The current trend is to use 4D ultrasound in assessing babies conditions. If you have any question about this technology, please feel free to ask me. I am a fetal medicine specialist (ie an obstetrician and Gynecologist who specializes in advanced care for the unborn baby)

Alemo50:
The current trend is to use 4D ultrasound in assessing babies conditions. If you have any question about this technology, please feel free to ask me. I am a fetal medicine specialist (ie an obstetrician and Gynecologist who specializes in advanced care for the unborn baby)

Sir, i'm curious. What exactly are the conditions that can be assessed? Also,where in Lagos can I get this service and at what cost? Thanks in advance.

goldmine:


Sir, i'm curious. What exactly are the conditions that can be assessed? Also,where in Lagos can I get this service and at what cost? Thanks in advance.

The conditions that can be assessed are:
1. Exact picture of the baby in colour and video like one shown here. You can have the videos recorded on flash drive to play for families. It promotes bonding as you see the baby open its mouth, suck thumb, grin, and other behaviors you never thought babies engage in. No woman ever forgets the experience, and the pictures and videos are there for life
2. Sex from 3 months
3. Any abnormality in the baby
4. Doppler of mother and baby to know if enough blood is getting to the baby. If enough blood is getting to the baby (ie if the Doppler of umbilical artery is normal), that baby cannot die in the womb in the next one week. So Doppler is the main test of fetal wellbeing worldwide now. So, whenever the doctor says that IUGR is suspected, that is poor fetal growth, then Umbilical artery Doppler must be done so that unnecessary CS is avoided
5. Prediction of outcomes of pregnancy. Eg MCA Doppler if woman is Rhesus negative, Uterine artery Doppler to know if the woman will develop Hypertension in pregnancy, so that low dose aspirin can be started to prevent it
6. Nuchal translucency to detect if baby has chromosomal anomaly eg Down syndrome
7. Infertility scan, such as sonoHSG to replace X-Ray HSG, Follicular monitoring etc

Essentially it performs all the required scan to ensure that the woman sees and interpret the findings herself

Where it can be done in Lagos: OMVIAL 4D Ultrasound Centre, 9 Fadeyi Street, Off Awolowo Way, By Ikeja Bus stop, Ikeja. Cost #5,000. If Doppler is required, then it's #7,500. Tel: 08036166396, 09099745678

Pls My Pcv Is 26 And My Edd Is This Month(june). What Can I Use To Boost It.Thanks

Mtm5313:
Pls My Pcv Is 26 And My Edd Is This Month(june). What Can I Use To Boost It.Thanks

First, any identifiable cause? Eg did you bleed? Are you a sickler, did you just recover from malaria? Or any illness with fever? Have you been eating well? If any of the above is present, it needs to be addressed. In the meantime start oral iron preparations plus folic acid plus vitamin C eg ferrotone with Vit C. That will increase PCV by 3% in 7-10 days. Luckily you should be able to achieve 30% before delivery

@ Alemo50 God bless you for this info. This is my 4th pregnancy and I'm 13weeks gone with twins had light bleeding intermittently between the 6th and 8th week. Did a scan in the 7th week and the doctor said all was well. It was a 2D scan though. I feel i'll get better assurance if I do the 4D.

Been also having serious pelvic pains since the 5th week. Experienced it in my 2nd pregnancy from the 7th month(the doctor's said the baby's weight was putting pressure on the pelvic area. The pain stopped few weeks after delivery upon taking cataflam as recommended by a doctor) and 3rd pregnancy from the 6th week up till 6months after delivery when I was forced to wean my baby to enable me take drugs and anti-inflamatory injections to relieve the pain which had spread to all the joints in my body.
Some tests and x-rays were carried out and the doctor said he detected early symptoms of rheumatic arthritis(but didn't diagnose rheumatic arthritis itself). All along,in the course of research,i had suspected symphysis pubis disorder.

The pain is back and at just 13weeks I limp around like some1 who is in labour. The doctor where I registered for antenatal says it's normal and I have to endure the pain until after delivery. Besides drugs,is there any way this pain can be managed? Please advice. Sorry for the long epistle. Also pls tell, at what stage of the pregnancy can I go for the 4D ultrasound/Doppler?

@goldmine
Scan frequency for twins is very different from that for singletons. For singletons, only 3 scans are needed, which are: 1) the first trimester (11-14 weeks scan) for dating, Nuchal Translucency, gross anomalies and uterine artery Doppler to categorise the pregnancy as high or low risks, 2) the mid-trimester (18-20) weeks for detailed anomaly scan, Doppler, and placental localization, and 3) Third trimester growth scan to determine percentile of weight and umbilical blood flow Doppler.

