It is coming up on that time of year again—the time of year when we get asked time and time again, “How early can I preg check with ultrasound?” If you have been in one of our classes, you know that this often leads to a lengthier discussion. I often turn around and ask why we want to preg early, and are we rechecking them due to the potential for early embryonic death loss.
Ultrasound is an excellent tool to find early pregnancies, however there is an element of skill and technique to ensure a short bred is not missed. The safe answer to how early can you preg check is 28 days, however there are some things to consider: at this stage the embryo is the same echogenicity as the body of the uterus. Another challenge is that only the gravid horn has fluid in it, and the non-gravid horn will appear open as there is not fluid present at this point. If you are preg checking this early, it is very important to scan slowly to ensure you have scanned the entire body of the uterus. It may be helpful to go arm in when pregnancies are at this stage.
Personally, I ideally like to wait until 35 days after the bull is pulled to pregcheck. This way we are comfortable utilizing the extension arm as more fluid is present than day 28. Also, the fetus’ heartbeat is easier to see. These factors combined allow us to pregcheck quicker with the extension arm and with more confidence.
Whether you just graduated vet school, or are implementing ultrasound for the first time, I highly recommend waiting until day 45 to pregcheck. At this stage, there are large amounts of fluid, and the fetus is easily visible. At this point, you do not have to guess if the pocket of fluid is on an ovary or if it is fluid associated with a pregnancy.
Remember when scanning cattle early, that it is natural from the time you pregcheck early till the time you reconfirm to have some early embryonic death loss. There are numerous studies unpacking the effects of numerous factors on early pregnancies such as stress, impacts of weight gain vs loss at the time of breeding, etc.
If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call to discuss: 877-890-2411.