Blogs
23-09-2026
You’re holding a positive pregnancy test – congratulations! You probably feel happy, curious and perhaps a little uncertain too. We often schedule the first scan at around 7 weeks of pregnancy. An exciting moment when, for the first time, you can see something of the new life growing inside you. In this blog, we tell you exactly what to expect.
A viability scan at around 7 weeks provides important first insights into your pregnancy. Using a transvaginal ultrasound scan, we check whether the pregnancy is in the uterus and whether a heartbeat is visible, determine whether it is a singleton or multiple pregnancy, and estimate how far along the pregnancy is.
Although the embryo is only a few millimetres in size at this stage, we can usually already see a lot on this scan, such as the gestational sac and the yolk sac. Sometimes it is still too early to see the heartbeat, for example if you are slightly less far along than expected. In that case we will schedule a repeat scan.
In this short video, Grada van den Dool explains what she looks for during an early 7-week scan.
If you leave our clinic with a good pregnancy scan result, we say goodbye and you continue your pregnancy care with a midwife (of your own choosing). Sometimes our doctor refers you to a gynaecologist for further follow-up. This may be because of your medical history or a multiple pregnancy, for example.
After a good pregnancy scan, we give you a printed letter for your midwife/gynaecologist. This letter contains details of your treatment and the outcome. We also send the letter digitally to your GP for their information. And of course you will also receive the scan images our doctor made during the pregnancy scan.
You can read more about pregnancy on this page: Pregnant – what now?
Do you have any bleeding or abdominal pain in these early weeks, or are you worried? Then always
contact us. Sometimes it is advisable to do the scan a little earlier or to schedule extra check-ups. Our healthcare professionals are here for you.
Sometimes not everything is visible yet at the first scan. If we cannot see a gestational sac in the uterus, we want to rule out an ectopic pregnancy. In that case further tests follow, such as a blood test to measure the hCG level and a repeat scan. If the hCG level keeps rising without anything being visible on the scan, we will refer you to the hospital for further investigation.
At Nij Clinics we take our time for your first pregnancy scan; we understand that this is an emotional and important moment. During the scan we clearly explain what you are seeing, give you room to ask questions and discuss the next steps. Would you like to schedule a pregnancy scan? Please contact us.
