Just got a positive result on an at-home pregnancy test? You might be wondering if it’s time to schedule an ultrasound. But exactly when your doctor will recommend a first ultrasound depends on a few different factors. While they sometimes schedule a 6 week ultrasound for low-risk patients, they often suggest waiting until you’re at least 8 weeks along. Ahead, learn why your healthcare provider might recommend an ultrasound at 6 weeks—and what else to know about this prenatal test.

In this article:
Do you get an ultrasound at 6 weeks?
Why you might have an ultrasound at 6 weeks
What happens at the 6 week ultrasound?
What will you see on the 6 week ultrasound?
Does a 6 week ultrasound have risks?
How to prep for your 6 week ultrasound
Frequently asked questions

Do You Get an Ultrasound at 6 Weeks?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends at least one scan during pregnancy, typically the mid-pregnancy ultrasound performed between 18 and 22 weeks. But, in practice, most providers offer three or four ultrasounds for their low-risk pregnant patients, including one between 6 to 10 weeks to confirm fetal viability, explains Mahino Talib, MD, an ob-gyn at NYU Langone Health and clinical assistant professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City.

Maris Toland, MD, an ob-gyn at Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics Specialty Care in Bedford, New Hampshire, says the number of ultrasounds you can expect depends on local imaging resources and your specific medical concerns. “For instance, if someone has vaginal bleeding or pain in early pregnancy, an ultrasound may be ordered to investigate for causes,” she says.

Why You Might Have an Ultrasound at 6 Weeks

Between 6 to 10 weeks of pregnancy, practitioners often perform a “dating ultrasound” to confirm your estimated due date, confirm viability and make sure the pregnancy is “contained within the uterus,” says Talib. Doctors may also recommend a 6 week ultrasound if you’re experiencing bleeding or have had a previous ectopic pregnancy or C-section. These factors increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy, when the embryo implants outside of the uterus, which can be life-threatening, says Toland—so it’s important to diagnose and treat as soon as possible.

What Happens at the 6 Week Ultrasound?

To ensure accuracy, a 6 week ultrasound is always performed transvaginally. This means that an ultrasound wand (known as a transducer) will be gently inserted into your vagina, instead of on top of your abdomen. “Six-week embryos are only about the size of a lentil,” says Toland. “They’re too small to be seen clearly with an ultrasound probe on the abdomen.”

A transducer makes sound waves that bounce off structures inside the uterus to create images of the embryo that are projected onto a screen. It produces a sharper image when the transducer is inside the vagina, closer to your uterus. “Once a pregnancy is about 10 to 12 weeks, about the size of a strawberry, it can be seen well enough with a probe on the abdomen,” says Toland.

To perform a transvaginal ultrasound, your practitioner will wrap the transducer in a condom and apply a gel before inserting the wand in your vagina and gently moving it to view various structures. It may feel a bit uncomfortable, but it shouldn’t feel painful. The entire scan should take about 15 minutes to an hour.

What Will You See on the 6 Week Ultrasound?

Unless you have a medically trained eye, you won’t be able to identify much. To patients, the pregnancy will probably resemble a peanut at a 6 week ultrasound, says Talib.

Your ultrasound technician or practitioner’s trained eye will be able to identify a gestational sac (a fluid-filled pouch that’ll eventually become the amniotic sac), a yolk sac (a temporary structure that helps the pregnancy grow) and an embryo. “This is before any recognizable organs or limbs have developed,” says Toland. Your doctor will also check for ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids, Talib adds.

Will a heartbeat be detectable at the 6 week ultrasound?

Your practitioner may or may not be able to detect a flicker suggesting the electrical activity of the primitive fetal heart at the 6 week ultrasound. This is often referred to as a heartbeat, although the organ doesn’t beat in the way we typically imagine. “There are rhythm cells that are developing, so we do see a flicker on ultrasound that is typically referred to as cardiac activity or cardiac motion,” says Toland.

It’s also possible that you won’t see a heartbeat because your estimated due date is off. It’s usually not possible to know exactly when you ovulated and egg met sperm, so your estimated due date is initially based off of your last menstrual period. That means you could actually have booked your ultrasound at 5 weeks pregnant—at which point you wouldn’t see a heartbeat. “Not all patients have regular or reliable menstrual periods,” says Toland. “This is one reason why early first-trimester ultrasounds can be so helpful in accurately estimating the due date of a pregnancy.”

You also may not see a heartbeat if the pregnancy is ectopic (located outside of the uterus), or if the pregnancy “is headed in the direction of a miscarriage,” says Talib. Miscarriage affects about 10 to 20 percent of pregnancies, according to Mayo Clinic, and usually happens because of a chromosomal abnormality.

6 week ultrasound pictures

This is what a typical 6 week ultrasound looks like:

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Does a 6 Week Ultrasound Have Risks?

A 6 week ultrasound poses no health risks for you or baby. That said, technicians limit the duration of scans to reduce any theoretical risk to the embryo, says Toland—although there’s no evidence of fetal harm linked to diagnostic ultrasounds. Another risk: If you don’t see a heartbeat because you’re actually not yet 6 weeks pregnant, “it can cause undue stress,” adds Talib.

Some people find transvaginal ultrasounds physically or emotionally uncomfortable, especially if you have a history of trauma. If you’re concerned, Toland suggests bringing a supportive friend, partner or family member to your appointment. You may also prefer to place the transducer yourself. “Many ultrasound techs offer this. If they don’t, you can always ask upfront,” she says.

How to Prep for Your 6 Week Ultrasound

Before scheduling your 6 week ultrasound, try to accurately estimate your due date and check in with your doctor, to be sure you don’t waste your resources on a scan you don’t need. If your provider orders a transabdominal ultrasound, make sure to come with a full bladder—it’ll be much easier for the technician to see the images, says Toland.

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While 6 week ultrasounds aren’t necessarily common, doctors do perform scans this early for low-risk pregnancies. That said, unless you have the above-mentioned risks, you may want to wait until the eight-week mark for your first ultrasound to avoid unnecessary stress.

Plus, more from The Bump:

Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy Ultrasounds

Your Complete Guide to Prenatal Testing

When Does a Baby Have a Heartbeat?