18-22 week Detailed Anatomy Ultrasound Results

You might be told by your health-care provider that your ultrasound was normal. This means that:

• The baby is the right size for its age.
• The placenta is a normal size and is in a safe location.
• There is enough amniotic fluid surrounding the baby.
• There are no concerns for how the organs or structures of the baby are developing.
• There are no signs that would increase the chance that the baby has a chromosome difference.

Ultrasounds in pregnancy cannot detect all conditions. For example, birth defects are sometimes missed during an ultrasound and are only seen after the baby is born. As another example, some genetic conditions do not cause any birth defects at all but result in health and learning concerns as the child grows.

If the ultrasound detects concerns in how the organs or structures of the baby are developing, more tests might be offered to you. Your health-care practitioner might refer you to a genetics and/or maternal fetal medicine (MFM) specialist to discuss your results, provide support and/or offer more testing.

Soft markers

The 18-22 week ultrasound can sometimes detect certain findings called soft markers. Soft markers are most often normal variations of a baby’s development and do not usually cause health problems. Soft markers increase the possibility that the baby has a condition, such as trisomy 21, even if they are no longer seen on later ultrasounds.