Scans are available on the NHS, or you can pay to have them done privately. While routine scans are largely the same whether you go private or not, there are certain extras you will typically only be able to get by paying. Most hospitals do not allow children to attend scans as childcare is not usually available. Please ask your hospital about this before your appointment. This scan can detect some health conditions, such as spina bifida. Does screening for Down's syndrome happen at the dating scan? To show the position of the placenta and your baby, which can affect whether you plan to give birth vaginally or if you might need a caesarean section.

Guraya SS. The associations of nuchal translucency and fetal abnormalities; significance and implications. J Clin Diagn Res. 2013;7(5):936. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2013/5888.2989 Allison SJ, Stafford J, Anumba DO. The effect of stress and anxiety associated with maternal prenatal diagnosis on feto-maternal attachment. BMC Women's Health. 2011;11(1):33. doi:10.1186/1472-6874-11-33Peelen MJCS, Kazemier BM, Ravelli ACJ, et al. Impact of fetal gender on the risk of preterm birth, a national cohort study. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2016;95(9):1034-41. doi:10.1111/aogs.12929

See If antenatal screening tests find something for more information on if a scan or other screening test suggests your baby may be more likely to have a condition. What will happen at the scan? Whether it's your 12-week scan or 20-week scan, that baby pic is one of the most significant photos you’ll ever have, so get clued up on what you’re looking at NHS vs NCT and other private antenatal classes : find out the differences between free and private groups, and where you can find local antenatal courses How much do private scans cost? Harper LM, Odibo AO, Macones GA, Crane JP, Cahill AG. Effect of placenta previa on fetal growth. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2010;203(4):330-e1. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2010.05.014 If you want to find out the sex of your baby, you may be able to during the 20-week screening scan but this depends on the policy of your hospital. Tell the sonographer at the start of the scan that you'd like to know your baby's sex.While there’s no evidence to suggest that this is unsafe, it’s recommended that non-medical scans are avoided in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, as the embryo is potentially more vulnerable at this early stage, according to a paper published in 2015 by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists .