Pregnancy Bliss | Reproductive Health Answers
Since a 4D scan service is not available on the NHS, where can I get one?
In the UK, there are now several private companies which provide this service at quite reasonable prices. In the United States, this has been available for slightly longer but remains slightly more expensive overall.
If you reside in the UK, you can find some guide here on availability near you as well as pricing.
At what stage of pregnancy can 4D scanning be performed?
Technically, it can be done at any stage. However, for parents to be able to maximally
appreciate the images, the
optimal time is between 24 and 32 weeks of gestation.
Most companies that offer this service will have packages which include still 3D image prints and on disks as well as DVDs of the moving image. It has to be said that this is an incredible and priceless memento.
What if I don’t want to know the sex of the baby?
That is fairly easy to arrange as long as you let the sonographer or doctor performing the scan know. Conversely, if you are keen to know the sex of the baby, this would usually be part of the service. In some cases, however, the baby may assume a position where identifying the gender proves difficult or impossible. That is unusual.
Can a 4D scan detect abnormalities not detectable on traditional 2D scans?
There is presently no conclusive evidence that this is so. However, this is work in progress and it is possible, even likely, that sometime in the future there may be scientific proof that 4D scan is better that 2D scan for detecting at least some types of baby abnormalities or even for continual regular monitoring of some at risk pregnancies.
Last update: August 19, 2011