13-week scan

The 13-week ultrasound is intended to investigate whether your baby has physical abnormalities. The ultrasound can be performed between 12+3 weeks and 14+3 weeks of pregnancy. The sonographer assesses, among other things, the skull, abdomen, back and limbs of the fetus.

Examples of abnormalities that can arise during the ultrasound are an open back, open skull, heart defects, fracture in the abdominal wall, abnormal development of the bones and abnormalities of arms or legs.

The sex of the baby is not assessed during the ultrasound.

THE RESEARCH

The ultrasound takes about 30-40 minutes. The results of the ultrasound will be discussed with you immediately. In the majority of ultrasounds (95 out of 100 ultrasounds), no abnormalities are seen. That is a favorable outcome. In about 5 out of 100 pregnant women, the sonographer sees something that could be an abnormality. It is not always clear whether it is indeed an abnormality, how bad the abnormality is and what this means for your child.

FOLLOW-UP RESEARCH

If a condition is suspected, further testing can be done. You will then be referred to an academic hospital for an advanced ultrasound examination (GUO). A GUO is also an ultrasound, but more extensive than the 13-week ultrasound, and is performed by a doctor. Sometimes the doctor then suggests a blood test, chorionic villus sampling or amniotic fluid test. This depends on the abnormalities found during the ultrasound examination.

Does the follow-up examination show that your child has a condition? Then there will be a meeting in which we will discuss the further course of the condition and the expectations for your child. If that is unfavourable, you may be faced with the choice to have the pregnancy terminated. In the Netherlands this is possible up to a gestational age of 24 weeks.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW

At the 13 week ultrasound it is still early in the pregnancy. The child is still small and not everything is visible yet. A favorable result of the ultrasound is therefore no guarantee for a healthy child.
It is possible that the sonographer is not able to assess something properly. For example, the position of your baby or the thickness of your abdominal wall can cause poor imaging. This does not necessarily mean that there is something wrong with your child. At the 13-week ultrasound, the ultrasound is not repeated if the sonographer could not see everything well.

Ultrasound is a safe examination method. No adverse effects have emerged from practice and from scientific research. The ultrasound does not pose any risks for either mother or child.

MAKE YOUR CHOICE

The 13-week ultrasound (just like the NIPT and the 20-week ultrasound) is a form of prenatal screening. It is very important to think carefully about whether you want to have your child's health tested during pregnancy, because the results of a test can mean that you are faced with difficult choices. Are you interested in prenatal screening? Then the midwife will provide you with further information during the counseling session and, if necessary, help you to make a choice.

RESEARCH

The 13-week ultrasound is new in the Netherlands and has been performed since September 1, 2021. The 13-week ultrasound is part of the scientific IMITAS study. The aim of the IMITAS study is to investigate whether the advantages of the 13-week ultrasound outweigh its disadvantages. You can therefore only opt for the 13-week ultrasound if you participate in the IMITAS study.

Participating in the scientific study means that the researchers will use your data for the study. You sign a consent form for this with the midwife. You also agree that the researchers may contact you for additional research (such as via a questionnaire or interview).

The IMITAS study is being conducted by researchers from the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU) and the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC Leiden University Medical Center). For more information, visit www.13weeksecho.org.

KOSTEN

Vanwege de IMITAS studie wordt de 13 wekenecho vergoed vanuit de Rijksbegroting. Als je gebruik maakt van de zorg in Nederland betaalt je zelf dus niets voor de 13 wekenecho.

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