The short answer
It can be, for the right reason and at the right week. An early scan lets you see your pregnancy with your own eyes, and for many people that settles something a test can’t. It can’t tell you that everything is fine, and a scan that comes too early can leave you with more questions than you walked in with.
This page walks through what an early scan can and can’t give you, who it tends to help, and how to make one count if you go.
When people say “reassurance,” they usually mean one of two things. The first is seeing it: a shape on a screen that wasn’t there before, a flicker, a picture for the fridge. The second is being told everything is OK. An early scan can give you the first. No early scan can promise the second, here or anywhere else.
That isn’t caution for its own sake. It’s how early pregnancy works. A scan is a snapshot of one moment: what can be seen that day, at that size, from that angle. And early loss is common. Somewhere between 1 in 10 and 1 in 5 known pregnancies end in miscarriage, mostly in the first trimester. About half to two-thirds of those losses are linked to chance problems with the chromosomes, and most are no one’s fault (Mayo Clinic, AAFP).
So a more useful question than “will this reassure me?” is “will seeing it help me right now?” For a lot of people the answer is yes.
Seeing the heartbeat is a good sign, and the later in the first trimester you see it, the better the odds. In one Australian study of 696 women with no symptoms, whose baby’s heartbeat had been seen at a visit between 6 and 11 weeks, 1.6% went on to miscarry. The later the visit, the lower the risk (Tong and colleagues, Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2008). When can you see the heartbeat on an ultrasound? has the week-by-week figures.
Those numbers come with an important limit. They describe women with no bleeding or pain, and the authors warned against applying them to everyone. Another study, of 668 pregnancies seen alive at 6 to 10 weeks, found 7.5% were lost later. The risk was higher for older mothers, women with bleeding, smokers and babies with a slow early heart rate (Makrydimas and colleagues, Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2003). A heartbeat lowers the odds. It doesn’t take them to zero, and your doctor or midwife is the person to ask about your own.
People choose an early look for all kinds of reasons. These come up again and again.
Many doctors and midwives don’t see you until about 8 to 10 weeks, and some later (why your first prenatal appointment isn’t until 8 to 12 weeks). That can mean a month or more of being pregnant on paper only, with a test and a few symptoms to show for it. A look in between can make it feel real.
After a miscarriage, the weeks before the first scan can be the hardest of the pregnancy. Some people want to see as soon as they can. Others find an early look adds pressure. Both are normal, and there’s more on this below.
After IVF, the first scans usually happen at the fertility clinic, and then your care moves to a doctor or midwife. The gap between the last clinic scan and the first prenatal appointment can feel very long.
Medical appointments are built around clinic hours, and not every clinic welcomes guests at every scan. An elective scan can be booked around the people you want in the room.
Some people like to see the pregnancy before they tell their parents, their boss or the group chat. A first picture can be a gentle way to share the news, too.
Nobody can decide this for you, but these questions tend to make the answer clearer.
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Many people describe the pregnancy after a loss as hopeful and guarded at the same time. You may not want to buy anything yet, or say the word “baby” out loud. The first scan can carry the weight of the last one. Researchers have found more pregnancy-specific anxiety in women who are pregnant again after a loss, which won’t surprise anyone who has been there (Bergner and colleagues, 2008). Pregnant after a loss: seeing your baby early goes further, including the early care you may be offered.
A few things can make the day itself easier:
If worry is taking over your days, tell your doctor or midwife; anxiety in pregnancy is common and there is help for it. You can also call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262). It’s free, confidential and open 24/7, in English and Spanish (HRSA). Postpartum Support International’s HelpLine, 1-800-944-4773, offers support and resources, and PSI runs online support groups, including for pregnancy loss (PSI).
An elective early scan is usually paid out of pocket; insurance generally doesn’t cover keepsake visits. A medical scan usually needs an order from your doctor or midwife, and Can you get a pregnancy ultrasound without a doctor’s referral? compares the two, costs included.
At our studio in Glendale, a Pregnancy Check is $100. It’s a short, private 2D ultrasound in the first 10 weeks. You watch the big screen, we point out what you’re looking at, and you go home with 8 black-and-white prints. If it’s too early to see, you come back for a second look, almost always at no charge.
Same-day appointments are often available. Call (818) 243-7010 first and tell us the first day of your last period, and we’ll tell you whether it’s the right week. Irina, our lead sonographer, has done more than 30,000 pregnancy ultrasounds over nearly two decades. That’s a great deal of practice at finding what’s there. It isn’t a medical opinion about what it means, and we don’t give one. More about the Pregnancy Check.
It’s a good sign, and the odds keep improving week by week. In one study of women with no symptoms, 1.6% miscarried after a heartbeat was seen between 6 and 11 weeks. No scan can promise how a pregnancy will go, though, and your doctor or midwife is the person to ask about your own chances.
It can be. At 6 weeks an internal scan often shows a tiny embryo, a millimeter or two long, and often the heartbeat. A scan over the belly may show only the sac. If seeing the heartbeat matters most to you, a week or two later gives you much better odds.
Not at an elective studio. We can show you what’s on the screen, but we can’t diagnose, rule anything out or date the pregnancy. If you’re worried, call your doctor or midwife.
The FDA and medical societies discourage scans done only for keepsakes, so there’s no number they call OK (FDA). The FDA describes ultrasound’s safety record as excellent, but says long-term effects are still unknown and exposure should be kept as low as possible. Safety, in plain words has their statements.
Very early on, that’s common: the pregnancy can be too small to show. It can also be a sign of a problem. At our studio, we tell you what we could and couldn’t see, and you come back for a second look, almost always at no charge. Either way, let your doctor or midwife know.
Yes. Partners, family and friends are welcome at a Pregnancy Check, or you can come on your own.
Pregnancy confirmation
After IVF, a pregnancy test comes first, then your clinic’s first medical ultrasound: around 7 weeks in England’s NHS, usually 6 to 7 at one New York clinic.
Pregnancy confirmation
An early look can help after a loss, but no scan can promise how a pregnancy will go. The care you may be offered, what to ask for at a scan, and support.
Pregnancy confirmation
On an internal medical scan, two sacs can show from about 5 weeks and two heartbeats from about 6. Early scans can miss a twin; later medical scans settle it.
Same-day appointments are often available. Pick a time online, or call and we’ll find one together.