Health Tip: Getting a Fetal Ultrasound

What the diagnostic may reveal

(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.

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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.

-- Diana Kohnle