Ultrasound Services

Ultrasonography is the transmission of intermittent high-frequency sound waves through body tissue which are reflected back from this tissue to a transducer. From the transducer an image of the body tissue is displayed on the monitor screen.

Family Planning Associates Medical Group uses ultrasound technology to assist in gestational age dating:

• Ultrasound Technicians or clinicians who have received training in measuring specific fetal structures for age dating perform the ultrasound.
• Our physicians use ultrasound for evaluating patients.
• We can determine pregnancy gestation, but we do not use ultrasound to determine the health or viability of the pregnancy.
• It is common to feel pressure in the abdomen or the vagina, yet there is little discomfort associated with the use of ultrasounds.

Safety

Numerous studies have been performed to determine the risks of ultrasound use in pregnancy. The studies have determined that there are no known risks and no confirmed biological hazards.

Procedure

The abdominal ultrasound involves placement of the transducer on the abdomen. A conducting gel is placed on the abdomen through which sounds waves are transmitted and received. A "real time" image is displayed on the monitor screen. The vaginal ultrasound consists of placing a specially designed probe into the vaginal canal (these probes are sanitized after each use and covered in a disposable barrier). The vaginal ultrasound usually produces a more distinct picture of the uterine contents and allows for dating (in most cases) of an earlier gestational age.

Fee

The usual fee is $120. The ultrasound is included in your service fee when FPA provides the abortion service.