Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about Window to the Womb private baby scans
We are the only brand in the UK that specialises on pregnancy scanning with our primary focus being the health and well-being of Mum & baby, but also to provide you and your family with a memorable and unique experience. All our England based clinics are inspected and regulated by the Care Quality Commission to ensure the very best care is provided throughout. We are extremely proud that currently all our clinics that have been inspected to date have received a Good or Outstanding rating! In addition, all our sonographers are medically qualified, and our staff are all fully trained to provide you with first class service throughout your private scan experience with us.
Please ensure that you are at least 15 weeks before coming for your gender scan with us, as sexing is not possible before this time. It is also helpful for you to come with a full bladder so we can get the best view of your baby.
3D Scans show still images of your baby in three dimensions where 4D scans show moving 3D imagery of your baby. 4D Scans allow you to meet your baby and see all their little features before they arrive into the world. From ears to nose to their tiny fingers and toes the experience is something extremely special that you and the whole family can treasure.
All our private baby scans at Window to the Womb start with a 2D Well-being check of baby, during this time we will assess the following: confirm the number of babies, heartbeat confirmation and visualisation, show baby and placenta positioning, detect a limited number of conditions, check baby is growing as expected (subjectively).
All our sonographers are fully trained and qualified so if there is a problem you are in good hands. They will explain any concerns to you and ensure that you are then referred to your local antenatal clinic or fetal medicine unit for on going care.
Please note, our fetal health / well-being checks are limited when compared to the NHS anomaly scans (FASP). The checks are completed within 5 minutes whereas your NHS anomaly scan will take 25-30 minutes. A fetal health / well-being scan is not a suitable replacement for your NHS anomaly scans and you MUST be attending NHS antenatal care including ultrasound scans.
Yes you must attend your NHS antenatal appointments! Our scans compliment your 12 week and 20-week scans with the hospital, so it is imperative that you attend these. Whilst we always complete a well-being check of baby at the beginning of every scan with us there are certain tests and conditions that we cannot test and detect during our ultrasound appointments. Including the following; Down Syndrome, Edwards Syndrome & Pataus.
With any pregnancy scan we would always recommend comfortable two-piece clothing.
A fully qualified and registered diagnostic Sonographer will complete your scan. There will also be one of our staff with you whilst you are scanned; they are trained and will act as a chaperone. They will be with you every step of the way from when you arrive at the clinic.
No, it wouldn't matter but we advise that scans are booked with a 2-week minimum interval to ensure that our Sonographers can provide the most accurate information and that national safety guidance principles are adhered to. There are however, as always in medicine, justifiable exceptions and we aim to treat each request and each pregnancy individually. It may be that a physical or psychological concern justifies a shorter interval between scans however we always leave at least 7 days between successive scans. Our clinics are always happy to discuss individual circumstances and provide appropriate guidance
The safety of our customers and their pregnancies are of paramount importance to us.
We advise that scans are booked with a 2-week minimum interval to ensure that our Sonographers
can provide the most accurate information and that national safety guidance principles are adhered
to.
There are however, as always in medicine, justifiable exceptions and we aim to treat each request
and each pregnancy individually. It may be that a physical or psychological concern justifies a shorter
interval between scans however we always leave at least 7 days between successive scans. Our
clinics are always happy to discuss individual circumstances and provide appropriate guidance.
If your scan results show inconclusive it may be, either your pregnancy is still too early, or the baby has already passed. .
A rescan with us or at the hospital will be recommended in two weeks’ time to determine pregnancy viability.
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In the event that your scan results require a referral, our clinic teams have relationships with local NHS trusts and will work with you to book a follow up appointment for your ongoing care.
