There’s a special kind of waiting in pregnancy: the weeks between appointments. You felt the baby move yesterday, but not today. You had a little cramping. You read something online at midnight. And your next ultrasound is still a month and a half away.
So it’s no surprise that “how many ultrasounds do you get during pregnancy?” is one of the most common questions new parents ask.
The short answer: in a healthy, low-risk pregnancy, most practices do about two ultrasounds. One is in the first trimester to confirm the pregnancy and due date, and one is around 18 to 20 weeks to check the baby’s anatomy, according to Cleveland Clinic. Some women have a third scan later on.
At Yunella, the answer is different: you get an ultrasound at every prenatal visit, performed by Dr. David Seil Kim himself.
This guide walks you through the standard scans every pregnancy gets, what each one checks, when you might need more, whether frequent ultrasounds are safe, and why we do things the way we do.
The standard ultrasounds most pregnancies get
Every pregnancy, whether you’re seen at a large hospital practice or a small private office, typically includes a few key scans. Here’s what each one is for.
First-trimester dating scan (about 6 to 10 weeks)
This is usually your first look at the pregnancy. Early on, it’s often a transvaginal ultrasound, where a slim, wand-shaped probe is placed gently inside the vagina. It sounds intimidating, but it’s usually painless, and it gives a much clearer picture than scanning through the belly this early.
This scan checks:
- That the pregnancy is in the uterus, not in a fallopian tube (an ectopic pregnancy)
- The baby’s heartbeat
- How far along you are, which sets your due date
- How many babies there are
If you’re early and the scan can’t see everything yet, that’s common. It usually means it’s simply too soon. (If you’ve had bleeding or cramping in early pregnancy, read Implantation Bleeding or Your Period? and Chemical Pregnancy: Was It a Miscarriage?)
NT scan (11 to 14 weeks)
The nuchal translucency (NT) scan measures a small pocket of fluid at the back of the baby’s neck. Together with bloodwork, it helps estimate the chance of certain chromosomal conditions, such as Down syndrome. It’s optional, and often done alongside genetic screening blood tests. At Yunella, the NT scan is done with our maternal-fetal medicine partner, the Center for Fetal Medicine, right next door to our office.
Anatomy scan (18 to 22 weeks)
The anatomy scan is the big one. It’s a detailed look at the baby from head to toe: the brain, heart, spine, kidneys, arms and legs. It also checks where the placenta is attached and the amount of fluid around the baby. This is also when many parents can find out the sex, if they want to. Our patients have their anatomy scan at the Center for Fetal Medicine too, with specialists in fetal imaging.
Third-trimester scans (when needed)
In many practices, the anatomy scan is the last ultrasound for a healthy pregnancy. You may get more in the third trimester if there’s a reason to check the baby’s growth, position (head down or breech), or fluid levels. At Yunella, Dr. Kim routinely does a growth scan around 35 to 36 weeks, which helps decide whether an induction at 39 weeks may be the safer plan for a larger baby.
Why most offices do so few, and why we scan at every visit
In many busy practices, ultrasounds are scheduled only at set points, and they’re often done by an ultrasound technician (a sonographer). The images are then read later by a doctor you may never meet. Between those scans, a routine visit usually means checking your blood pressure, measuring your belly with a tape measure, and listening to the heartbeat with a handheld device.
There’s nothing wrong with that approach for a healthy pregnancy. But it leaves long stretches where you simply don’t get to see what’s going on.
At Yunella, we do it differently. At every prenatal visit, Dr. Kim does a quick, focused ultrasound himself, right in the exam room, and talks you through what he sees. That means:
- You see your baby every time. The heartbeat, the movements, how they’ve grown. Most visits also include a 3D view, so you can see your baby’s face and features take shape over the months. For many parents, that reassurance is the single biggest difference.
- Changes are caught between the big scans. Things like the baby’s position, the amount of fluid around the baby, and how growth is trending can be checked visit by visit instead of only at fixed weeks.
- One expert sees the whole picture. Dr. Kim has delivered well over 7,000 babies and spent 15 years teaching OB/GYN residents at Cedars-Sinai. Because the same physician looks at every scan, small changes are read in the context of your whole pregnancy, not as one isolated snapshot.
- No waiting for a report. You hear what it means in the same appointment, and you can ask questions on the spot.
- Your family can share it. Partners, parents, or whoever you’d like to bring are always welcome at appointments.
These visit scans don’t replace the formal NT and anatomy scans. They add to them. If something needs a closer look, Dr. Kim coordinates it with our fetal medicine specialists next door. (If your pregnancy is considered high-risk, read How Often Do You Need Ultrasounds in a High-Risk Pregnancy? and High-Risk Pregnancy: Do You Need a Specialist, or an OB Who Works With One?)
Your pregnancy ultrasound schedule at Yunella
Here’s what a typical healthy pregnancy looks like with us. Your own schedule may change depending on your needs.
- Weeks 5 to 8: your first visit. We confirm the pregnancy and talk through your health history, your questions and what to expect. No membership is needed to be seen. (Learn more about early pregnancy care.)
- Weeks 6 to 9: confirmation ultrasound. Usually a transvaginal scan in our office to see the heartbeat, confirm the pregnancy is in the uterus, and set your due date.
- Around week 10: you decide on concierge care. Once your pregnancy is established, you can enroll in our Concierge Maternity Experience for the rest of your pregnancy. Your direct line to Dr. Kim starts the day you enroll and continues until six weeks after your baby is born.
