Nine Months : The nuchal translucency sacn

The Nuchal scan (or the nuchal translucency scan) is a special ultrasound scan used to measure the nuchal fold at the back of the baby's neck. It is thought that babies with a particularly thick nuchal pad at the back of the neck are at a higher risk of suffering from heart defects, Down's syndrome or some other chromosomal problem. Once the risk factor is calculated using this scan, you will be offered a subsequent amniocentesis or other invasive test to confirm, or rule out, these suspicions.

The nuchal scan is not available in all hospitals.