You may choose to pay for extra scans during your pregnancy. The most common reasons for doing this are because you:
- want to have your scan earlier in your pregnancy
- have had a previous pregnancy loss or are very concerned about the risk of miscarriage
- want to find out the sex of the baby
- want a 3D or a 4D scan – these may give a better view and show your baby's face in more detail
- want more photos of your baby or a DVD recording
There are no known risks to you or your baby from having extra scans. It is possible that risks could become known in the future. For this reason, you should only have extra scans done if there is a medical reason.
Extra scans may not give you much more information than your regular scans. They can be expensive and you will need to book the scan yourself.
Your GP, midwife or obstetrician will tell you where you can get private pregnancy scans in your area.