Questions to Ask at the Anatomy Scan
Twenty questions to bring to an anatomy scan, covering who performs and who interprets it, what the survey covers and what it cannot show, how findings are communicated, and what happens between this appointment and the next.
20 questions, each with the reason to ask it · includes a conversation guide
The questions
Open any question to see why it works.
- 1
Who is performing the scan today, and who reads it afterwards?
The person operating the machine is often a sonographer, and in many services they are not the one permitted to give an interpretation. Knowing that in advance explains why some questions during the scan get held for later, rather than being avoided.
- 2
Is this a routine screening scan, or was it arranged because of something specific?
Anatomy scans are standard care, but some are also being used to follow up an earlier finding, a blood test result or a history. If yours has a second purpose, it changes what is being looked at closely and is worth confirming out loud.
- 3
What does the survey cover, and roughly in what order?
Knowing the sequence makes the long silences easier, since attention moves through structures in a set order and pauses where measurements are taken. It also gives you a point at which to ask a question without interrupting a measurement.
- 4
What cannot be seen at this stage, however good the images are?
A normal result reduces the likelihood of a range of conditions rather than excluding everything. Some structural differences appear later in pregnancy, and some conditions are not structural at all, so they are not visible on any scan.
- 5
How does my history affect what you are looking for today?
Diabetes, medications, previous surgery, a previous pregnancy with a complication and family history can all shift the focus of the examination. It is worth checking that whoever is scanning has that information, rather than assuming it travelled with the referral.
- 6
Is anything about the images difficult to obtain today, and why?
Image quality is affected by the position the baby is lying in, by scar tissue and by body habitus. Hearing the reason plainly separates an incomplete view from an abnormal one, and those are often confused by people hearing them for the first time.
- 7
Where is the placenta, and does its position matter later on?
Placental position is recorded at this scan, and a low-lying placenta at this stage frequently moves as the uterus grows. If it is noted, ask whether a further scan is planned to check it and at what point that would happen.
- 8
How much amniotic fluid is there, and how is that assessed?
Fluid is estimated rather than measured exactly, using a pocket depth or an index. Because the numbers change between scans and between operators, one reading is usually interpreted alongside everything else rather than on its own.
- 9
Is the umbilical cord being checked, and what is looked at?
The cord is examined for the number of vessels and where it inserts into the placenta. Both are routine parts of the record, and both are things people find in a report afterwards without knowing they had been looked at deliberately.
- 10
Is my cervix being measured, and is that standard here?
Practice differs between services and between individual histories. If it is measured, ask what the number means in context, and if it is not, ask whether that is because it is not indicated for you rather than assuming it was overlooked.
- 11
If a measurement falls at the edge of the normal range, what happens next?
Ranges are drawn from populations, so a proportion of entirely typical pregnancies sit near the edges. The practical answer is usually a repeat measurement after an interval, and knowing that beforehand makes an edge result easier to hear.
- 12
What is a soft marker, and how would you tell me if one was seen?
Soft markers adjust a statistical likelihood rather than diagnose anything, and many are found in pregnancies where nothing is wrong. Asking now means the term arrives with an explanation attached rather than in a report you read alone.
- 13
If something is found, who would explain it to me and when?
The gap between images being taken and someone with the authority to interpret them speaking to you is where most distress happens. Ask for the name of the role, the expected timeframe, and whether it would be in person or by phone.
- 14
Which findings would lead to further testing, and what would each test involve?
Follow-up can mean another ultrasound, a referral to a specialist unit, or a diagnostic test with its own considerations. Hearing the options now, while nothing has been found, is easier than hearing them for the first time alongside a result.
- 15
Would anything found today change where or how I give birth?
Some findings move care to a different team or a hospital with particular facilities. If that is a possibility for you, it is better to know the pathway exists than to be told about it late, and it is a short factual answer.
- 16
Are today's images being compared against my earlier records?
A single measurement says less on its own than a sequence of them, so earlier records are normally pulled up alongside today's images. If any of your care has been at a different clinic, this is the moment to check those records actually reached the people looking at the screen.
- 17
When will the report be available, and how do I get a copy?
Routes differ: a portal, a letter, a note in a handheld record, or a request to the department. The report is the document that follows you through the rest of your care, so it is worth knowing how to obtain it before you need it.
- 18
Who else can see the report, and where is it stored?
Records may sit with the hospital, with a community team, or in a shared system, and the parts of your care that can see them are not always the same. If you are receiving care in more than one place, ask what you need to do to connect them.
- 19
What happens between now and my next appointment?
Ask what is already booked, what is provisional and what you are expected to arrange yourself. Appointments most often go missing at handovers between departments, and a note of who is booking what makes that easier to catch.
- 20
Which symptoms should prompt me to call before then, and what number do I use?
Ask for the number for out of hours as well as the daytime line, and write both down at the appointment. Having a named contact removes the decision about whether a concern is worth raising, which is the part people find hardest.
Around the appointment
Practical guidance for the conversation itself.
Before you go
Before you go
Follow the instructions your own clinic sent
Guidance on eating, drinking and bladder differs between services and sometimes between machines. Use the letter or message you were given rather than general advice, and bring any records or earlier reports you hold.
Agree in advance about the sex
The survey involves looking either way, so say at the start whether you want to be told. If two of you disagree, settle it before the appointment rather than in the room.
Write your questions down and pick three
Appointments are timed, and most people forget what they meant to ask. Marking the three that matter most means the important ones get asked even if the scan runs long.
Check the policy on who can come with you
Rules on partners, children and other visitors vary and change. A call to the department beforehand avoids an unwanted conversation at the door.
Wording you may see in the report
Wording you may see in the report
- Unremarkable and no abnormality detected are the phrases you want to see, however blunt they read.
- Suboptimal views or technically difficult usually describe image quality, most often because of position, and are not a finding about the baby.
- Appropriate for gestational age means a measurement sits within the expected range for the dates being used.
- A soft marker is a statistical adjustment rather than a diagnosis, and many resolve or turn out to be normal variation.
- Recommend repeat in X weeks is a common and routine instruction, frequently used simply to complete views that could not be obtained.
- If a term is unfamiliar, ask the clinic what it means in your case before searching, since search results are weighted toward rare outcomes.
If a repeat scan or referral is arranged
If a repeat scan or referral is arranged
- Ask what specifically is being rechecked, and whether it is to complete views or to look again at a finding. These are different situations that sound identical when announced.
- Note who is booking it, the expected timescale, and the number to call if nothing arrives by then.
- Ask whether anything changes in the meantime: who leads your care, where you are seen, or how often.
- Bring another person if you can. A second listener retains what you will not, and can write things down while you are talking.
- If you cannot bring anyone, ask whether the discussion can be summarized in writing for you afterwards.
- Write your questions for the follow-up while this appointment is still fresh, rather than the night before.