Routine ultrasound examination during pregnancy: a world of possibilities

Abstract

Objective: to identify and describe the meaning of the routine ultrasound scan to pregnant women.

Design: a qualitative descriptive study using a grounded theory approach, with individual interviews to collect data.

Setting: three antenatal clinics in a Swedish county of approximately 400,000 inhabitants.

Participants: voluntary samples of 10 pregnant Swedish women, 26-38 years of age, were interviewed prior to their first routine ultrasound.

Findings: 'making it possible' was the core category that explained and illustrated the meaning of the scan. The core category showed that the women considered the examination to be filled with possibilities to reach different goals during pregnancy. It also explained the categories: ultrasound as an event; ultrasound as a situation; ultrasound as a test; and the effects of ultrasound; as well as how they related to each other. The findings are considered the beginning of a theory concerning the meaning of the first ultrasound to pregnant women.

Key conclusions and implications for practice: pregnant women can see their first ultrasound as a tool that enables them to reach different goals during their pregnancy. Many of the goals concern meeting and connecting with the baby, suggesting that pregnant women consider the examination an important step towards parenthood. An ultrasound examination offered for medical reasons, which has other meanings than the intended for pregnant women, is important knowledge. It can be useful when giving information about the scan, addressing the woman during the examination, and for understanding and handling possible reactions.