For twins, additional scans are required. First, at the 11-14 weeks, the chorionicity of the placenta must be determined. This will tell us if the twins are sharing the same placenta. If they are (ie mono chorionic) they are at the risk of developing a complication called Twin-to-twin Transfusion Syndrome ((TTTS) between 16-24 weeks. This is a condition where one baby draws blood from the other. In order to detect TTTS, if the 11-14 scans show mono chorionic twins, then scans are done at 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 weeks (ie evey 2 weeks till 24 weeks). But if the babies are dichorionic, scan are done only every four weeks because in twins one cannot use fundal height to estimate fetal growth, but must rely on serial growth scans, as poor growth in one fetus can be masked by normal growth in the second, in which case fundal height measurement will be inaccurate. Also because the tummy in twins is bigger than normal, fundal height measurement is useless to determine fetal growth restriction (IUGR). Every woman with twins are encouraged to read this article on ultrasound schedule for twins: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/x1014523/what-scans-will-i-have-if-im-expecting-twins

Regarding your pains, you are probably correct about the symphysis pain. Symphyseal diastasis can be measures on 4D scan and will appear as increased gaping on standing. If it is, then I can post the various measures to take for you, which you can preview at http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a546492/pelvic-pain-spd

Yawning baby on 4D Scan

@Alemo50
Please advise me on this Doppler scan. My baby was noticed to be having this IUGR thing, and I read that the best way to monitor the baby is by umbilical artery doppler. How does this help?

VictoriaOb:
@Alemo50
Please advise me on this Doppler scan. My baby was noticed to be having this IUGR thing, and I read that the best way to monitor the baby is by umbilical artery doppler. How does this help?

Babies growth depends entirely on the amount of blood flowing through the umbilical artery from the placenta to the baby. Since the babies organs are not yet fully functional, everything it needs to keep it alive is supplied by the placenta. So if a baby is not growing well (IUGR) you need to use Doppler ultrasound scan to assess the degree of umbilical blood flow. Once the blood flow has reduced to a critical point, then the baby must be delivered.

4D scans and Dopplers are extremely safe in pregnancy

And promotes maternal-fetal bonding

Alemo50:
And promotes maternal-fetal bonding

Further isuog.org

Thanks Sir. What about the infertility scan? The SonoHSG

Alemo50:


First, any identifiable cause? Eg did you bleed? Are you a sickler, did you just recover from malaria? Or any illness with fever? Have you been eating well? If any of the above is present, it needs to be addressed. In the meantime start oral iron preparations plus folic acid plus vitamin C eg ferrotone with Vit C. That will increase PCV by 3% in 7-10 days. Luckily you should be able to achieve 30% before delivery

Thanks,i Will Do So.

i will try it sometimes too

Pls what are the dosages of the drugs

Thank you so much Alemo50. The information you've provided would be of immense help. God bless you as you continue to help others.

goldmine:
Thank you so much Alemo50. The information you've provided would be of immense help. God bless you as you continue to help others.

My pleasure, mam

Thanks

BEST WAY TO KNOW IF YOUR BABY IS FINE
Umbilical artery Doppler was shown to have 100% specificity for predicting foetal outcome, See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23457860 . What this means is that once the Doppler scan of your babies umbilical artery shows that blood is flowing to your baby, it means that in all of such cases the baby will be okay.
So, if your baby is not kicking fine, or you have any illness that you think might have affected your baby, or the doctor/nurse says your baby is not growing well etc, go straight for umbilical artery doppler ultrasound.

4D ultrasound allows the pregnant woman to see her baby's overall body so that if there is any abnormality, it can be detected on time and the woman can see for herself. Gone are the days when an ultrasound scan will say one thing and the woman or the doctor is not convinced

http://www.layyous.com/en/ultrasound-scan/the-clinical-advantages-of-3d-and-4d-ultrasound/2-118

See above link for a comprehensive clinical benefits of 4D Ultrasound

A third of all stillbirths are due to smallness of babies ( a condition called IUGR). The mainstay of management is Doppler Ultrasound. Two-thirds of small babies cannot be detected by tummy examination by Doctors/nurses in the clinic. Therefore, for the sake our unborn babies, do Doppler screening for fetal wellbeing in your third trimester of pregnancy

Thanks, but where can I read more about this Doppler?

VictoriaOb:
@Alemo50
Please advise me on this Doppler scan. My baby was noticed to be having this IUGR thing, and I read that the best way to monitor the baby is by umbilical artery doppler. How does this help?

Me too pls

My too

Pls reply

Lolaob:
Pls reply

Lolaob:
My too

Doppler scan measures blood flow to the baby. Since the babies' organs are not yet functioning, for example the baby cannot eat, drink or breath, all it required is supplied by the placenta through the umbilical cord. With normal blood flow, no baby will die. For the babies that die, the blood flow will first reduce, then stop, and if the baby is not delivered before it becomes too late it will die. So Doppler scan is the method of measuring if the baby is doing well

I will post specific instances later

Oh, I remember. I did this scan [doppler] when I fell very sick[I had jaundice, malaria and thypoid].
My baby was jumping in my womb and was breathing very fast. My hospital charged me 10k.