary in early pregnancy may not be as harmful as the intensity of radiation you get from using microwave ovens and cell phones in your life. When to get an early vaginal ultrasound? Most diseases have some precursor symptoms, such as ectopic pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, gravida and other pregnancy-related conditions, often with vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain. Therefore, the appearance of vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain suggests an abnormal condition, and the possibility of the above diseases should be considered. You should consult a doctor as soon as possible and perform an ultrasound to clarify the diagnosis so as not to delay the condition. In addition, for those who are at high risk of ectopic pregnancy, after multiple abortions or medication abortions, history of acute and chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, poorly patent fallopian tubes, use of emergency contraceptive pills, etc., it is best to have a vaginal ultrasound examination as soon as possible to clarify the location of the pregnancy sac. We need to think rationally about vaginal ultrasound, evaluate its advantages and disadvantages, and perform the test early when needed, but also be careful to avoid unnecessary repeat tests when there are no indications for the test.