Looking at your baby is exciting. It can also be a source of anxiety in wanting to find out, “is my baby okay?” We are dedicated to providing you the most detailed assessment of your baby that age, baby position and your body build allows.
Some Maternal Fetal Imaging Procedures Include:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a special diagnostic test that produces very clear, detailed pictures of internal organs and structures in your body, including a detailed image of your baby. The test uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves and a computer to create images in cross-section.
While an X-ray is very good at showing bones, an MRI lets your health care provider see structures made of soft tissue and diagnose conditions that may not be adequately assessed using other methods, such as X-ray. And unlike X-ray, MRI does not use radiation.
During pregnancy, fetal MRI can be used to gain information about your baby’s brain, chest and abdomen that cannot be gathered from ultrasound alone. This information helps your doctor to better understand how various abnormalities may affect your child’s development during pregnancy and in the future.
One of the more frequent applications of ultrasound is in the evaluation of a fetus. Most obstetricians perform a routine diagnostic ultrasound to look for any abnormalities with either the fetus or the mother’s anatomy during early pregnancy. Depending on the time of gestation and positioning, the gender may or may not be identified. This ultrasound procedure is painless and non-invasive.
Transvaginal ultrasound imaging of the abdomen uses sound waves to produce pictures of the structures and organs in and around a woman’s uterus. Transvaginal (TV) ultrasounds are performed very much like a gynecologic exam and involves the insertion of an ultrasound transducer into the vagina to study the lining of the uterus. These exams are frequently used to evaluate the reproductive and urinary systems. Ultrasound is safe, noninvasive and does not use ionizing radiation.