11 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound – Purpose, Prep & more

An 11th-week ultrasound is a common thing during a pregnancy check-up to determine your due date. By around eleven weeks, your baby officially becomes a foetus from an embryo. Distinct facial features and genitalia are developing in your baby, and the eleven-week scan gives an exciting preview of the way your baby is growing inside you. The 11 weeks pregnant ultrasound is also medically significant for ruling out any anomalies, syndromes, or malformations. Let’s move ahead and see what the scan performed at eleven weeks includes, what an 11-week-old fetus looks like, why you might need an 11 weeks fetus ultrasound, and how it is done.

Purpose of the 11 Week Ultrasound Scan

The first-trimester pregnancy scan is always very special as it gives a glimpse of the developing baby. The week 11 scan gives you a sneak peek at how your baby looks for the first time. It is also the earliest stage at which the doctor can pick up certain anomalies in the baby.

At this stage, you likely won’t notice much detail regarding your baby’s limb and organ development. Because of this, it’s quite possible that you won’t have an ultrasound at 11 weeks pregnant. However, there are some reasons why you might have one.

The purpose of the week 11 scan is manifold. Here are some reasons why the 11-week scan should not be missed.

• During the 11-week scan, the foetus is screened for chromosomal abnormalities like Down’s syndrome. The scan results are evaluated along with the blood test results to arrive at a diagnosis.
• The position and size of the placenta are checked.
• The amount of amniotic fluid is assessed.
• The nuchal translucency (NT), the translucent space beneath the foetus’s neck, is used as a risk factor for the syndrome. Nuchal translucency is also used as a guideline to rule out any congenital cardiac disease.
• Multiple pregnancies, if any, are clearly visible during this scan. Twins are usually visible at this stage as two clearly separate gestational sacs.
• A general pregnancy health assessment is made.
• The gestational age of the baby is checked based on the growth of the fetus.
• Check for an ectopic pregnancy.

How to Prepare for Your 11 Week Scan

As the uterus lies low in the abdomen, going with a full bladder can help provide better visualisation of the foetus. You can drink a few extra glasses of water and prepare yourself for the scan. However, some sonographers prefer a partially full bladder. Wearing comfortable, loose clothing that easily exposes the abdomen can facilitate the procedure.

How Long Does the 11 Week Ultrasound Take?

The first-trimester ultrasound at eleven weeks is usually a simple procedure that takes a few minutes. An experienced sonographer measures the nuchal translucency quite easily. They also check for other vital growth parameters, such as crown-rump length, the diameter of the gestational sac, placental position and size, etc. The position of the foetus can delay the scan. Sometimes the baby may be turned to one side or curled up, making it very difficult to measure the tissue below the neck. Usually, the sonographer suggests repeating the scan at a later time until the correct foetal position is achieved.

How Is the 11 Week Ultrasound Scan Performed?

The week 11 scan is usually performed trans-abdominally. A cooling gel is applied to the lower abdomen, and the transducer device that sends ultrasound waves into your uterus is moved over the tummy to get a clear view of the foetus. The baby’s images are taken from the top and sides to provide a better view of all internal and external organs.

What Can Be Seen in the Scan?

Many mothers are anxious about the 11-week ultrasound. Although it is a very crucial scan that rules out any abnormalities in the foetus, there is no need to panic. It is probably the first time you get to see your moving baby, so be prepared for a lot of excitement.

• The foetus is about the size of a fig (about 1.57 inches long).
• The baby, at 11 weeks, looks more human with the well-formed nose, lips, webbed fingers and toes, and thin limbs (1).
• By the end of the 8th week, bones begin to form, and by the 11th week, the baby’s head and bones have developed and are getting stronger (2). They will be pronounced in the 12th week.
• The heart is well-formed and pumping well, and the lung tissues are in development with trachea and bronchi, and some arteries and capillaries are already developed (3). 
• The body is still disproportionate, with a large head and a comparatively small torso.
• Facial features are more prominent now (4).
• Their skin is translucent, and the eyelids are closed (5).
• You can catch your baby bouncing and kicking in the watery amniotic sac.
• The baby’s genital organs are beginning to form this week and may not be clearly visible in the scan.
• The foetus at this stage is only an inch or two long but has a rapidly developing organ system.

What Should a Fetal Heartbeat Be At an 11 Week Ultrasound Scan?

At 11 weeks, your baby’s heartbeat is expected to rise above 170 bpm, increasing from 110 bpm around 5 to 6 weeks (6). An 11 weeks pregnant scan may provide this information, although some early ultrasounds might detect a heartbeat as soon as six weeks.

However, you can typically expect to hear a heartbeat using a Doppler fetal monitor around 10 weeks.

Although your developing baby might be evaluated for an irregular heartbeat (fetal arrhythmia) between 12 and 14 weeks, it’s more likely to be detected during the 20-week assessment (7).

What If Any Abnormalities Are Seen in the Scan?

If the 11-week foetus ultrasound indicates the possibility of chromosomal abnormalities, then you can talk to your doctor about the other confirmatory tests you can take. The NT values reflected in the scan are not conclusive evidence for a foetal abnormality. A blood test is often performed at the same time as an NT scan to detect trisomy 21 (Down’s syndrome) and trisomy 18, and sometimes 13, to corroborate the scan’s findings (8).

The doctor may also suggest an invasive procedure called amniocentesis to check for the DNA of the foetus. Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) can also be offered earlier (11–13 weeks). There is a slight risk of miscarriage, and couples can decide to take it after discussing it with their genetic counsellor or doctor (9). To avoid the invasive procedure, you can wait for the anomaly scan at weeks 18-20, which can detect some mild indicators of abnormal growth. Based on all these indicators, the doctor or genetic counsellor will help you with the diagnosis and advise you about the course of action.

The week 11 NT scan is crucial in terms of identifying any congenital anomalies in the foetus. Although the scan result alone is not enough for a diagnosis, it definitely serves as a guideline for further tests.

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Sources References

1. EHD – Prenatal Form and Function – The Making of an Earth Suit

2. NIH – Bone Development & Growth

3. Springer Nature Link – Development of the lung

4. Cleveland Clinic – Fetal Development

5. MedlinePlus – Fetal development

6. Radiopedia – Fetal heart rate in the first and second trimester

7. PubMed Central – Rhythm abnormalities of the fetus

8. Johns Hopkins Medicine – First Trimester Screening, Nuchal Translucency and NIPT

9. Queensland Government – Prenatal Screening For Chromosomal Conditions Including Down Syndrome