10-week-pregnant ultrasound: Is it too early to have one?

At 10 weeks pregnant, you may be counting down the weeks until the end of the 1st trimester. While you’re no longer at the start of your pregnancy, things can still feel a little uncertain. 

Handling the unknown is tough, and it’s totally understandable if you want to get a closer look at how your baby is developing. But could a 10-week ultrasound provide the reassurance you’re looking for — or is it still too early? We speak to Flo expert Dr. Jennifer Boyle, obstetrician and gynecologist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts, US, to find out. 

Key takeaways: 10 weeks pregnant ultrasound

• 10 weeks pregnant is not too early for an ultrasound. You could find out your due date, viability (i.e., if your pregnancy is expected to develop normally), and whether or not you’re having twins or more, according to Dr. Boyle. 
• It’s too early to screen for genetic testing at a 10-week ultrasound, which is possible from 11 to 14 weeks pregnant at the earliest. 
• Some people choose to have an ultrasound at 10 weeks pregnant for reassurance. It can be comforting to know that once your doctor picks up cardiac activity (a heartbeat) at 10 weeks pregnant, your risk of miscarriage is believed to drop significantly. 
• The exact timing of your 1st-trimester ultrasound depends largely on where you live. In many countries, it happens at around 12 weeks. However, your doctor may want to do a scan earlier than this if you have any bleeding or pain or a history of fertility issues. 
• A pregnancy-tracking app like Flo can help to break up your pregnancy by updating you on your baby’s development each week. 

Is 10 weeks too early for an ultrasound? 

Good news: Ten weeks pregnant is definitely not too early for an ultrasound. In fact, a 1st-trimester ultrasound will be scheduled as part of your routine prenatal care. It can happen anywhere from 7 to around 12 weeks pregnant, depending on your doctor and where you live. 

So what can a scan around this time tell you? “There are [few] main reasons to do a 1st-trimester pregnancy ultrasound,” says Dr. Boyle. 

• To find out how far along you are in your pregnancy: A doctor can figure out your due date by ultrasound. This involves measuring the fetal pole, which is the embryo (i.e., your baby) in its earliest stages. The fetal pole becomes visible on an ultrasound scan starting around 6 weeks pregnant. 

  The measurement gives your doctor “a crown-rump length,” according to Dr. Boyle, which tells them the gestational age (how old your baby is). “Doctors compare the ultrasound gestational age to the gestational age based on the last menstrual period and can then tell a person their due date,” explains Dr. Boyle. “Of course, we still don’t know when a baby will be born. The due date is really only when the pregnancy becomes 40 weeks.” 

• To find out if your pregnancy is “viable”: In the 1st trimester, “viability” means whether or not a pregnancy is expected to develop normally. Doctors can use your ultrasound results to figure this out. “When we see cardiac activity in an embryo, we say the pregnancy is viable,” says Dr. Boyle. Your baby’s heartbeat can become visible via ultrasound as early as 6 weeks pregnant. 

  However, an ultrasound isn’t always needed to confirm viability at this stage. “At 10 weeks and beyond, we can often — although not always — hear the fetal heartbeat by using a Doppler device [a device that detects the sound of your baby’s heartbeat through your belly],” says Dr. Boyle. “This confirms fetal viability, so then an ultrasound is not necessary.”

• To investigate problems: For example, your doctor would likely want to investigate any pain and/or bleeding via an ultrasound — but more on that later. 

As you can see, a 10-week ultrasound could tell you quite a lot about your pregnancy. But one thing it can’t generally be used for at this stage is prenatal genetic testing. This is a series of optional tests that can tell if your baby might have a genetic condition or birth abnormality. “An early screening for fetal anomalies can only be done between 11 and 14 weeks,” says Dr. Boyle. “Different clinics and doctors will have their own care plans about when it is best to have this type of ultrasound.” 

At this stage in your pregnancy, your doctor would be able to use results from an ultrasound plus a blood test to figure out the risk of genetic disorders like Down Syndrome (trisomy 21). Then, when you’re in your 2nd trimester, usually between 18 and 20 weeks pregnant, you’ll be offered an ultrasound to check for birth disorders, like a cleft palate, and other health conditions. 

It’s your choice whether or not you want to have prenatal genetic testing. But if you’re concerned, it can be helpful to know that, more often than not, pregnancy ultrasounds don’t reveal any problems, and most babies are born healthy. 

Why get an ultrasound at 10 weeks? 

