The Best Time for 3D Ultrasound

One of the most exciting moments of pregnancy is seeing your baby for the first time. Thanks to a 3-D ultrasound, you can see your baby as early as 16 months into your pregnancy. The best time for your 3-D ultrasound depends on the stage of development you want to capture and what you hope to gain from the experience. To help you decide, here is what you can expect from a 3-D ultrasound at each stage of your pregnancy.

  1. 16-18 weeks

    • At 16-18 weeks, the 3-D ultrasound is able to capture pictures and video of the full body of your baby. The gender can usually be determined by now. The images and video at this stage are better than the black-and-white images you receive at your physician's office. Choose this stage for your ultrasound if your physician can't determine whether you're having a boy or a girl and you can't wait to find out. The downside of doing it this early is that the baby is smaller. Therefore, the pictures aren't as vivid as the ones produced later in the pregnancy.

    24-26 weeks

    • If you already know the gender of the baby or you're electing not to find out until the birth, wait until you're 24 to 26 weeks into the pregnancy. At this point, you no longer can get full body shots of the baby, but the pictures and video are usually more vivid than earlier in the pregnancy. You also get a combination of head and body shots. Facial features aren't as prominent as they are in a later ultrasound, but some features and hand movements are visible at this time.

    28-30 weeks

    • At 28 to 32 weeks, the 3-D ultrasound produces clearer images and video than in the earlier stages. Since the baby is bigger, half-body shots will not be available. However, close facial shots allow you to see features and facial impressions clearly. You can also see a few body features.

      If you're trying to decide which stage to have a 3D ultrasound, consider your goals. If you want to know the gender as soon as possible, 16-18 weeks is the timeframe to choose. For pictures of the face and the body, 24-26 weeks is optimal. For the clearest pictures of your baby's facial features, 28-30 weeks is best.

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