- Weeks 10 to 28: monthly visits, each with an ultrasound by Dr. Kim, including a 3D view of your baby.
- Weeks 11 to 14: NT scan at the Center for Fetal Medicine next door, if you choose it.
- Weeks 18 to 22: anatomy scan at the Center for Fetal Medicine.
- Weeks 28 to 36: visits every two weeks, each with an ultrasound and a 3D view.
- Weeks 35 to 36: growth check, which helps plan the timing of your delivery.
- Week 36 to delivery: weekly visits, each with an ultrasound. By this point your baby is usually too big for a clear 3D picture, so scans focus on position, fluid and wellbeing.
- Delivery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center or CHA Hollywood Presbyterian, with Dr. Kim there in nearly every case.
Add it up, and a typical Yunella pregnancy includes well over a dozen ultrasounds, compared with two or three in many practices. Most of them include a 3D view of your baby. Concierge members also get four bonding ultrasounds, just for seeing your baby (more on those below).
Will my insurance be charged for all these ultrasounds?
No. Once you’re enrolled in our concierge program, the ultrasounds Dr. Kim does at your regular visits aren’t billed to your insurance, so you won’t be charged for them. It’s one of the perks of concierge care. The one exception is a growth scan, a more detailed scan that measures your baby’s size and weight when there’s a medical reason to check. Growth scans are billed to insurance the usual way. Your NT and anatomy scans at the Center for Fetal Medicine are billed by their office. (See Insurance & Payment for more.)
How many ultrasounds are safe during pregnancy?
It’s a fair question, especially when you hear “every visit.” Here’s what we know.
Ultrasound doesn’t use radiation. Unlike an X-ray or CT scan, it uses sound waves to make an image. Cleveland Clinic notes that pregnancy ultrasounds are safe and have no known harmful side effects. Diagnostic ultrasound has been used in pregnancy for decades.
The real caution is about how and why it’s done. Ultrasound energy can warm tissue very slightly. That’s why the FDA discourages “keepsake” ultrasounds done at commercial studios for entertainment, without a medical reason or a trained medical professional. The FDA’s position is that fetal ultrasound should be ordered by a clinician and performed by qualified staff.
That’s exactly the difference at Yunella:
- Every medical scan is performed by a physician, Dr. Kim, as part of your medical care, not by a retail operator.
- Visit scans are brief and focused on what matters at that stage: heartbeat, position, fluid and growth.
- Settings are kept as low as needed to get a clear picture, and the probe isn’t held in one spot longer than necessary.
There’s no fixed “maximum number” of ultrasounds. What matters is that each one is done by an expert, for a reason, the right way.
Is a transvaginal ultrasound safe in early pregnancy? Yes. It doesn’t harm the baby or increase the risk of miscarriage. It’s simply the clearest way to see a very early pregnancy.
What about 3D ultrasounds? A 3D ultrasound builds a more lifelike picture of your baby’s face and body from the same sound waves, so it carries no extra radiation (there’s none to begin with). At Yunella, Dr. Kim includes a 3D view at most visits. Late in pregnancy, usually from about 35 weeks on, the baby is so big and tightly packed that a clear 3D picture often isn’t possible, so those scans focus on position, fluid and wellbeing instead.
When you might need extra ultrasounds
Some pregnancies need closer watching, and that can mean more frequent or more detailed scans. Common reasons include:
- Being 35 or older (read Pregnancy After 35: What Actually Changes?)
- An IVF pregnancy (read Is an IVF Pregnancy Considered High Risk?)
- Twins or more
- High blood pressure or diabetes, before or during pregnancy
- Bleeding in the second or third trimester
- A baby who seems smaller or larger than expected
- Less movement than usual
- A history of pregnancy loss, fibroids, or a previous C-section
Because Dr. Kim is already scanning you at every visit, he can often spot these changes early and decide whether you need a more detailed scan with our fetal medicine specialists.
Bonding ultrasounds: a moment for your whole family
Prenatal visits are usually an intimate group: you, your partner, your baby and Dr. Kim. But grandparents, siblings and close friends want to see the baby too.
That’s what bonding ultrasounds are for. As part of our Concierge Maternity Experience, members get four bonding ultrasound sessions during their pregnancy. Our team teaches you how to use the ultrasound yourself, so you can find your baby on the screen and share the moment with the people you love.
Many of our patients bring their parents. For a lot of grandparents, it’s the first time they get to see their grandchild, months before they get to meet them in person. It’s one of our favorite parts of what we do.
Bonding sessions take place in our medical office, with our team there to help. They’re separate from your regular visits, so your medical scans with Dr. Kim stay focused on your care.
The bottom line
Most pregnancies include about two standard ultrasounds: an early scan to confirm the pregnancy and due date, and an anatomy scan around 20 weeks. Those scans are important, and every pregnancy should have them.
But if you’d rather not spend weeks wondering how your baby is doing, there’s another way. At Yunella, Dr. Kim scans you himself at every visit, explains what he sees, and is with you from your first ultrasound through delivery.
We’re not all talk: watch Tessa’s story and read our patient reviews. Then book a consultation or call us at (424) 404-8832. Learn more about ultrasound at Yunella and our pregnancy care.
Medically reviewed by David Seil Kim, MD, PhD, MBA, FACOG · Last reviewed: October 22nd, 2026