15 Week Ultrasound – What to Expect
You must be 15 weeks pregnant – how exciting. You might be heading to a private ultrasound scan for your growing baby.
This may just be for reassurance, or maybe you are keen to find out if you are having a boy or a girl.
Whatever the reason, this article- provided by BodyVie- will help you to be prepared for your 15-week ultrasound scan.
In this article:
- What Should I Do Before My 15-Week Ultrasound?
- Can you see the Placenta at the 15-Week Ultrasound?
- What Does A Baby Look Like at the 15-Week Ultrasound?
- Can You Hear a Heartbeat at the 15-Week Ultrasound? What Week Does the Heartbeat Start?
- Can You Spot Abnormalities at 15 Weeks?
- What Are The Benefits of Paying for a Private Scan at 15 Weeks?
- How Accurate is Baby’s Gender at the 15-Week Ultrasound?
- Do People have Gender Reveal Parties at 15 Weeks?
You at 15 Weeks Pregnant
At 15 weeks pregnant, you are in the fourth month of your pregnancy.
Easing of Pregnancy Symptoms
By this stage, many of your troublesome early pregnancy symptoms have likely to have disappeared- especially morning sickness. Many pregnant women find relief in this period.
Bleeding Gums
However, you may notice, at this stage, that a new symptom has appeared: bleeding gums.
If your gums are red, swollen, prone to bleeding, sore or sensitive, you do not need to worry; it is quite a common symptom at this stage of pregnancy.
It is caused by those pesky pregnancy hormones (and also partially by your increased blood volume).
The same hormones can even cause a stuffy nose or even nosebleeds at this stage.
Weight Gain
Now that your morning sickness has likely to have disappeared- and you are no longer vomiting up your meals- you may find that you begin gaining weight.
In the second trimester, your baby really starts to get bigger and bigger- which also means that your uterus will grow bigger and bigger too, to make room for your growing baby.
The average weight gain at this stage is around 1 pound a week.
Pregnancy Symptoms
Whilst many of your early pregnancy symptoms, from the first trimester, will have eased off, there are some other symptoms you may be experiencing at this stage. These include:
- Occasional headaches
- Varicose veins
- Heartburn and indigestion
- Bleeding, swollen gums
- Round ligament pain
- Pregnancy brain
- Dizziness or faintness
Your Baby at 15 Weeks Pregnant
At 15 weeks pregnant, your baby weighs around 70g and is around 10.1cm long from head to bottom- or about the size of an apple.
As the weeks go by, your baby is looking more and more like a little person- with ears correctly positioned on either side of the head- which were previously in the neck- and their eyes moving from the side of their head to the front of your baby’s face.
Your baby’s eyelashes and eyebrows are also starting to develop. And at around 15 weeks pregnant, your baby will likely begin to be able to hear you talk, and the noises from inside your body.
Your baby is also practising curling their toes and kicking, so you may feel some fetal movement at this stage.
What Should I Do Before My 15-Week Ultrasound?
Before your 15-week ultrasound scan, there are a couple of things you should to do prepare.
First of all, you should drink plenty of fluids to ensure you have a full bladder. A full bladder creates a much clearer image for the sonographer- and will also help to make the images you take home much clearer too!
Secondly, you should wear comfortable clothing which can easily be lifted up- to allow the sonographer easy access to your belly. Dresses and dungarees are not recommended.
Can you see the Placenta at the 15-Week Ultrasound?
Yes, you can! In fact, the placenta can be detected on an ultrasound scan as early as 10 weeks pregnant. By around halfway through your pregnancy (or about 20 weeks) your placenta will be around 15 centimetres in diameter.
What Does A Baby Look Like at the 15-Week Ultrasound?
At 15 weeks pregnant, your baby’s features are distinct. You will be able to see their head, body, legs and arms clearly.
Can You Hear a Heartbeat at the 15-Week Ultrasound? What Week Does the Heartbeat Start?
Yes, you can! You are actually able to detect a fetal heartbeat as early as 5 weeks.
Can You Spot Abnormalities at 15 Weeks?
At 15 weeks pregnant, it is possible to identify abnormalities.
At every scan, your sonographer will record the progress of your fetal growth and development.
Any genetic abnormalities or chromosomal abnormalities are usually identified between 11 weeks pregnant and 14 weeks pregnant when screening tests are performed.
What Are The Benefits of Paying for a Private Scan at 15 Weeks?
If you are considering paying for a private scan at 15 weeks pregnant, you may be trying to weigh up the benefits with the cost. Below is a list of benefits to help you to decide if the private scan is for you:
- Avoid long waiting times for an appointment
- The results of our scans are given to you on the day
- 95% accurate
- Same or next-day bookings
- Six days a week appointments available
- Scan performed by a highly trained sonographer
- Find out the gender of your baby
- NHS does not offer 15-week pregnancy scans
Can a 15-Week Ultrasound Confirm Gender?
Depends on the baby’s position. And with the help of a NIPT test, you can request X & Y analysis providing over 99% accuracy for your baby’s gender.
How Accurate is Baby’s Gender at the 15-Week Ultrasound?
At 15 weeks of pregnancy, the accuracy of a gender scan is 99% with a NIPT test.
Do People have Gender Reveal Parties at 15 Weeks?
At what stage you have your gender reveal party is up to personal preference.
If you find out your baby’s gender at 15 weeks pregnant with a NIPT test, it is 99% accurate, so it is highly unlikely that the gender results are incorrect- so that is not a reason to worry.
Many pregnant women prefer to wait until 18-20 weeks pregnant, to allow a little more time to rule out any complications.
Contact BodyVie
If you would like a private ultrasound, why not contact BodyVie?
Website: https://bodyvie.com/ultrasound
Phone: 020 3797 1657
Address: 133-135 Kew Rd, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 2PN
For information about ultrasound scans at other weeks, you can visit:
- 4 Week Ultrasound Scan
- 5 Week Ultrasound Scan
- 6 Week Ultrasound Scan
- 7 Week Ultrasound
- 8 Weeks Ultrasound Scan
- 9 Week Ultrasound Scan
- 10 Week Ultrasound Scan
- 11 Week Ultrasound Scan
- 12 Week Ultrasound Scan
- 13 Week Ultrasound Scan
Sources:
BabyCenter, 15 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms, Bump & More, March 2022
peanut-app.io, What to Expect at Your 15-Week Ultrasound, September 2023
parents.com, Week 15 Ultrasound: What It Would Look Like , August 2023