If you’ve just found out you’re pregnant or you suspect you might be, it’s natural to feel like you need answers quickly. But before you make any decisions about your pregnancy, there is one step that matters more than most people realize: getting an ultrasound.
The information an ultrasound provides can safeguard your health. At Elevate Pregnancy and Family Resource Center, we offer free ultrasounds following a positive pregnancy test.
Schedule your free appointment today to start getting the answers you need. You can also keep reading to learn why an ultrasound is crucial to protecting your health and well-being.
It Can Detect Certain Conditions
One of the most critical things an early ultrasound can detect is an ectopic pregnancy, a pregnancy that has implanted somewhere outside the uterus, most often in a fallopian tube. A home pregnancy test will come back positive with an ectopic pregnancy, giving no indication that anything is wrong.
Left undetected, an ectopic pregnancy can rupture and become a life-threatening emergency. It requires immediate medical care that is entirely separate from any elective abortion procedure. An ultrasound is the only way to confirm that your pregnancy is located in the uterus.
It Confirms Whether the Pregnancy Is Viable
It’s also possible to receive a positive pregnancy test result after a pregnancy has already ended naturally. Miscarriage, particularly in early weeks, doesn’t always come with clear symptoms, and hormones can linger long enough to produce a positive test result. What’s more, it may require medical follow-up to prevent complications.
As many as 26% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. An ultrasound can confirm whether the pregnancy is progressing and whether a heartbeat is present. Having this information protects you from making a significant decision based on circumstances that may have already changed.
It Tells You How Far Along You Are
Gestational age is a key piece of medical information, particularly if you are considering abortion. The FDA approves medical abortion only through 10 weeks gestation, and taking abortion drugs beyond the recommended timeframe carries real health risks. Estimating your timeline based solely on your last menstrual period can be inaccurate, especially with an irregular cycle.
An ultrasound gives you a more reliable measure of how far along you are, so whatever you decide, you’re working from accurate, complete information.
Free, Private Support at Elevate
Your health and privacy both matter here. At Elevate Pregnancy and Family Resource Center, pregnancy testing is completely free and conducted in a private setting. If your test is positive, we’ll provide an ultrasound referral to help you gather information about your pregnancy.
Schedule your free appointment today.
Elevate Pregnancy and Family Resource Center does not provide or refer for abortions.
All abortion information in this blog is based on accurate information at the time of writing.