Expert advice on pregnancy issues

Your questions answered

Professor Eric Jauniaux and Mr Colin Davis are both based at The London Clinic in Harley Street.

Mr Davis is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at St Bartholomews and the Royal London Hospitals and The London Clinic. He specialises in fertility problems, with a special interest in endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Professor Jauniaux is consultant obstetrician in foetal medicine at The London Clinic and Professor in Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine at University College London.

An appointment with their Early Pregnancy Screening Service would normally cost you £300 (including scan and consultation).

Here they answer the questions you posed, according to their specialisms: 

Pre-eclampsia: will it strike second time round?

Q: I suffered from pre-eclampsia with my first pregnancy. It kicked in at 31 weeks and my baby was delivered by Caesarean at 36 weeks. That was three and a half years ago and I am now two months pregnant with my second child. I am aged 33. Am I likely to suffer pre-eclampsia again and is there anything I can do to prevent it?

Prof Jauniaux: The risk is lower than in the first pregnancy but still exists. A 36-week delivery suggests mild to moderate pre-eclampsia for which there is no preventive treatment. Aspirin could be suggested but that needs to be discussed with the GP and consultant obstetrician at the local hospital.

Mr Davies: Pre-eclampsia is more common in your first pregnancy and much less likely to occur in subsequent pregnancies. There has been a lot of research looking into the subject. For some women a small dose of aspirin (75mg) is safe and may be helpful. It would also be helpful for your doctor to arrange regular ultrasound scans in pregnancy checking that the baby is growing well. There is also a special scan at 24 weeks that looks at the blood flow through the placenta. It is called a uterine artery Doppler test and can be used to predict pre-eclampsia.

What is a transvaginal scan?

Q: My partner and I found out last week that we are pregnant. We have been trying for more than a year and my periods are pretty irregular so we are not sure how far gone I am. The doctor suggested sending me for a scan to check. Am I likely to have a transvaginal scan? What is the procedure for that and is there a danger it could put my baby at risk?

Prof Jauniaux: Before 9 weeks, a transvaginal scan will be needed to obtain a better view of the pregnancy and may be essential to date the pregnancy and exclude an ectopic pregnancy. This is a safe and very accurate examination, normally performed by a specialist doctor or sonographer in an early pregnancy unit.

Mr Davies: Congratulations on your good news. Early pregnancy ultrasound scans are safe and are performed by the transvaginal route as it is the best way of identifying a viable early pregnancy. The best time for the scan to be performed is after six and a half weeks from your last menstrual period.

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