When are pregnancy scans offered in Ireland under the public health system? In Ireland, general best practice on our public health system offers two scans during pregnancy. Although some hospitals may have more limited resources in terms of scanner availability. However, normally, you will be offered a pregnancy scan at 12 weeks and then around 20 weeks.

The early pregnancy scan at 12 weeks is to confirm that the pregnancy is viable, in other words, that your baby is developing healthily.

This pregnancy scan confirms your baby’s heartbeat, while also checking if you are carrying multiples (twins or a larger number of babies). It also sites the pregnancy, confirming that it is your uterus. Gestational age is calculated during the early pregnancy scan. Gestational age is the age of your baby calculated from the date of your last menstrual period.

The anatomy scan, which is carried out around 20 weeks, examines your baby’s anatomy in great detail. This scan should hopefully confirm that your baby’s body is forming correctly. Sadly in some cases, abnormalities may be detected during this scan. For example problems with baby’s organs, limbs, spine, heart or brain can be detected.

If you are not considered high risk, or nothing abnormal has occurred during the first trimester of your pregnancy, then the first ultrasound is offered to you at 12 weeks in Ireland. This is called either a dating scan (as it calculates your baby’s gestational age) or an early pregnancy scan.

In Ireland, women are normally offered a scan at the end of the first trimester, when they are 12 gestational weeks pregnant, so at the end of the third month. Then the second scan offered on the public health system is around 20 weeks, so about month five.

Unless there is some special reason to monitor your baby during the third trimester, you will not be offered a scan at this stage. However, women over 35 years of age may be offered a scan during the third trimester.

Of course, if your obstetrician knows that there is a particular risk or needs to monitor your baby’s development, you will be offered a scan at this time.

Another option that women in Ireland have, it to go semi-private. Some women do this for a variety of reasons. This article about this option is a useful read.

The amount of weeks you are pregnant is actually calculated from the day of your LMP (last menstrual period). Here you can use the pregnancy due date calculator.

Pregnancy ultrasound scans have been carried out for decades and up to now, there has been no evidence to suggest that they are harmful. The sonographer, who is the person who carries out the scans, it highly trained to ensure that the scan is safe for you and your baby.

Some physical birth defects can be detected at the 20-week pregnancy scan. These include spina bifida, heart defects, some types of kidney problems, cleft palate in certain cases and absent limbs.

During the 20-week ultrasound scan, it is possible to see fluid positioned on the back of a baby’s neck. This may indicate that the baby has Down Syndrome, however further tests need to be done, to make an accurate diagnosis.

Traditionally a woman then needed to have a nuchal translucency test. However there are some risks associated with this and these days, you have the option of a non-invasive test called the Harmony Prenatal Test. The Harmony Test doesn’t put you or your baby at risk.