What to check at 20 weeks

The 20-week prenatal check-up is mainly to check whether the fetus has any developmental abnormalities. The prenatal check-up is mainly to check blood pressure and fetal heart rate and understand the normal development rate of the fetus. Therefore, it is recommended that expectant mothers should pay attention to the time of prenatal check-ups during pregnancy. The fetus needs to have a prenatal check-up every month. Prenatal check-ups can be a good way to check the development of the fetus to avoid fetal developmental abnormalities and congenital diseases.

Prenatal check-up items at 20 weeks of pregnancy You will have your third prenatal check-up this week, the most important item of which is the B-ultrasound fetal malformation examination.

1. Routine prenatal examination items:

The third prenatal check-up is at 20 weeks of pregnancy. Routine examinations will include blood pressure, weight, blood routine, urine routine, abdominal circumference, uterine height, and fetal heart rate. Through these examinations, the doctor can get a general understanding of the physical condition of the pregnant woman, see if there are any abnormalities, whether the fetus is developing at a normal rate, etc.

2. Key prenatal examination items: B-ultrasound (deformity screening)

Necessity of B-ultrasound (for fetal anomaly screening): B-ultrasound examination is arranged in the second trimester because there is relatively more amniotic fluid in the uterus at this time, the fetus is of moderate size, and there is a larger space for movement in the uterus. For B-ultrasound examination, there is better contrast, and the various organs of the fetus can be clearly seen. More obvious malformations, such as congenital heart disease, anencephaly, hydrocephalus, spina bifida, abdominal wall defect, short limbs, polycystic kidney disease, and gastrointestinal atresia are easy to detect. If necessary, timely treatment or termination of pregnancy can be carried out.

Interpretation of key prenatal check-up items at 20 weeks of pregnancy 1. Role of B-ultrasound (malformation screening): Three-dimensional color ultrasound or four-dimensional color ultrasound can reflect the development of the fetus's face and organs through imaging, and can be used to detect and screen fetal malformations, providing an accurate scientific basis for the early diagnosis of congenital surface malformations and congenital complex malformations of the fetus. At the same time, it can clearly display diseases such as fetal polycystic kidney disease and renal dysplasia, and is of great value in judging the fetal heart in utero.

2. B-ultrasound (deformity screening) examination method:

(1) Make an appointment at the hospital in advance to avoid missing the best examination time.

(2) Go to the hospital for fetal anomaly examination as scheduled. Taking four-dimensional color ultrasound as an example, under normal circumstances, a four-dimensional color ultrasound takes 30 minutes, but the time required may vary depending on the situation of each expectant mother.

(3) If the fetal position or other reasons make it difficult to see the fetus’ face or other parts, the doctor will recommend that the expectant mother move around before continuing.

(4) The doctor will examine the fetus very carefully. If any abnormal changes are found in the fetus, it will take longer. The doctor will mainly check the fetus's head, such as cleft lip, poor development of the brain and bones, kidneys, heart, spina bifida, etc. The expectant mother should not be nervous during the examination to avoid affecting the normal activities of the fetus and interfering with the examination results.

3. Normal values ​​of B-ultrasound (fetal anomaly screening) : Due to the large activities of the fetus in the uterus, different body positions, and differences in the doctors' operations, the numbers may cause errors, and sometimes even fluctuate greatly. Therefore, when the report results are different from the normal values, expectant mothers do not need to be overly nervous. If you have any questions, you can consult your obstetrician at any time.