hi all,
i´ m very new to this board & didnt know where to post this query.this is my 1st message.so i thought since u all are in 2nd trimester this is the best place to post this.i hope to receive some help from u all.
i recently got to know i´ m pregnant.so went to meet the doctor & she scheduled my 1st u/s & also she asked me to go for an other u/s to check for down´ s syndrome.i´ m 26 yrs old.is it necessary for me to go for an other u/s which checks for down´ s syndrome or can i just skip that?what did u all do?did u all have that u/s or not?any advice is highly appreciated.thank u all in advance

Shailmala Kumari replied. Hi sss,
This is in response to ur query regarding the ultrasound. I am nearly 25 weeks pregnant. Let me first tell you about the number of ultrasounds that are required initially.
First u/s which is normally done after 2 months or 2 - 2 1/2 months(10 weeks approx) of pregnancy. This is dating scan and is done to find out the heart beat of the baby, if the foetus is alive. Sometimes it happens that heart beat of baby does not start by this time so doc can suggest termination at this stage to prevent further complications. Second u/s is done at nearly 20 weeks or before 5 months of pregnancy and is called Anomaly scan. In this scan the basic features of foetus appears and can be found out during u/s. if there is any anomaly in the development of the basic organs then also docs can suggest termination at this stage. Down' s syndrome, spina bifida, i.e. non deve of spinal cord properly can also be found out, and these r very serious anomalies which can be take into account at very early stage itself.
So these two scan are a must. whether u undergo other scans or not but these two you must undergo. Any scan in the first month or early 2nd month is not recommended. docs can further suggest other scans if required at later stage.
This is all regarding scan from my side.
Take care and bye.
s replied. Hi SSS,
there is nothing to worry. This is the new test that they are making as part of prenatal testing. Initially it used to be only AFP test but now they do blood test, ultrasound and another blood test in 2nd trimester to check the probability of down syundrome. Nothing to worry. it' s just routine test.

Hope this helps.