Seeking Advise

Hi J.,

I believe internal ultrasounds are offered until week 12. After that ultrasounds are on the belly.

:)Good Luck!
D.

Congrats on the pregnancy. FYI since January 1999, pregnancy is no longer a "pre-existing"condition. Please make an appointment. You will be considered "high-risk" because you are over 35 so prenatal care is important.

You need to start seeing an ob asap. Do not wait until your husband lands another job because it may take a while. Besides if he does get another job it will take a while more than likely for him to get insurance and then your pregnancy will still be considered pre-existing and they may or may not cover it. Don't put yourself and your unborn baby at risk by not going to see a ob. I don't recall having internal ultrasounds with any of my kids. They may have not done those with me because my pregnancies were considered high risk. Definitely get to the doctor and make sure everything is progressing as it should.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4.

I'm not sure on the insurance info, as I'm in the same boat on that issue. I do know that it is better to see a dr. early in your pregnancy to ensure proper care of yourself and the baby. However, with my first pregnancy, I didn't see a dr. until I was about 8 months along. My ob told me that it was uncommon in "today's world", but it wouldn't hurt anything and he wasn't worried about it at all. I suggest you take prenatal vitamins (you can get them fairly cheap at Wal-Mart) and take care of yourself until you get into an ob.

I could be wrong but I'm almost certain that pregnancy is no longer considered a "pre-existing condition". You may want to call your current insurance provider to verify but either way I would strongly suggest you start seeing the OB. There are benefits to beginning doctor's care early in the pregnancy. Congratulations and Good luck!!

I have an almost 6 month old, so this is still fresh in my mind. The first visit is usually 9-12 weeks. My OB/GYN does do an internal ultrasound around that time. All fetuses grow at the same rate for the first few weeks, so by taking measurements during the first ultrasound, they can give you a fairly accurate due date. I think my insurance only paid for one ultrasound. They did another ultrasound (external) somewhere around 20 wks, I think, to check on the development.

An internal ultrasound is not generally done unless they believe there are problems. Generally the internal ultrasound can give clearer pictures if looking for a separation of the placenta, internal hemmoraging, etc. Usually an external ultrasound is completed around 6 months along in the pregnancy. Many insurance companies will only cover 1 external ultra sound unless there are complications.

Additionally, you need to schedule your first OB appointment when you are 3 months (12 weeks) along. Generally they will not see you sooner than that unless you want to take a pregnancy test.

it doesn't matter when you see the OB, it's when you get pregnant that makes it pre-existing. Do you have no insurance right now? I'm guessing this is quite a surprise for you!
You can go to planned parenthood if you don't have an OB. There's really no reason to have an early ultrasound, especially if you know when you conceived.
Another option to save money is to see a midwife instead of an OB. It's far cheaper in the end if you don't have insurance. You can do it at home or at the midwives center (there's on on west 38th street and one in Anderson).
PM me for more info.
Don't let people scare you with the age thing, statistically, it really doesn't make much difference in most cases.
Whatever you do, go get some vitamins. Any multi is fine, just get an extra folic acid as well. Store brands will save you a lot of money.

Depending on the type of employment your husband is seeking AND if the company self-insures, he may be able to negotiate to have insurance coverage commence immediately.
In any case, even if it takes you a while to see a doctor, start taking proper pre-natal care of yourself and your baby!
Good luck!

If You do not have insurance right now you could be eligible for Medicaid and your pregnancy should not be avoided because you have no insurance right now. At your age many things can go wrong.Not trying to scare you it is just the facts.They will make sure you see a OB and have all the tests needed to assure your baby is healthy and you stay healthy during this time.You should start taking prenatal vitamins and be sure you get enough iron and folic acid. Please don't take any chances with your pregnancy.

i actually had this dilemma when i was pregnant. i was told by a friend that most counties have health departments or wellness clinics for pregnant women with no insurance and most of the time there are little or no cost at all. I went to my local health clinic and they were so nice and they helped me keep up on appointments, ultrasounds, and even helped out after i had given birth. You actually see a doctor or midwife if you choose and it is pretty much like a regular pregnacey doctors appointment. I would say the least you could do is call and see if your county offers a program to help, its always worth a shot! Good Luck with everything & Congrats on the new baby!

