Ultrasound (Pregnancy)

We are pleased to offer preferred hotel rates for patients travelling to our clinics:

• Red Deer appointments: Preferred rates at the Red Deer Resort & Casino
• Drayton Valley appointments: Preferred rates at APH Hotels / Holiday Inn Express

This may be a convenient option if you:

• Are travelling from out of town
• Have multiple exams scheduled on the same day
• Prefer to arrive the day before your appointment
• Have an early morning appointment

If you are travelling for an appointment at one of our Red Deer or Drayton Valley locations, please ask our team about these special rates when booking.

Yes, for all exams, a valid referral (requisition) from a licensed physician or nurse practitioner is required. We cannot perform your service without this referral.

No, in alignment with the Canada Health Act, nearly all diagnostic Prenatal Ultrasound exams performed at our facility are considered medically necessary insured services and therefore cannot be privately paid for to bypass public wait times. Our scheduling system prioritizes clinical urgency. Elective “entertainment” ultrasounds (e.g., solely for gender reveal without medical indication) are not offered.

We understand you may wish to share your Ultrasound experience. For Prenatal Ultrasounds, we are pleased to allow one support person into the exam room with you. For other types of Ultrasound exams, we evaluate requests to bring a support person into the exam room on a case-by-case basis, depending on the patient’s emotional or physical needs and the nature of the examination.

Please note that policies can change based on public health guidelines (e.g., during a pandemic), so it’s always best to confirm with our booking staff.

The gender of your baby can often be determined during your detailed fetal anatomy scan, which is typically performed around 18-22 weeks of pregnancy. However, clear visualization depends entirely on the baby’s position during the ultrasound exam. Our sonographer will only reveal the gender if you explicitly wish to know, and if they can clearly and confidently identify it.

For certain ultrasound exams, particularly those of the pelvis (like early pregnancy scans or gynaecological ultrasounds), having a full bladder is crucial.

A full bladder helps to push bowel loops out of the way, creating a clear “acoustic window” that allows the sound waves to travel more effectively, providing better visualization of the structures in your pelvis, such as the uterus, ovaries, and early pregnancy sac.

You will typically be asked to drink 32 ounces (approximately 1 liter) of water an hour before your appointment.

Yes! We understand how special it is to see your baby’s first images. Your sonographer will do their very best to capture some clear, high-quality keepsake pictures, which we’ll email to you or send directly to your phone. Please understand that image quality can vary depending on the baby’s position and gestational age.