In order to book an early pregnancy scan with us we do require you to have had a positive pregnancy test at least 2 weeks previously. If you are experiencing early pregnancy symptoms but you are having negative tests then we would recommend waiting a week then taking another test, if this comes back negative again we recommend booking an appointment to see you GP who may complete a blood test to identify any concerns. Please book a scan for after you are 6 weeks pregnant. If you are not able to drink much at all or if you are not passing much urine, please contact your GP who may be able to help with your sickness as we don’t want you getting dehydrated.
As we always want to ensure you get the most out of your scan with us, we have put together some handy pointers for you:
- If you are attending for a scan pre 10 weeks a transvaginal scan will be offered to provide more accurate results so a full bladder is not required.If you are 10 weeks+ your scan will be abdominal and a full bladder is required.
- To keep you hydrated, please aim to drink an extra 2 glasses of water per day on the week leading up to your scan.
- On the day of your scan we do suggest having a snack a couple of hours before you are due to arrive with us.
- It does help if you arrive a little early, have some water and a little walk just to try and wake baby up for us. If you are joining us for a well-being and gender scan a full bladder is required in order to lift baby.
- If you are attending for a later gestation scan such as 4D, please ensure that you come to the clinic well hydrated with a comfortably full bladder as this can sometimes help the sonographer when trying to get good 4D pictures of baby.
- Please bring your hospital notes with you to every scan, as we cannot scan you without them.
Of course! The important thing is to let us know on the day if you don’t want to know and our sonographer and scan assistant will tell you when to close your eyes. We can also write this down and seal in an envelope if you are wanting to save for a later date. If you are planning a reveal, we do offer a variety of upgrades on the day to make your party extra special. Our clinics have a selection of balloons, cannons and heartbeat bears amongst other things to take away on the day. For a specific product selection and pricing, we recommend you contact your local clinic for further information.
This all depends on the scan package you are looking for, but our most frequently asked questions are:
Yes, due to the extra time in the scan room a £25 surcharge is payable on the day of your appointment.
Your sonographer will conduct a limited diagnostic checks as part of your fetal health / well-being scan. These checks are completed in less than 5 minutes and are not as detailed as your NHS 20 week anomaly scan (FASP) which will take 25-30 minutes.
We are only able to check for a limited number of conditions which are displayed in our Fetal Ultrasound Policy within our clinics. You must be attending your NHS antenatal ultrasound scans to ensure you are screened for a much more extensive list of conditions.
Your appointment slot will be 15 minutes however we do suggest you allow up to 45 minutes for your full experience with us. When you arrive, you will be asked to complete some information about yourself before taking you into the scan room. Following your scan we will prepare your well-being report and you have a selection of images and extras to choose from to take away. However, this is all be dependent on baby and if they are in a difficult position on the day you may be with us for longer.
You can book your baby scan online or over the phone with the clinic teams. If you are wanting to amend or cancel a booking you do need to call them to discuss and they will do their best to help you with this.
Of course! All our clinics offer a selection of gifts to choose from an take home on the day to enhance your baby scan experience. Our gifts range from keyrings, photo frames, gender reveal items, HDlive and movie upgrades but also our extremely popular heartbeat bears to record your baby’s heartbeat to take away in a bear of your choice on the day.
When you arrive for your appointment you will be asked to complete a few details with regards to your pregnancy and at this point your chaperone will run you through what to expect from your appointment.
Yes of course you can. When you have had your scan and know the dates and that all is well, then please ask the staff about the scans you would like to have.
It is beneficial for us to know about previous pregnancies, so we ask you to complete a form when you arrive at the clinic. Knowing about previous pregnancies can help the Sonographer to explain things to you.
If you are experiencing pain and bleeding, please contact your early pregnancy unit for an appointment as soon as possible.
Yes, we offer scans for women who have had fertility treatment, but please ensure you will be at least 4 weeks after your embryo transfer date.
We can offer pregnancy scans to women who have had fertility treatment from 4 weeks after the egg retrieval date. If you have had a frozen embryo transfer, we recommend visiting 6 weeks from your LMP date if this is known, or 4 weeks from your embryo transfer date.