Ultrasounds are an essential step in your reproductive care if you are pregnant, and they are a crucial part of your pregnancy decision, regardless of your choice.
If you plan to terminate your pregnancy, you might wonder why you need an ultrasound. These simple tests provide vital insight into your pregnancy to ensure your safety.
Viability
Up to 20% of pregnancies end in natural miscarriages. Since the pregnancy hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG) can remain in your body for weeks after a miscarriage, it is possible to still get a positive result on a pregnancy test.
An ultrasound is used after a pregnancy test to confirm viability by detecting a heartbeat. If you are considering abortion, an ultrasound may prevent you from having the costly and unnecessary procedure.
Date
Some women do not have regular periods or keep track of their menstrual cycles. Even when a woman thinks she knows when her last period was, her pregnancy might not have been conceived at the regular time during her cycle.
The embryo or fetus is measured during an ultrasound to determine how far along the pregnancy is. How long you have been pregnant has implications for your health, whether you choose to carry your pregnancy to term or not.
If you decide to carry your pregnancy to term, the length of your pregnancy will be used to track the development of the fetus. If you choose to abort, this information will be used to determine the appropriate abortion procedure for your situation.
For example, medical abortion, or “the abortion pill,” is only FDA-approved for pregnancies up to 10 weeks.
Location
In a life-threatening condition called ectopic pregnancy, an embryo implants somewhere other than the uterus in the woman’s body. When this happens, the pregnancy cannot continue, and failure to diagnose early can cause severe complications for the woman’s health.
Ectopic pregnancy can not be treated by abortion, so it must be diagnosed through ultrasound.
Free Ultrasound Referrals
Crossroads Life Center offers free ultrasound referrals so you can get the care you deserve at no cost. Call us to find out more.