I have heard of OB's wanting to see people at different times. Some will see you right away others will wait until after the first trimester. Make sure you are taking prenatal vitamins and call to see what the Ob you are thinking of seeing recommends. The ultrasounds vary also. Most of the time they wait unless you are unsure of the date of your last period or there are concerns. Take care and God bless!

i went when i was 3 month but my husband was in the army and thats how they did thing

J.:

As a RN who until just recently worked in an OB office, my advice to you is to find an OB office right away and get started with your prenatal care as early as possible.Many offices now also have nurse mid-wives who handle a lot of the OB care. Also many states have health departments where you can get prenatal care with costs on a sliding scale depending on your income.Since you are over 35, you are at a little higher risk for pregancy complications- so do need to be followed closely. Also check on state programs such as Healthy Start, medicaid and other such programs. You will need a confirmation of pregnancy from a health care provider or the health dept to get started on such programs.Also get started on your prenatal vitamins as you need the folic acid, if you have not already done so. Internal ultrasounds can be done before eight weeks. However again insurance or medicaid dictates how many ultrasounds can be done during the pregnancy. Also each OB has their own protocol regarding ultrasounds, how many and how often. In other words, they are not routinely done unless there is a medical reason. Also as far as insurance for OB care goes, the first question insurance companies want to know is date of your last period among other questions. So they will know when you got pregnant. Hope this info helps. M.

Hi J.,
I had my first internal ultra sound done at seven weeks and we saw our little pea pod. I am currently pregnant again and also going in for my first ultra sound at seven weeks. Also as for one of the statements made by another Mom, insurances cover more than one ultra sound these days. I had 8 ultra sounds during my first pregnancy. As far as the "pre-existing" condition with a new insurance group I am not sure it qualifies for pregnancy, you might to inquire wiht just a random insurance company and see what they say. Good luck.

I agree with others that pregnancy is typically not considered a pre-existing condition (because it's short-lived) although this could depend upon the insurance company. Whether you have the first ultrasound before your husband finds a new job or not won't affect that status, because you are pregnant regardless.
My first one was done right around the end of the first trimester, week 9 or 10, but my OB did always put me on prenatals right away. And insurances are different when it comes to how many they will cover - mine covered one each trimester just as part of standard prenatal care, and with my oldest I had many ultrasounds that were covered due to complications. Your first step should probably be finding an OB and asking when he or she prefers to do that first ultrasound.

i worked at an ob-gyn for 5 yrs before becoming a SAHM,....
go at about 6-8 weeks gestation. some ob's (the one i worked at) do an ultrasound at that time and that's why you have to be within the 6+ time period. othwise they can't see anything. call them now so you can get on prenatal vitamins though. the ultrasound when they can tell you the gender is at 20 weeks, but be sure to go way sooner than that. they frown upon people that wait too long b/c there are vital culture and tests they need to run at the beginning and thoughout. good luck
p.s. i really wouldn't wait too long otherwise some insurances won't cover it at all. so inform your ins company so they are aware. they often will give you a better rate if you stick with them. i recommend if you have to get ins on your own to try for Anthem Luminos... it's awesome and inexpensive.

If your other pregnancies weren't high risk you won't need an ultrasound until your 4th month of pregnancy. Unless you are having problems, transvaginal ultrasounds are not warranted or medically necessary. While it is always a good idea to start prenatal care as early in the pregnancy as possible, it can be very expensive to pay for out of pocket. Since you've been through this before, you could just take an over-the-counter prenatal vitamin, increase your folic acid intake and wait to find out about your husband's job. Sounds like you still have plenty of time. Good luck.
L., RN

My doctors' practice is everyone comes in at 8 weeks for an internal ultrasound, then starts regular appointments at 10 weeks (and every 4 weeks after that). During my last pregnancy, they started the appts at 10 weeks with no ultrasound unless necessary. I think it depends on your doctor and insurance. I do agree that you should start seeing an OB immediately, and that most insurances don't consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition. Good luck!

i don;t think that preganacy is a pre-exisiting condition with insurance. My husband switched during my pregnacy and it was not a problem. However if you do find a doctor you like be prepared to switch with new insurance. My doctor however did an internal ultrasound on my very first appointment and then again at about 15 weeks to just check things out!

