How to Know if a Pregnancy is Viable

There are a hundred different emotions you might feel after discovering you’re unexpectedly pregnant. A critical aspect of deciding how to move forward is to gather the facts you need to make a confident and informed decision. One of the things you will need to know is if your pregnancy is viable or not.

Here we’ll discuss what viability is, how to determine a viable pregnancy with an ultrasound, and why an ultrasound is helpful when you haven’t yet made a pregnancy decision.

Home Pregnancy Tests

If you already had a positive home pregnancy test, you might be wondering why you need an ultrasound as well. The pregnancy test showed you're pregnant, so you have your answer, right? Not exactly.  

A home urine pregnancy test reveals if the human gonadotropin (hCG) pregnancy hormone is detected in your system. What a pregnancy test can’t do is determine if your pregnancy is viable or not.

What Is Viability?

Viability is defined as the ability to live. In pregnancy, a viable pregnancy is one that is healthy and likely to conclude with a live birth if the woman chooses to carry the pregnancy to term.

A nonviable pregnancy is one that has no chance of survival. A nonviable pregnancy can include an ectopic pregnancy, which is when the fertilized egg attaches to the located outside of the womb, or a fetus that isn’t alive. The primary way to determine the viability of a pregnancy is with an ultrasound.

How to Know if a Pregnancy is Viable With an Ultrasound

In the first trimester of pregnancy, a healthcare professional can determine if your pregnancy is viable or not with an ultrasound. An ultrasound uses painless sound waves to create a picture on a screen and gives your healthcare professional important information about your pregnancy. In early pregnancy, it can determine your pregnancy location, how far along you are, and if your pregnancy is viable.

In a viable pregnancy, the ultrasound will reveal that the pregnancy is in your uterus and has a healthy fetal heart rate. If the embryo has a heart rate that is too slow (fetal bradycardia) for its gestational age, you have a higher risk of miscarriage.

Why Do I Need an Ultrasound?

We have already discussed that you need an ultrasound to determine if your pregnancy is viable — or not. But why do you need that information when you aren’t sure you if will continue your pregnancy?

Among other things, an ultrasound will tell you how far along you are, which will impact abortion options and parenting or adoption decisions if you choose to continue your pregnancy.  It will also help you know how much time you have to make your decision. Many women are surprised to learn they have weeks rather than days to decide about their unexpected pregnancy. More likely than not, you have time. And as always, you have options.

Affordable Pregnancy Ultrasounds

At Avail NYC, we are committed to equipping you with the information you deserve to make the best decision for you. We offer a medical referral program to connect clients with organizations that provide free or low-cost ultrasounds. You have the right to access to quality care. Contact us today to make an appointment and learn more about our free, confidential services.