Gender Scan with 3D preview
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 into your pregnancy and ready to find out if you’re having a girl or a boy, or at least want the option to! Whether you want to know in the room, have it written down, or plan a big reveal, we’re happy to help.
Please note: if you’d like to hear baby’s heartbeat, we recommend booking from 16 weeks onwards.
Once you reach 15 weeks, we can offer a gender opinion by visualising baby's genitals and we’re proud to say we have an over 99% success rate.
Each appointment includes a generous 45-minute time slot, giving us plenty of time to gently encourage even the most camera-shy babies to show us what we need to see. On the rare occasion that baby stays firmly tucked away and we can’t give you a confident opinion, you’ll be offered a free rescan, arranged for at least a week later.
This scan also includes a preview in 3/4D, giving you an early glimpse of your little one in motion. While babies before 24 weeks haven’t yet built up all that squishy soft tissue we see in later scans, it’s still a fascinating insight into what they’re getting up to in there.
You’ll receive at least two printed images, plus digital images and video sent straight to your phone before you leave, no waiting around required.
What happens
Your sonographer will begin by asking a few questions about your health, medical history, and any previous pregnancies. It’s helpful for us to know about any gynaecological issues or concerns you’ve experienced, so we can tailor the scan to you. We’ll also chat about your current pregnancy and whether you’d like to find out baby’s gender during the scan or have us write it down for later — we’re happy to accommodate your preferences, whether it’s a quiet reveal or a big surprise.
The scan itself is transabdominal (over your tummy). You’ll be asked to uncover your bump and maybe shimmy your waistband down a touch so we can apply some ultrasound gel and gently move the probe across your lower abdomen. It shouldn’t be uncomfortable, but always let us know if anything feels tender.
We’ll start by finding and showing you baby’s heartbeat, and you’ll be able to see what your sonographer sees on the screen. (If we go a bit quiet, don’t worry it just means we’re concentrating!) If you’re keeping the gender a surprise, we’ll discreetly shield the screen while we do our checks.
To give a confident gender opinion, your sonographer will view baby from a few different angles, this can take time, especially if baby is feeling camera shy. You might be asked to lie on your side, have a little walk, or try a gentle wiggle to get baby into a better position.
When we’re sure, and if you're finding out there and then, we’ll ask everyone to cover their eyes and reveal the news by lighting the room pink or blue, then show you exactly what we saw so you can see for yourselves.
After that, we’ll switch to 3/4D mode for a sneak peek at your little one. At this stage, baby is still petite and hasn’t filled out with that lovely squishiness just yet, but it’s still a wonderful and unique glimpse. Please note: we do our best to get clear views, but due to baby’s size and position, we’re unable to offer a rescan solely for clearer images.
Once everything’s complete and all your questions have been answered, you’ll get your printed scan images and digital images and video sent straight to your phone before you leave. If we couldn’t confidently confirm baby’s gender, we’ll offer a free rescan at a time that suits you.
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!
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 about an hour before your scan, no need to be uncomfortably full, but a little in the tank can help with image quality. The most important thing is that you’ve been well hydrated in the days leading up to your appointment, that really does make a difference to what we can see on screen!
If your appointment is between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, just head into Main Reception at Greetwell Place. The lovely front desk team will let us know you’ve arrived.
If your appointment is outside those hours, when Main Reception is closed, follow the road through the car park to the right of the building, past the 5mph sign, and park near the ScanLinc sandwich board, that’s our private entrance.
Please don’t try to enter the building early, there’s no access before your appointment time. Instead, we ask that you wait in your car or at a discreet distance. It’s important to give the family before you some privacy, not everyone is publicly sharing their pregnancy, and not every scan brings happy news. Thank you for understanding.
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.