How early can an internal ultrasound detect a pregnancy?
Yes! When the sonographer takes the images to the radiologist to be read, they usually agree on whether or not there are early signs of a pregnancy. It is pretty obvious, but because of fears of a lawsuit, the report will be very vague. Weeks before a yolk sac or fetus is seen (which is usually around 6 wks), and even before an early gestational sac is seen, we can see a decidual reaction in the endometrium. What that means is that the endometrium thickens in a certain way as it prepares for the pregnancy and shows up on the vaginal (internal) ultrasound with a unique look to it. Then we expect to see a gestational sac. These can be a very small little “fluid collection”, as we call them. But they are a small round “sac” filled with fluid in the middle of the endometrium. We can see all of this long before we actually see a baby in the uterus. However, there are a few anomalies that can occur where these things will happen, a positive pregnancy test will show in the blood and urine, bu
