8 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound: What to Know Before Your Appointment

Ultrasounds (also called sonograms) are an important part of your pregnancy journey because they help you and your practitioner monitor your baby’s health and development. Around the 8-week mark, your doctor may order an ultrasound to confirm dating and pregnancy viability.

This article will cover how to prepare for your ultrasound appointment, what to expect, the differences between a normal vs abnormal 8-week ultrasound and what additional imaging may be necessary. It will also discuss what you may see on your 8-week ultrasound pictures.

 

Is 8 weeks too early for an ultrasound?

Is a dating scan at 8-weeks too early? Not every patient gets these early ultrasounds, especially if they don’t realize they are pregnant yet or if the doctor determines them unnecessary. However, it is common for patients to get their scan around this time so the doctor can confirm due dates and the viability of the pregnancy. Other details like gender and anatomy won’t be visible yet, so it won’t be the most comprehensive scan, but it serves as a good baseline for development and other data.

 

 

Why get an 8-weeks pregnant ultrasound?

This prenatal ultrasound is often the first chance to visually confirm your pregnancy. The results of this early pregnancy ultrasound give you and your doctor the most accurate estimated due date to refer to going forward. Your practitioner will likely order an 8-week sonogram to:

• Determine an accurate gestational age: Giving you an estimate of your due date.
• Measure the size of your embryo: Measuring the crown-rump length helps narrow down your due date.
• Check for multiples: More than one embryo means multiple fetuses. This is more common if twins or triplets run in the family.
• Ensure your pregnancy is intrauterine: This is to see if the embryo is implanted in your uterus. When it implants elsewhere, it is called an ectopic pregnancy, which is unfortunately not viable.
• Scan for sources of vaginal bleeding (if applicable): Light bleeding isn’t always cause for concern but it is advised to let your doctor know.
• Examine your reproductive organs: Examples include the cervix, ovaries and uterus.
• Detect the embryo’s heartbeat: This is another way to determine viability, as it is common to be able to detect the baby’s heartbeat at 8 weeks.

 

What you may see during your 8-week ultrasound

If you’re unfamiliar with what an 8-week ultrasound looks like, it can be challenging to make sense of the images. Your embryo will be roughly the size of a bean, around 1.5-2.5 cm or 0.5-1 inch long. During your ultrasound, you may be able to see the following:

• Gestational sac: A black circle-like shape around the embryo, the fluid-filled gestational sac is often the first visible sign of pregnancy. You should be able to see the gestational sac at 8 weeks.
• Yolk sac: A smaller bubble that provides the embryo with nutrients, the yolk sac is absorbed by the end of the first trimester.
• Embryo: You should be able to make out the shape of its small body distinct from its comparatively large head.
• Amniotic sac: Full of fluid with thin walls, the amniotic sac protects the embryo while allowing for movement. It may be visible as a separate thin wall until it fuses to the outer thick white wall around 14 weeks.
• Umbilical cord: Can you see an umbilical cord on 8-week ultrasounds? Yes! The cord carries oxygen and nutrients between the placenta and the developing embryo.

You won’t see too much fine detail in your 8-week ultrasound pictures. For instance, you’re not likely to see limbs, nor will you be able to discern the sex of your baby. Those opportunities will come with further ultrasounds later on in your pregnancy or if you’ve opted for additional screening.

 

Can you hear a heartbeat at an 8-week ultrasound?

There is a good chance you’ll hear your baby’s heartbeat at 8 weeks. However, there are also occasional reasons you might not. One reason why there may be no heartbeat at 8 weeks is that the embryo’s heart may still be too small to see during a transabdominal scan. Another possibility is if you incorrectly estimated the date of conception, it may still be too early to detect a heartbeat.

Similarly, if you can’t see the baby on an ultrasound at 8 weeks, it could be that your conception date is off and the baby is too small to see. This kind of dating error can cause various abnormal ultrasound results. If your doctor doesn’t see everything they expect to, they will likely have you return in a few weeks so the fetus can be large enough to evaluate. They may also have you do additional testing, such as lab work. Try not to panic; it is common for early ultrasounds to have incomplete visuals.

 

What to expect during your 8-weeks ultrasound

During your ultrasound appointment, a trained technician called a sonographer will use a hand-held device called a transducer to create and capture sound waves. Ultrasounds are very safe, and the sound waves are painless and don’t produce ionizing radiation (like X-rays or CT scans). Too high-pitched for human ears to hear, those sound waves travel through your body and bounce off different structures differently. The ultrasound machine detects and uses these signals to create an image of the position and shape of your growing pregnancy.

What kind of ultrasound is done at 8 weeks?

There are two main types of pregnancy ultrasound. With a transabdominal ultrasound, the sonographer will squeeze gel onto your belly and then run the transducer over the surface of your skin. In a transvaginal ultrasound, the lubricated wand is inserted into your vagina, which is closer to your uterus and ovaries and allows for a closer look at your pregnancy.

So, do you get a transabdominal ultrasound at 8 weeks, or a transvaginal one? The answer, at this stage of gestation is both. In the early stages of pregnancy, the embryo is so small that the transducer successfully captures more details inside the vaginal canal than it can outside the abdomen. As your pregnancy progresses and the fetus becomes easier to see, you will usually have just abdominal ultrasounds.

