3D Ultrasound: How Much Does It Cost And When Is It Done?

3D ultrasound during pregnancy allows a three-dimensional view of the fetus. How much does it cost and how many weeks do you do?

3D ultrasound has now entered into common use when you want to perform a prenatal examination during pregnancy. Many mothers prefer it to traditional ultrasound, especially for the effect and the result it presents a 3D image of your child, instead of the usual image that is difficult to read, two-dimensional and obscure. But how much does it cost and how many weeks of pregnancy should be done?

3D Ultrasound during pregnancy: when are they done and how many are they?

Before discovering the technological wonders of 3D ultrasound, it is appropriate to take a step back and recapitulate: how many ultrasounds are to be done during pregnancy.

How does it work?

Thanks to advanced technology, the 3D ultrasound device can memorize a certain number of sections by performing a “rendering”, which allows obtaining a three – dimensional image of the fetus, which is not only accurate and high definition, but gives a more concrete idea of how it is actually done. In short, you will have the impression that the baby is photographed inside the maternal belly. In the past, the same effect was given by the fetoscopy, now in disuse because it was considered too invasive (and therefore with risks) that used a particular optical apparatus to directly visualize the fetal structures.

How many weeks do you do?

You can undergo 3D ultrasound transvaginal in the first weeks of pregnancy and suprapubic between the 2nd and 3rd quarter. However, it can be successfully performed at any stage of pregnancy. The only thing to keep in mind is that, from the 25th week onwards, you will see a medium-sized fetus and therefore the aesthetic impact will undoubtedly be greater. If you opt for a single 3D ultrasound, it is advisable to do it at the time of the second ultrasound, called morphology.

Check This Out: Useful Information For The Patient With Chronic Renal Failure

What are the benefits?

The possibility of seeing the fetus in three dimensions facilitates the diagnosis of possible anomalies, not only of the umbilical cord but also of the limbs and of all the surface structures. And it has not ended here because it allows developments also in the early diagnosis of chest abnormalities as well as internal fetal organs. Another advantage? That of having projections of organs and structures in two-dimensional, usually not obtainable with traditional ultrasound, especially if we are faced with cases of unfavorable fetal angle. A fundamental factor for the study of the fetal heart. The 3D ultrasound also allows measuring the possible uterine septum, thus avoiding that the woman resorts to more invasive tests such as hysterosalpingography or hysteroscopy. There is only one small problem: to get all this, good equipment is needed and not all clinical and hospital facilities have it. This is why traditional two-dimensional ultrasound remains at the moment the most widespread.

3D ultrasound: the cost

Precisely because not all hospitals have the machinery suitable for a 3D ultrasound, the cost is quite high, between 100 and 200 dollars. But there are gynecologists and public facilities more provided, which are able to do it for free. The 4D ultrasound, however, which is described below, is around 200, 250 dollars.

4D ultrasound

Maybe you do not know, but there is also 4D ultrasound. The latter allows you to see the fetus in three-dimensional, moving and in real time. In short, the future mother can see her little “live”. To achieve this, special “volumetric” probes are used, which acquire from 25 to 30 frames per second, without probe movement.