Fetal Asthma Case

At first contact with a health care professional, the pregnant mother should be given information about the purpose and possible implications of the anomaly scan allowing them to make an informed choice as to whether or not to have the scan. The women should be advised of the limitations of the ultrasound scan and that the main purpose is to assess fetal growth and identify fetal anomalies (D’Addario, 2015: 85-88). If anomalies were to be found on the fetus, the patient is allowed a reproductive choice (choice of termination), the parents can prepare themselves and gain knowledge on the abnormality and allows the option of intrauterine therapy (Cameron, 2011: 36-38). The second trimester scan is best suited for every pregnant female at 5 months, including the patient used for this case study of 19weeks and 4days, as early detection of fetal abnormalities is vital for both parties. …show more content…
Therefore, the first trimester can be referred to as the ‘’trimester of differentiation and development’’ and the second and third trimesters be referred to as ‘’trimesters of growth and maturation’’ (Curry & Tempkin, 2011: 392-345). The second trimester scan, called a detail scan or a Fetal Anomaly (FA) scan, is commonly performed at 18 – 22 weeks of pregnancy. According to, D’Addario, the second trimester ultrasound scan remains an important screening tool for detecting fetal abnormalities. This scan also allows the sonographers to confirm onter-uterine pregnancy, gestational age, fetal number, placenta location and maturity. In order to maximise the detection rates of fetal abnormalities, the ultrasound operator must have sufficient and specific training in the detection of