(HealthDay News) — Ultrasound uses sound waves to create images of the body’s internal tissues and organs. The diagnostic may be prescribed for a pregnant woman to examine the growing fetus inside her womb.
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says the procedure can help gauge:
- How old the fetus is.
- How quickly the fetus is growing.
- Where the fetus is located, how it moves and breathes, and its heart rate.
- Placement of the woman’s placenta.
- The amount of amniotic fluid inside the uterus.
- The number of fetuses.
- The presence of some birth defects.