What Is A Doppler Scan during Pregnancy?

Doppler scan is a special scan which uses black and white or color images to examine the blood flowing through the umbilical cord between the placenta and the baby.
Doppler scan is a non-invasive test differs from the normal ultrasound in that a slightly different soundwave is used which bounces off moving red blood cells and shows the speed rate at which the cells are moving.
Doppler scan can be done at the same time as an ultrasound; the same equipment is used to measure the blood flow in various body parts such as the umbilical cord, liver, heart and brain.
Signals of different colors appear on the screen which help your doctor assess your baby's health
Doppler scan is usually conducted between week 28 and delivery
Women with high risk pregnancies including those with low amniotic fluid levels, who are carrying twins sharing the same placenta or carrying babies who are small for dates or not growing at the right pace
Doppler scan can be used to check if baby is anemic
Doppler scan has also replaced bilirubin count which is used to find out if a rhesus-positive baby needs a blood transfusion.
If the placenta is not functioning to its optimum or if your baby is not growing well enough your doctor may use the Doppler scan to check on blood flow in the cord or in baby's body. Your doctor will then decide if early delivery is necessary or other medical possibilities will be evaluated
Modern ultrasounds have the Doppler function which allows the sonographer to press a button and locate a particular blood vessel.
Different lights will then be analysed by the machine. Within few minutes and the test is over.

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