An ultrasound is a non-invasive diagnostic imaging test used to monitor the health and development of your baby. 

At Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists of Southern California, we offer advanced 3D and 4D ultrasounds. While a traditional ultrasound creates a two-dimensional image, 3D ultrasounds show significantly more detail, including facial features. A 4D ultrasound provides video footage of your baby.

In addition to allowing you to see your baby, these tools enable our clinicians to measure and examine your baby and check that they are developing at the correct rate.

What happens during an ultrasound?

During your ultrasound, you rest on a treatment bed and lift your shirt to expose your abdomen. Your doctor or ultrasound technician applies a gel to your skin, which reduces friction so the transducer — a handheld device that directs the ultrasound waves through your body — can glide smoothly over your skin.

As the technician moves the transducer over your abdomen, sound waves move through your body and bounce off your organs and tissue. The transducer picks up the returning waves, and the ultrasound equipment converts the waves into images or videos. You can look at your baby while your doctor examines the images.

Ultrasounds are non-invasive and safe for you and your baby. You can return to your regular activities as soon as your appointment ends.

What does the doctor look for during an ultrasound?

Your doctor uses the ultrasound to measure your baby and monitor their development. They look at your baby’s organs and the environment and amniotic fluid levels in your uterus. One of the tests performed during a first-trimester ultrasound is a nuchal translucency screening to measure the space at the back of your baby’s neck, which can indicate a risk for Down syndrome or other physical abnormalities.

Genetic testing is a diagnostic procedure that examines genes, chromosomes and proteins from you and your baby to determine your risk of birth defects and other abnormalities. At Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists of Southern California, our clinicians offer prenatal screening tests to assess the chance that your baby has a chromosomal abnormality. We also provide prenatal diagnostics tests to determine whether your baby has certain disorders.

What genetic screening tests should I have during pregnancy?

We offer genetic screening for you, your partner and your baby.

You and your partner can have carrier screening to determine if you carry a gene for any genetic disorders. Carrier screening involves a blood test or a tissue sample collected from the inside of your cheek with a swab. Carrier testing screens for:

• Cystic fibrosis
• Sickle cell anemia
• Spinal muscular atrophy
• Tay-Sachs disease

Our clinicians can also screen your baby for chromosomal abnormalities, brain and spine defects and other potential problems. We perform the screening tests with advanced ultrasounds and maternal blood tests.

During your first trimester, you’ll have bloodwork and an ultrasound. During your ultrasound, your doctor examines the thickness of the space at the back of your baby’s neck with a nuchal translucency screening, which can reveal your baby’s risk for Down syndrome and other physical defects.

In your second trimester, you can have additional genetic screening, including a quadruple blood test that checks for other signs of Down Syndrome, trisomy 18 and neural tube defects. You also have another ultrasound that allows your doctor to check for physical abnormalities in your baby’s brain, spine, facial features, abdomen, heart and limbs.

What are the available genetic diagnostic tests?

If any of your genetic screening tests have positive results, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists of Southern California also offers diagnostic testing, including amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS), to determine if your baby has specific genetic disorders.

Amniocentesis tests a tiny amount of your amniotic fluid, and CVS uses a small sample of your placenta to monitor your baby’s chromosomes and rule out conditions such as Down syndrome and trisomy 18. Both tests are minimally invasive and pose little risk to your pregnancy.

Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists of Southern California provides state-of-the-art fetal echocardiogram services to expectant mothers throughout Los Angeles and Ventura County.

This non-invasive exam occurs during the second trimester and uses ultrasound technology to generate pictures of a baby’s heart. A maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialist or pediatric cardiologist will review the images to identify any congenital fetal heart anomalies.

What happens during a fetal echocardiogram?

