Please allow ONE HOUR for your visit. Ultrasound examinations vary in length and unexpected findings arise which may prolong your or a preceding examination . We can not promise you an exact time frame. You are welcome to ring ahead to check if we are running on time, which is always our aim, before you start to drink the required amount of water.

We only perform ultrasounds requested by a doctor for medical reasons. A separate referral is required for each booking. The referral is needed to answer the clinical questions correctly, as well as the Medicare requirement.Please bring any reports and pictures you have from earlier ultrasounds if performed at another practice, as change over time helps interpret your current ultrasound. If you do not have the report or films, bring the name of the practice where you had the ultrasound.

Payment is due on the day of the scan. It can be cash, cheque, EFTPOS or credit card (Visa, MasterCard or Amex). The fees vary depending on the type of ultrasound and stage of pregnancy. Age pensioners will be bulk-billed if a valid personal Commonwealth pension card is shown on the day of the ultrasound.

Fluid in the bladder helps bring the pelvic organs into view from behind the bones of the pelvis, and helps push the bowel out of the way, since this blocks the picture. As well as improving the technical aspects of the scan, fluid in the bladder will often give more flattering pictures.

From 10 weeks on, have two glasses of water an hour before. In early pregnancy 9 weeks or less, one glass is enough. Even in later pregnancy where the baby is already partly above the bone, the water in your bladder helps us achieve the correct angles for measurements.

The ultrasound findings are explained to you after, or sometimes during, the scan, and you will have an opportunity for questions.
Interpretation of gynaecology ultrasound often needs a clinical context which the referring doctor will understand best, or occasionally other tests may be required, so you will not always feel you are given the “full picture” on the day. 
For pregnancy scans you will know if the baby appears healthy or whether there are concerns, and the results of screening tests are given to you on the day if all components of the test are ready.

Pregnancy ultrasound bookings can be on the same day as your appointment with your doctor where the timing works out well for both. Reports on gynaecology ultrasounds often take longer, so unless there is a special reason for the appointment being the same day (eg, you are travelling a long way) it is preferable to allow at least one day when booking. Your referring doctor will receive the report electronically or by fax depending on their preference, but it is a good idea to let us know if you plan to see them with a day or two so we can ensure it will be there in time.

Instantaneous thermal prints are given to the parents for pregnancy, and sometimes for gynaecology ultrasounds. For the main pregnancy scans (12-13 week and 19 week ultrasounds) we provide an individual Tricefy website link for parents to download their preferred images. The pictures you download are then available to share with your own family and friends. However as the best information is seen in real-time live scanning, the report (rather than the accompanying pictures) provides the most detailed result.