Fetal Medicine Department
Author : Doctor Aziza AL-Gabas
• Updated at: Jun 09, 2024 •
The main aim of our productive health care professionals at Bedaya Hospital is to improve women’s and couple’s health throughout the various stages of their reproductive life; premarital, when conceiving, during pregnancy and afterwards.
Couples before marriage or when deciding they want to start a family can visit Bedaya Hospital for a premarital package including a genetic intake, blood tests and an ultrasound scan. We offer this service to counsel couples that might be worried from passing genetic diseases off to their offspring due to a family history or just couples that want.
We also offer extensive antenatal care services to assure, diagnose, treat or intervene during pregnancies. Our antenatal department has high-tech 3-Dimensional (3D) and 4-Dimensional (4D) ultrasound sonography scans that can screen for genetic and development anomalies such as Down syndrome. We advise couples to do a 3D ultrasound sonography screening twice during pregnancy during windows where certain developments take place. Week 11-13 and week 20-22.
Bedaya Hospital also advices women above the age of 40 to do a regular gynecological checkup for screening of several cancers and issues that could develop to make sure we keep you safe during all stages of life.
Our Fetal Medicine Department.
Premarital counselling and examination
Our fetal medicine department has a multidisciplinary team of geneticists, gynecologists, andrologists and psychologists. Couples that come to us with fears of hereditary genetic diseases come in for an intake. We discuss their family and personal medical histories; our focus lies on the presence of any genetic or hereditary disease patterns in order to identify the risks of passing it on to their future baby/babies. Our team of geneticists then offer genetic counselling that can help instruct couples on extra precautions or tests to be taken when starting a family.
Naturally we also offer genetic counseling to couples that have no history of familial hereditary diseases but would like to take extra precautions to increase the chances of having a healthy baby.
At Bedaya Hospital we also offer a center of excellence ultrasonography unit. This unit offers state of the art equipment for a detailed ultrasound examination of the female’s reproductive system and a center of excellence in andrology where we offer detailed semen analysis under a special microscope to identify any problems so we can counsel couples accordingly. If there are no problems, we can help reassure them and take away any worries they might have about their reproductive future.
Pregnancy scans
Fetal viability scan at 6-10 weeks
Our fetal medicine imaging department is responsible for carrying out all necessary scans throughout the future mom’s pregnancy. The first scan is called a fetal viability scan, which is done between 6-8 weeks of pregnancy calculated from the first day of your last menstrual period. This is usually a vaginal ultrasound sonography and helps us determine the number of sacs in a pregnancy and their viability. This scan is usually an emotional one for parents since it’s the first time they can see/hear their baby’s heartbeat!
Fetal anomaly scan 11-13 weeks
Nuchal Translucency scan
The 3D ultrasound sonography performed in the window of 11-13 weeks shows us the initial development of the baby but most importantly 3 things are looked at during this developmental stage
- Nuchal translucency (NT) which is a collection of fluid behind the fetus’s neck that can be seen specifically in this window of time, if it is above a 3 mm it could be an indicator for Down syndrome
- Nasal bone, between 11-13 weeks the nasal bone on a 3D ultrasound is visible as a hyperechogenic line parallel to the nasal skin. If currently the bone isn’t visible or below a certain measurement this could be an indicator of several syndromes of which Down is one.
- The 4 heart chambers, 3 vessels and trachea could be very well visualized during this window of time and some forms of heart anomalies can be diagnosed.
Anything seen during the 11–13-week scan is only an indicator that rises the chances of the fetus having certain syndromes or anomalies. Bedaya Hospital always advises and offers further investigations if anything was outside of the statistic norm during the 3D ultrasound, certain things can be confirmed or rebutted at the 20–22-week scan and other options are undergoing noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), chorion villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis.
Fetal anomaly scan at 20-24 weeks
During the 20–24-week 3D ultrasound the development of certain organs and the overall development are assessed. The cardiovascular system, brain and nerve system development, gastrointestinal tract, urogenital tract, face, spine and limbs are looked at for anomalies or malformations that can indicate certain syndromes or genetic anomalies. If anything is out of the ordinary the couple is counseled and given all the information needed for them to take a well-balanced and informed decision.
Fetal scan 30-34 weeks
In the past years many obstetricians have recommended doing a third scan between 30-34 weeks to assess fetal growth and development.
Important factors during this scan.
- Biparietal measurements which means; measuring the fetal head development and make sure there are no deviations seen in the brain
- Measuring the circumference of the abdomen (stomach) to see if internally everything has been developed correctly and there are no fluid collections
- Measuring the femur (thigh bone) to make sure the development of the bones is going well.
These 3 measurements help us determine the estimated fetal weight and estimate if it is within the norm for the pregnancy duration
Furthermore, we look at the fetal movements, position and appearance of placenta, amniotic fluid and a doppler ultrasound is done to evaluate the blood flow.
Real time 3D ultrasound (4D ultrasound)
At Bedaya we offer a state-of-the-art three-dimensional ultrasound examination of the baby (3d/4d ultrasound). This scan is particularly useful in visualization of the face and helps in the overall assessment of the normal development of the baby. This is usually the favorite ultrasound future parents! The parents can enjoy watching their child move and get to know their facial features! Bedaya Hospital also offers a DVD of this memorable moment!
Ultrasound Scans for Fertility Investigations
Ultrasound scans are also useful in fertility investigations. Fertility scans are usually conducted vaginally, and we examine the uterus, cervix, ovaries and pelvic organs. This ultrasound among others can help us diagnose deviations in the uterine lining like a septum, fibroids or polyps, poly cystic ovaries and make an estimation of the ovarian reserve.
Pelvic ultrasound scans
This type of ultrasound is exactly like the vaginal ultrasound for fertility investigations and is performed to examine the uterus, cervix, ovaries and pelvic organs to diagnose any abnormalities in patients with pelvic pain or abnormal bleeding. This pelvic ultrasound can also detect several tumors of the pelvis at an early stage. Bedaya Hospital advices all women above the age of 45 to do a regular annual pelvic checkup through ultrasound
Sonohysterography
A sonohysterography helps us to examine, in detail, the shape of the uterus internally and identify any polyps or fibroids that may be present. This examination involves passing a very fine tube through the cervix and injecting saline and following this on ultrasound. The injecting of saline causes the uterine walls to separate from one another to help your doctor to better evaluate the state of the endometrium cavity if there are any polyps, fibroids and their sizes and depth.
All the above scans are performed using the best available technology in ultrasound imaging by experts in our team in the field of diagnostic imaging so an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan can be tailored for every patient.