Fetal echocardiograms are non-invasive and only take around 30 minutes. The test is similar to a routine pregnancy ultrasound. You recline on a table and lift your shirt to expose your belly. The ultrasound technician applies a gel to your skin, which helps the sound waves travel through your body and reduces friction so the transducer ― a handheld device that directs the ultrasound waves through your body ― can glide smoothly over your skin. As the technician moves the transducer over your abdomen, sound waves move through your body and bounce off your organs and tissue. The transducer picks up the returning waves, and the echocardiogram machine converts the waves into images or videos. Our fetal echocardiogram specialist studies the images and videos of your baby’s heart, examining them for any signs of irregularity. If your fetal echocardiogram shows any abnormalities, you may need additional testing, and we will refer you to specialists who can treat and manage your baby’s condition both before and after they’re born.

Why would I need a fetal echocardiogram?

In many cases, a standard fetal ultrasound shows enough information about your baby’s heart. However, your doctor may recommend a fetal echocardiogram if your ultrasound didn’t provide enough information or if it revealed an abnormal heartbeat. If our high-risk pregnancy specialists or ultrasound team feels there is any risk for heart irregularities, they recommend a fetal echocardiogram to collect more information about your baby’s heart. Other reasons you may need a fetal echocardiogram include:

• A family history of heart disease or congenital heart problems
• Fetal screening that shows an increased risk for a heart abnormality
• Medical conditions, including Type 1 diabetes or lupus
• Maternal drug or alcohol use

An ultrasound is a non-invasive diagnostic imaging test used to examine your reproductive organs. An ultrasound creates images by sending sound waves through your body. The waves bounce back off your internal organs and tissues. The ultrasound machine collects the returning waves and converts the information into images.

Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists of Southern California offers traditional two-dimensional ultrasounds and advanced 3D and 4D ultrasounds for more detailed images.

Why would I need an ultrasound?

Your doctor may use a pelvic ultrasound to examine your reproductive organs for signs of disease or structural abnormalities.

For example, if you suffer from irregular, heavy periods, your doctor may use an ultrasound to examine your uterus for fibroids or polyps that could be interfering with your reproductive health.

Similarly, if you’ve been trying to get pregnant but not having success, your doctor could use an ultrasound to look for signs of structural abnormalities, such as blocked fallopian tubes, that are preventing conception.

What happens during an ultrasound?

During your ultrasound, you rest on a treatment bed and lift your shirt to expose your abdomen. Your doctor or ultrasound technician applies a gel to your skin, which helps the transducer — a handheld device that directs the ultrasound waves through your body — glide smoothly over your skin.

As the technician moves the transducer over your abdomen, sound waves move through your body and bounce off your organs and tissue. The transducer picks up the returning waves, and the ultrasound machine converts the waves into images or videos. Your doctor examines those images to check your reproductive organs.

Your doctor may recommend a transvaginal ultrasound, depending on your symptoms and condition. The technology is the same, but instead of moving a transducer over your belly, the technician inserts a small probe into your vagina to conduct the ultrasound.

Please bring your insurance card, photo ID and medical history records.

Our ultrasound exams do not require a full bladder.

Usually, our visits will be from 45 minutes to an hour long.

Only one adult guest is allowed. Please do not bring your children to the appointment.

Ask our office for a request form to obtain a copy of your medical records. We typically provide records from the past five years within five to seven business days. The turnaround time for records older than five years is approximately 14 business days. Please contact us if you need any assistance requesting your records.

We are on the same street as the Community Memorial Hospital but are two separate entities.

We provide the blood draw for non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) as a courtesy but do not do the billing. You will choose an NIPT company, which will bill you directly. We will give you information on NIPT companies to select from after your blood draw.

On average, you can expect to receive your NIPT and AFP screening results within seven to 10 business days after we draw your blood samples. For amniocentesis, the full results are usually available 10 to14 business days after the procedure. For ultrasounds performed in our office, we usually fax the full report to your provider by the end of the day the ultrasound is performed.

Due to COVID-19, we request a temperature check upon arrival. Masks are required in our facility at all times. One adult guest is allowed to accompany you to the appointment.