How to prepare for your 8-week ultrasound appointment

Ultrasounds aren’t complicated scans, but there are some things you can do to help prepare, such as:

• Bring a copy of your requisition: This documentation may not be necessary, but if the imaging facility doesn’t have it, it saves you time. Also, bring your ID and health card.
• Arrive with a full bladder: Sound travels well through liquid so having a full bladder will help get the best images on the transabdominal part of the test. You will empty your bladder before the transvaginal portion of the scan. That said, do you need a full bladder for an 8-week ultrasound? Often yes, but some clinics don’t require it this early in the pregnancy. Consider asking their preference in advance.
• Choose comfortable, loose clothing: Wear something easy to get in and out of.
• Have someone with you (if preferred): If you want to bring along a support person, check in advance if the imaging clinic has restrictions.

 

Questions to ask during and after your 8-week scan

The ultrasound tech can’t legally answer questions about the ultrasound results, but they can discuss the ultrasound procedure itself. Some helpful questions to consider:

• Can I have someone in the room with me?
• How long will the appointment last?
• How will you share the images and results?
• Can I take photos or videos of my own?
• Do you get ultrasound pictures at your first appointment?
• Any advice on how to read an 8-week ultrasound?

When the scan is finished, the sonographer prepares the image report, which is reviewed by a radiologist or certain obstetricians (OBs). The radiologist then produces a report for your referring physician, OB or midwife, who will go over the results with you in a follow-up appointment.

Some questions you can ask at your follow-up appointment include:

• What are the signs of a healthy pregnancy at 8 weeks? Am I demonstrating those signs?
• What is my estimated due date?
• What is the 8 week baby’s size? What is the crown-rump length?
• Did we detect a heartbeat? If so, what is the fetal heart rate? If not, why?
• Are there any nutritional and lifestyle adjustments I should start making if I am pregnant?
• What does a twin ultrasound at 8 weeks look like?

 

Getting your results

Many patients want to see the results of their 8 weeks ultrasound as fast as possible. With PocketHealth, you can securely access and share your pregnancy ultrasound images and report, as soon as the imaging facility releases the report and images. That means you typically have access before your follow-up appointment with your practitioner. Plus, you can easily share ultrasound images with friends and family, so they can see how your pregnancy develops.

Need help understanding the medical terms in your ultrasound report? PocketHealth Report Reader breaks down complex terminology so you can feel confident and informed when speaking with your healthcare provider. MyCare Navigator enhances this experience by helping you plan for follow-up appointments, offering personalized questions based on your results and highlighting key topics to discuss with your doctor.

 

 

Looking ahead to your next ultrasound appointment

An early ultrasound will confirm your pregnancy, measure the size of your embryo and give you an estimated due date. And you’ll get 8-week ultrasound pictures!

You and your doctor can now make confident decisions about your pregnancy with accurate knowledge of dates. You’ll also be able to look ahead to the next scans in your pregnancy journey, including the:

• First-trimester screening is around 11 weeks, during which you can see limbs and determine nuchal translucency, which screens for chromosomal abnormalities.
• Anatomy screening around 18 weeks, where you can also find out your baby’s sex.

 

Frequently asked questions

Below are some frequently asked questions regarding ultrasounds and 8-week pregnancy scans.

Can you see the placenta at 8-weeks?

Yes, you can usually see the placenta during your 8-week pregnancy scan. At this stage, it is beginning to attach to the wall of the uterus in preparation to provide nutrients to the developing fetus. However, the embryo is still primarily receiving its nutrients from the yolk sac.

How do I read an ultrasound report of pregnancy at 8 weeks?

At 8-weeks pregnant, you will likely be able to see the uterus, embryo, yolk sac, gestational sac and amniotic sac on an ultrasound. Since black typically represents fluid on an ultrasound, it can help in identifying the uterus, gestational sac and other similar areas. In general when reading an ultrasound, black areas indicate fluid, gray areas represent soft tissues and white areas correspond to bone or other dense structures.

How long does an 8-week ultrasound take?

Most early pregnancy scans tend to be 20 to 30 minutes, but there may be variations based on other factors such as .

What is the 8-weeks pregnant baby’s size?

By now, the 8-week-old fetus is roughly the size of a raspberry, measuring about half an inch long. Week by week, it will continue to grow steadily, developing increasingly recognizable anatomy. By week 9, it is the size of one grape, by week 10 it is the size of a kumquat and by week 11 it is already the size of a fig.

At around 18 to 20 weeks, there is typically enough development for an anatomy scan—a more detailed ultrasound that assesses the baby’s growth and anatomy. It is also when the baby’s sex can be revealed, if it hasn’t already been determined.

 

Stay on top of your pregnancy journey with PocketHealth

Knowing what to expect at your 8-week ultrasound and beyond can provide peace of mind, allowing you to embrace your pregnancy journey with confidence. With PocketHealth, you can securely store all your ultrasound records in one convenient place—no more worrying about misplaced reports.

PocketHealth simplifies access to your pregnancy imaging, making it easy to share with your healthcare provider and loved ones. By keeping all your essential records at your fingertips, it empowers you to stay organized and informed throughout your pregnancy, giving you greater control over your health. Your ultrasound pictures at 8 weeks are also available to print and store, anytime you like.