We moved to the area last year and I thought the internal ultrasound was standard practice, because in the 2 states we lived before here it was, but in Indiana it is not. It just depends on who you see whether they do it and when they do it.
As far as insurance, I had to change insurance during 1st pregnancy and my current and it was not considered a pre-existing condition. Pregnancy is not a condition and from my experience most insurnace companies don't consider it that, but you never know. However you can always call and talk to a nurse at the doctor's office and get thier opinion. They usually know which insurance companies cover what too.

It is my understanding that pregnancy is not considered a pre-existing condition anymore. I found out I was pregnant before I had insurance, and was able to still be covered once I signed up. Call an OB to make sure first, but I believe that went into effect a few years back. My youngest is almost 5.

If your husband does get the interview/job, it takes 3 months to get on the company health insurance plan. I honestly do not think you can wait that long. My advice would be to get on public assistance so that your pregnancy would be paid for or go to Planned Parenthood. There is no shame or embarassment in getting help that you need for your unborn child.

I work for at OBGYN and in my experince, the OB docs want to see patients at 8 weeks, and do an ultrasound at that time. Also I have never had pregnancy be labeled a pre existing condition with any insurance I have dealt with. Calling insurance companies for maternity benefits is part of my job, and I see women switch mid-pregnancy and have no problem with coverage all the time. Hope this helpssd

Most women go in during the second month of pregnancy and the ultrasound is scheduled by the OB at that time.
I can't say much more about it because my DD is 28 and my DD is 26. Back then we didn't do ultrasounds unless the physician thought there was a problem. Frankly, I never had an ultrasound with any of my pregnancies.
It is hard to figure out what to do when one is in the midst of changing jobs. I thought, at one time, if you were pregnant the insurance company had to pay for the pregnancy even if you no longer worked for the company you had your original insurance with if it was established prior to moving to a different company. The laws change so frequently it is hard to keep up.
I do know you can apply for medicaid to help with the pregnancy. I would check with the local FSSA office to see if you qualify.
P. R

I'm not sure that they do internal ultrasounds anymore unless there's a problem. My insurance only approved one ultrasound which I had at 20 weeks. And you might want to wait until your insurance is in place. It can be hard to get a good doctor to take you on if you don't. It's sad, but a lot of things these days seems driven by the insurance company. I wish you luck with your pregnancy and hope you can get everything sorted out soon.

I had a high risk pregnancy from the beginning due to pre-existing conditions and they never did an internal ultrasound on me. They only did blood work and urine dip to show there was a pregnancy. I went once at 4 weeks to get prescription for prenantal vitimins (you can take two flinstones a day or go to walgreens and buy prenantal vitimins over the counter) and at 8 weeks for a quick check up and another real quick one at 12 weeks. I know early care is important, but if you have to miss out the first few then making sure you are taking you vitimins and eating right is best.

I believe pregnancy is no longer a pre-existing condition so you should be covered once your husband is working. With your age of 38 your are automatically high risk based on advanced maternal age-a term I know all too well. Keep up the prenatal vitamins I would try the local county job and family services division in your area they could hook you up with the medical care you need till your husband is employed you would certainly qualify-good luck with the pregnancy and congrats.

Hi J.,

Make sure you take prenatal vitamins!
The ultrasound isn't done - when covered by insurance they only cover one - so they do it around 18 and 20 weeks. This is because they can determine the sex, if you want to know and they can also see if there are any "issues" genetic type like down syndrom or heart defects etc at this point, the heart has the 4 chambers at 20 weeks, well before....

Usualy the first trimester they only see you once a month so you should be okay.
I was able to hear my son's heartbeat at 9 weeks with a doppler.
They won't do a vaginal ultrasound earlier unless there is a concern, then insurance does cover it.
Like in my case, I had an IUD this last pregnancy so they did an US to make sure it was in the uterus....

Congratulations!

You can see a heartbeat around 8wks also... so if the Dr wanted to check for a viable pregnancy, after 8 weeks you can see it.

With this pregnancy, we could hear the hb at my 12 week appointment with a doppler... :)

J.,
You could go to a clinic for your first visit. Call your OB/GYN and ask when they need to see you. Are you taking your vitamins???
Good Luck!!
R.

Ultrasounds aren't actually necessary. Many women go entire pregnancies with NO ultrasounds.

I think that internal ultrasounds are not being done much anymore. I think doctors are finally figuring out that they are unnecessarily invasive.

Also, eat healthy and take care of yourself. There is no requirement to go to an OB from the get-go.

Don't forget, pregnancy is not a medical condition - it's a normal, natural part of life.