No matter when your first ultrasound is scheduled for, there are some circumstances when you’d need a scan at 10 weeks pregnant. For example, your doctor may want to explore any issues that come up during your first prenatal visit. “All practices are different, but in our practice, we have the first prenatal visit at 10 to 11 weeks,” says Dr. Boyle. “At this time, we listen for the fetal heartbeat using the Doppler. If we can’t hear it, then we have the person do an ultrasound.”

You may also need an ultrasound if you experience any pain or bleeding, as these can be symptoms of miscarriage. Before you panic, it’s important to remember that bleeding or pain can also be common 1st-trimester pregnancy symptoms and may not necessarily mean anything is wrong. However, doing an ultrasound can confirm the cause, so you should always see your doctor to be on the safe side. 

They will also want to check that the bleeding isn’t caused by an ectopic pregnancy. This is when a pregnancy develops outside of the uterus and can be dangerous if it’s left untreated, which means an ectopic pregnancy can never develop into a baby.  

It can be difficult to think about the possibility of these things happening when you’re pregnant. But if you’re feeling worried, be reassured that studies show your risk of miscarriage reduces each week and that ectopic pregnancies are rare. If you’ve found any of this difficult to read or you’re struggling to cope with worries about your pregnancy, reach out for support. Our crisis page can help you find it in your area. 

It can also help to know that, while unpleasant, feeling anxious about your pregnancy is common. It’s why many women choose to have an ultrasound at 10 weeks for reassurance, even when there are no previous fertility issues or medical concerns. The early weeks of pregnancy can be an uncertain time, and many people want to have a scan before telling friends and family their news.

Ten weeks pregnant can be a good time to get an ultrasound for reassurance. “Once we confirm fetal cardiac activity at 10 weeks, the risk of miscarriage decreases greatly,” says Dr. Boyle. “I usually tell people that after 10 weeks, the risk is less than 10%.” In fact, one study found the risk of miscarriage after 10 weeks is actually far lower than this, at just 0.5%.  

“Although there is still nervousness and anticipation before the ultrasound, the relief when everything looks okay at 10 weeks is really great,” says Dr. Boyle. “Also, at 10 weeks, you can often see the embryo moving during the ultrasound.”

Take this Flo member’s experience for example. “We had our first ultrasound at 10 weeks,” they shared in the app’s Secret Chats spaces. “It was magical and so reassuring. Baby even gave us a little wave with their arm!”

What happens in an ultrasound at 10 weeks? 

There are two main types of pregnancy ultrasound: an abdominal and a transvaginal ultrasound. You may have seen the former on TV, where a doctor runs a device across the woman’s pregnant belly. However, at 10 weeks pregnant, you’re more likely to have a transvaginal ultrasound, which is when the sonographer places the device inside your vagina. 

Don’t worry — it shouldn’t be painful. The room will likely be dimly lit, and you’ll just need to lie back on the padded examining table and relax. The sonographer will look for the fetal pole so that they can measure crown-rump length, [they will] check if there’s more than one baby in there, and [they’ll look for] a heartbeat, explains Dr. Boyle. 

When to schedule an ultrasound early in pregnancy

Your doctor will schedule your 1st-trimester ultrasound. Exactly when it happens will depend mostly on where you live, but it could be as early as 7 to 8 weeks pregnant. Most often, this ultrasound happens closer to 12 weeks. For example, in the United States, it’s often between 12 and 14 weeks pregnant. Similarly, in Canada, they are scheduled for between 11 and 14 weeks, in the United Kingdom, between 10 and 14 weeks, and in France, between 11 and 13 weeks. In Australia, while the 1st-trimester ultrasound usually happens between 11 and 13 weeks pregnant, some women have a dating scan at 8 to 9 weeks. 

So, there’s a good chance you may have a little longer to wait for your routine 1st-trimester scan if you’re 10 weeks pregnant. If this feels like a lifetime, hang in there. It can help to take each day as it comes, spend time doing activities you enjoy, and lean on friends and family for support. Meanwhile, the Flo app can help you track fetal development week by week, prepare for your appointments, and meet other parents-to-be in our safe Secret Chats space. As always, if you have any concerns about your pregnancy, don’t hesitate to reach out to your doctor. 

Most importantly, know that you’re not alone if you’re feeling anxious about your first scan or pregnancy in general. Many if not most women find the uncertainty of the 1st trimester challenging in parts. At 10 weeks, you could be so close to seeing your baby for the first time — so keep going. You’re doing an amazing job.