They are double board-certified obstetrician gynecologists with subspecialty training in maternal-fetal medicine, also referred to as perinatology. Please note that MFM providers may be listed with some insurance companies as OBGYN providers; however, they specialize in high-risk pregnancies and do not perform deliveries.

We can schedule an appointment if your insurance allows us to see you without prior authorization, but if it is needed, your current OBGYN or primary care physician will have to submit authorization for our office to see you. You can speak to someone in our authorizations department if you need assistance.

A relative can only receive your baby’s gender results if we have your prior written consent on file, allowing us to release that information. We cannot share any results with anyone other than you without your written permission due to privacy laws. If you would like a relative to have access to your baby’s gender, please provide us with written consent specifying the name(s) of the relative(s) authorized to receive this information.

We include the 3D ultrasound with your medically necessary scan. We would like to add that we do not provide plush heartbeat and/or ultrasound video CDs. We will, however, be able to provide you with images of your ultrasound only if the baby is in a position that allows us to see them.

You can schedule an appointment with us before obtaining authorization. However, we must have the authorization on file before your actual appointment. If we do not receive the authorization by your scheduled appointment date and time, we will need to either cancel or reschedule the appointment.

The only preparation we require for your ultrasound is that you arrive with an empty bladder.

At least three; one at each trimester. Depending on the results and risk factors, you may need more.

The nuchal translucency (NT) is a sonogram measurement of the space at the back of the baby’s neck during the first trimester. It is part of the two-step first-trimester screening process, along with a blood test. Combining the NT measurement with the blood test helps calculate the baby’s risk for certain chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, trisomy 18, trisomy 13 and potential heart problems. However, it is important to understand that the NT screening only provides risk information, not a diagnosis.

The second-trimester ultrasound provides a detailed anatomical survey of the baby and a second-trimester blood work screening.

Your visit will include an ultrasound and consultation with your provider. Any appropriate prenatal screening blood tests, such as AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) and NIPT (non-invasive prenatal testing), are offered based on your stage of pregnancy.

The 3rd-trimester ultrasound allows us to check on your baby’s overall well-being and development late in pregnancy. Specifically, we will assess the baby’s growth, examine the amniotic fluid levels and determine the baby’s position in the womb. This ultrasound helps us ensure your pregnancy usually progresses leading up to delivery.

Yes, we will provide you with digital ultrasound photos. We will send a link to the ultrasound images you can access on your cell phone or email. You are responsible for downloading and saving the images within 30 days before the link expires.

Taking videos or pictures during the ultrasound is not allowed.

There is a big variation of normal. Babies change positions constantly; if your baby’s head is down, we cannot guarantee your baby’s head will remain down until the end of your pregnancy.

We have female staff that can accompany you at your request.

An amniocentesis is a diagnostic test, but the NIPT and state screening are not.

We cannot tell the height as the baby is curled up in your womb.

Sometimes, we can see the hair on the baby’s head.

We can only see the fingers and toes if the baby is in a position that allows this.

Yes, only if the baby is in a position that shows their face.

Once a report is done, your doctor will receive a copy, usually on the same or next day.

Our office accepts most PPO insurance and various HMO plans.

Every insurance is different. We ask that you contact your insurance. We are more than happy to provide you with the CPT codes for the appointment.

3D/4D ultrasounds are done if medically necessary and if the fetus is in the right position.

Every insurance is different. Although we draw the blood here in our facility, the billing is separate. We recommend you check with your insurance before using these services.

It is part of the California Prenatal Screening Program and is a free service for pregnant women. Additional testing and counseling would be recommended if the test is positive.

Authorizations take one week to be approved by your insurance.

Please contact our office Authorization Department so they can provide you with the correct coding for your appointment. The codes will vary by appointment based on how many weeks you are.

Claims will be submitted to your insurance after your scheduled appointment. Claims are billed per visit. This is different from your OBGYN visits. Those visits will be billed within a global period after birth.

A perinatologist is considered a specialist physician; your copay will reflect the specialist charge.