Growth Scan & Doppler Study in Delhi
Third-trimester scans that check the baby is growing properly and the placenta is still doing its job.
What growth scan & doppler study involves
A growth scan measures head circumference, abdominal circumference and femur length, estimates fetal weight and plots it on a growth chart. Doppler adds blood flow measurements through the umbilical artery, middle cerebral artery and, where needed, the uterine arteries and ductus venosus.
Together they answer the question that matters most in late pregnancy: is the placenta still supplying the baby adequately. A small baby with normal Dopplers is usually just constitutionally small. A small baby with abnormal Dopplers is a baby in trouble, and the distinction changes everything about the plan.
Who this is for
- Routine assessment from around 32 weeks
- Fundal height smaller or larger than expected for dates
- Pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension or diabetes
- Previous growth-restricted baby, or reduced fetal movements
Not everything on this list means you need this treatment. The workup comes first, and the recommendation follows from what it shows — not from what was booked before you arrived.
Step by step
Biometry
Three measurements combined into an estimated fetal weight and plotted on a customised growth chart.
Amniotic fluid
Deepest vertical pocket or amniotic fluid index — a fall is often the first sign of placental compromise.
Umbilical artery Doppler
Resistance in the cord vessels reflects how hard the placenta is working.
Cerebroplacental ratio
Middle cerebral artery flow compared with umbilical flow, which detects a baby redistributing blood to its brain.
Your results, in writing
Whatever the outcome of growth scan & doppler study, you leave each stage with the findings written down — what was done, what was found, what it means, and what the options are from here. Reports are issued the same day wherever the laboratory allows it.
Case study: A small baby with normal Dopplers, and one without
33, Okhla · reduced fundal height at 32 weeks
What she came in with
Fundal height measuring four centimetres less than dates at a routine 32-week visit, in an otherwise uncomplicated pregnancy.
What the workup showed
Estimated fetal weight was on the 6th centile — small. Umbilical artery Doppler, however, was normal, amniotic fluid was normal, and the cerebroplacental ratio was normal. This is the picture of a constitutionally small baby, not a compromised one.
What we did
Rather than moving to delivery, serial scanning every two weeks with full Dopplers each time and daily fetal movement monitoring. The plan was explicit: intervene if growth velocity dropped or Dopplers changed, not because of a single centile.
Outcome
Growth continued along the 6th centile — small but tracking. Dopplers stayed normal. She laboured spontaneously at 39 weeks and delivered a 2.6 kg baby with normal cord gases and no neonatal problems.
The point of this case
A small baby with normal Dopplers is usually just small. Delivering it early on the basis of the centile alone converts a healthy small baby into a premature one.
Illustrative case. This is a composite of presentations commonly seen in this practice, written for explanation — it is not the record of an identifiable patient, and no individual's details are used. Outcomes vary, and nothing here is a prediction of what will happen in your case.
What is different about having this done here
Serial scans plotted on a chart, because a single measurement tells you very little
Full Doppler study rather than biometry alone
Delivery timing decided on the trend, not on one worrying number
Same consultant scanning each time, so the comparison is genuinely like for like
Treated by the consultant, not by a rotating team
Dr. Tiwari performs the scans, the procedure and the follow-up herself, and looks after any pregnancy that results. Over a long treatment course that continuity is the difference between being known and being processed.
- MBBS, MS (Obstetrics & Gynaecology), FNB (Reproductive Medicine)
- Over ten years in reproductive medicine and gynaecological surgery
- Consultations and scans at Mother's Hope, Katwaria Sarai; theatre work at SHE Delhi Hospital, Greater Kailash II
- Itemised costs given in writing before anything begins
Areas we see patients from
Both locations are in South Delhi. Patients travelling from further out have appointments grouped to cut down the number of trips.
Questions about growth scan & doppler study
My baby is measuring small. Should I worry?
Not necessarily. Estimated fetal weight has a margin of error of about 10–15% either way, and many small babies are simply small. What matters is whether growth has slowed across serial scans and whether the Dopplers are normal.
How often will I need growth scans?
In an uncomplicated pregnancy, usually one around 32–34 weeks. Where there is growth restriction or a medical condition, every two weeks, or weekly if Dopplers are abnormal.
Does an abnormal Doppler mean immediate delivery?
Not always. Raised umbilical resistance is monitored closely; absent or reversed end-diastolic flow is far more serious and usually means delivery, with the timing balanced against prematurity.
Talk it through before you commit
Consultations run for a full hour. Bring any previous reports — they are reviewed properly, not repeated.