Gender Scan
Your appointment will last 45 minutes in total. While you won’t be scanned for the full duration, this allows us plenty of time to talk through your questions, understand any concerns, explain what we’re seeing, and make sure you leave feeling informed and reassured. No rushing, no conveyor belts, just personalised care, properly paced.
Source:
Ultrasound
STANDARD HOURS: Weekdays 9am–6pm
EXTENDED HOURS: Evenings, weekends, & bank holidays
Who it's for
You’re at least 15 weeks pregnant and ready to find out if you’re having a girl or a boy.
If you’d also like us to listen to baby’s heartbeat, please book for 16 weeks or later, when this is usually possible.
Once you’re 15 weeks or more, we can give a reliable gender opinion by visualising baby’s genitals, and we’re proud to say we have a success rate of over 99%.
Each appointment is generously timed at 45 minutes, giving us plenty of wiggle room (literally) if baby’s feeling shy. If we’re unable to confirm gender during your appointment, which is rare, we’ll offer you a free rescan for at least a week later.
You’ll receive a minimum of 2 printed images, plus digital images and video straight to your phone before you leave, no waiting around.
What happens
When you arrive, your sonographer will ask for a few details about your general health and medical history. It’s really helpful for us to know about any gynaecological conditions or previous pregnancies, as well as how this pregnancy is going and if you have any concerns. You’ll also be asked whether you’d like to find out baby’s gender during your scan, or if you’d prefer us to write it down for you. We’re happy to accommodate most reasonable requests, we love being part of your surprise!
The scan is transabdominal (via your tummy). You’ll be asked to uncover your bump, and you may need to shimmy your waistband down slightly. The sonographer will apply some ultrasound gel to your lower abdomen (higher up depending on baby’s position), and gently move the probe over your bump. This shouldn’t be uncomfortable, let us know if you feel any tenderness at any point.
The very first thing we’ll do is find and show you baby’s heartbeat. You’ll be able to see what the sonographer sees, and she’ll talk you through the scan as she goes (if we go quiet, we’re just concentrating, it doesn’t mean anything is wrong!).
If you’ve opted to keep the gender a surprise, we’ll shield the screen from your view during the gender check section of the scan.
To give you the most accurate gender opinion, your sonographer will check from multiple angles, and this can take a little time depending on baby’s position. You might be asked to lie on your side, give your pelvis a little wiggle, nip to the loo, or take a short walk outside to help baby move into a more favourable spot.
Once your sonographer is confident in her findings, and if you’re finding out during your scan, she’ll ask everyone to close their eyes, and then light up the room pink or blue for that magical moment. She’ll then explain exactly what she saw so you can see it for yourselves.
When the scan is complete and all your questions have been answered, you’ll get dressed and receive your printed scan images, and your digital images and video will be sent straight to your phone before you leave.
If we can’t give a confident opinion on gender during your appointment, we’ll arrange a free rescan at a mutually convenient time.
Preparation
Want the best chance of getting clear, frame-worthy images and a smooth blood test experience? It’s all about the hydration. We recommend drinking up to 3 litres a day for 3–4 days before your appointment to hydrate all the tissue around baby, it really does make a difference.
On the day:
Eat and drink well, but don’t go overboard.
Empty your bladder before leaving home, then sip up to 500ml of water before the scan, no need to arrive desperate for a wee!
Bringing a cold, sugary and/or fizzy drink or snacks with you could be useful if we need to get baby moving.
Partners/family/trusted friends and well behaved children welcome. We'd recommend really small people come in buggies with plenty of snacks and distractions as our clinic isn't a safe space for them to roam around.
On the day
Try not to empty your bladder for at least an hour before your scan, you don’t need to guzzle water or feel desperate, just comfortably full. The most important thing is that you’ve been well hydrated in the days leading up to your appointment, as that really helps boost image quality.
If your appointment is between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday, head to Main Reception at Greetwell Place, and the lovely team there will let us know you’ve arrived.
If your appointment is outside of these hours, when main reception is closed, please follow the road through the car park to the right of the building, past the 5mph sign, and park near the ScanLinc sandwich board sign, this is our private entrance.
There’s no access to the building before your appointment time, so we kindly ask you to wait in your vehicle or at a respectful distance to allow the appointment before yours some privacy. Not everyone is public about their pregnancy, and sadly, not every scan brings happy news, so thank you for helping us keep this space safe and compassionate.
ON THE DAY
Meet Your Team
You won’t see a different face every time you walk through the door.
ScanLinc is run by just three of us - Sam, Hannah and Megan - and between us, you’re always in safe hands.
Megan Evans
Megan is a qualified, HCPC-registered Sonographer who also works within the NHS as an Obstetric Sonographer. That dual perspective means she’s not only clinically brilliant, but always in the loop with evolving NHS practices, bringing the best of both worlds to your care.
Sam Nicholls
Sam is our Clinic Director and Advanced Practitioner Sonographer. With postgraduate training in gynaecology, fertility and early pregnancy, and over two decades of NHS experience, she brings a calm, expert presence to every scan. She’s also our CQC lead and maintains her Midwifery registration, so you can be sure your care is clinically sound, safe and current.
Hannah Sleight
Hannah is our Technical Director and a qualified Sonographer. She has a knack for turning complex tech into calm, seamless experiences, from streamlining operations to keeping us at the cutting edge with the latest imaging innovations (like our 8K scan enhancements). She makes the clinic run like clockwork.