Senior Consultant, Fetal Medicine, Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon, India
Series overview · 7 articles
Diagnostic Utility of First Trimester Ultrasound
June 21, 2026
Dr. Aanchal Sablok is Senior Consultant, Fetal Medicine at Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon. This guide is based on a live Jivo Masterclass where she took doctors across Africa through what a properly performed first trimester ultrasound can actually do, far beyond confirming a pregnancy is viable.
The series covers how Down syndrome screening detection rates evolved from 30% to 96%, why an elevated nuchal translucency reading doesn't mean what most patients fear, which structural abnormalities are already detectable at 12 weeks, how preeclampsia and preterm labour risk are calculated in the same visit, and the 'inverted pyramid of care' philosophy that puts the most intensive screening at the earliest visit rather than the last.
This guide is based on a live Jivo Masterclass — Dr. Aanchal Sablok taught doctors across Africa on June 21, 2026.
Watch the full recording, or read the guide above.
FROM THE LIVE Q&A
How does the stage of CKD (chronic kidney disease) affect the risk of preeclampsia?
Dr. Aanchal Sablok
If the mother already has chronic kidney disease, she is already at risk of chronic hypertension. When placental implantation occurs on top of this background, the relevant terminology is preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension. This represents an even higher risk of developing preeclampsia, particularly in the presence of chronic renal disease, chronic hypertension, or other conditions such as autoimmune disease. The risk of fetal growth restriction (small for gestational age) is also correspondingly higher in this group.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does a first trimester ultrasound accomplish beyond confirming a viable pregnancy?▼
Performed properly, a first trimester scan does far more than confirm a pregnancy is viable. Across the visit, it screens for Down syndrome and other chromosomal risk, checks nuchal translucency, identifies structural abnormalities already detectable at 12 weeks, and calculates preeclampsia and preterm labour risk, all in a single appointment.
Who is Dr. Aanchal Sablok?▼
Dr. Aanchal Sablok is Senior Consultant, Fetal Medicine at Artemis Hospitals, Gurgaon. This series is drawn from a live Jivo Masterclass in which she walked doctors across Africa through the diagnostic reach of a properly performed first trimester ultrasound.
What is the inverted pyramid of care approach mentioned in this series?▼
It is a philosophy that concentrates the most intensive screening at the earliest antenatal visit rather than building up to it later in pregnancy, so risks are identified and managed as early as possible.
In This Series: Diagnostic Utility of First Trimester Ultrasound
- 1.Diagnostic Utility of First Trimester Ultrasound
- 2.Screening for Down Syndrome: How Detection Rates Evolved From 30% to 96%
- 3.Nuchal Translucency: Why a High Reading Doesn't Mean What Patients Fear
- 4.Structural Abnormalities the First-Trimester Scan Can Already Catch
- 5.Preeclampsia Screening: Uterine Artery Doppler, PLGF, and the New Role of the Ophthalmic Artery
- 6.Predicting Preterm Labour: Why Cervical Length Should Be Measured at 12 Weeks
- 7.The Inverted Pyramid of Care: Rethinking When Pregnant Women Should Be Seen