- At the start: “Can you walk us through what you're looking at as you go?”
- About halfway: “How does the heart look — did you get a clear view of the outflow tracts?”
- Near the end: “Did you manage to see everything on the checklist?”
- If something is mentioned: “Is this a definitive finding or something you want to look at again?”
- Before you leave: “Is there anything in this report I should specifically discuss with our midwife or OB?”
When we walked into our 20-week anatomy scan, my wife was on the bed within about ninety seconds. The sonographer started, and I — the supposed support person — was holding her handbag, two water bottles, the appointment letter, and a brain that had just gone completely blank. I had read three articles in the car. I had bookmarked a list of questions. And the only thing I asked in the first ten minutes was, “Sorry, what was that bit you just pointed at?”
That's the universal dad experience at the anatomy scan. You walk in with a list. The screen lights up. The list evaporates. So I'm writing this differently than most question guides — not as a long list to memorise, but as the questions in the order you'll actually want to ask them, and the reasoning behind each one. Print it, save it to your phone, or just remember the structure.
If you haven't read it yet, the complete 20-week anatomy scan guide for dads walks through what they're checking head to toe and what the findings actually mean. This article is the practical companion: the exact questions to ask in the room.
Before the scan starts — set the room up
The first question is almost always the most important one, and it's the easiest to forget: tell the sonographer at the start whether you want to know the baby's sex. They'll be looking between the legs as part of the standard checklist, and you don't want a surprise reveal you didn't ask for, or a missed chance to find out when you wanted to.
Then ask permission to ask questions throughout: “Can you walk us through what you're looking at as you go?” Most sonographers will say yes. Some will say, “Let me get through the checklist first and then I'll explain everything at the end” — which is also fine. Either way, you've set expectations.
- “Do you mind if I ask questions as you go, or would you prefer to finish first?”
- “We'd like to know the sex if you can see it” (or) “We don't want to know the sex — please don't mention it.”
- “Is there a screen angle that would let my partner see what you're showing me?”
- “Are photos of the screen okay if we want some for ourselves?”
During the scan — the structure-by-structure questions
You don't need to memorise every anatomical structure. The sonographer has the checklist. What you want to do is check in at three or four natural pause points, when they've clearly finished a section and are moving to the next one. The best moments are when they shift the probe noticeably, change the screen mode, or take a measurement and pause.
The heart (the big one)
The fetal heart is the most complex thing they check and the most common reason for a follow-up scan. Sonographers look at four chambers, two outflow tracts, and the rhythm. The outflow tracts are the hardest views to get because they depend entirely on the baby's position.
The question to ask, somewhere around the middle of the scan: “How does the heart look — were you able to see the outflow tracts clearly?” If the answer is yes, that's a meaningful reassurance. If the answer is “not yet, we'll come back to it” — that's also normal. Wait. Don't panic.
The brain
They'll measure the head circumference and look at structures inside — the ventricles, the cerebellum, the choroid plexus, the cavum septum pellucidum. The most common “something worth mentioning” finding here is a choroid plexus cyst, a small fluid-filled space that appears in 1–2% of scans and almost always resolves by week 28. We'll cover what soft markers actually mean in detail in our guide to anatomy scan soft markers — but if the sonographer mentions one in the room, the right question to ask is: “Is this in isolation, or are there other markers?” Soft markers carry very different weight alone versus in combination.
The spine
They'll trace the spine from neck to tailbone to check it's closed and aligned. This is a long, careful view, and it sometimes needs the mother to shift position. If they spend a long time on it, don't read anything into it — they're being thorough.
The placenta and amniotic fluid
Two practical questions here: “Where is the placenta sitting?”and “Is the amniotic fluid level normal?” The placenta's position matters because a low-lying placenta (placenta praevia) needs monitoring. An anterior placenta (at the front) means kicks may feel muffled for a while — which is useful to know so you don't worry later. Amniotic fluid levels are measured as AFI (Amniotic Fluid Index) or DVP (Deepest Vertical Pocket); the sonographer will tell you the number and whether it's in range.
Growth measurements
The standard measurements at this scan are biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), and femur length (FL). They get converted to an estimated weight and a gestational age. The question to ask is: “How are the growth measurements compared to where we should be?” A few days behind or ahead is completely normal at this stage. Significant asymmetry — like the abdomen measuring two weeks behind everything else — would be flagged and discussed.
You don't need to know every measurement. You need to know whether the sonographer was able to see what they wanted to see. That's the question.
The closing questions — before you leave the room
Most dads ask zero questions at the end and then spend three days replaying the scan wondering what they missed. Don't do that. The closing questions are short and protect you from days of unnecessary worry.
- “Did you manage to see everything on the checklist?” — If yes, the scan is complete. If no, you'll be coming back, and you can ask which structures need rechecking.
- “Was everything within normal range, or is there anything specific the report will flag?” — Sonographers can't diagnose, but they can usually indicate whether the report will be standard or whether something will be discussed at your next OB visit.
- “Is there anything in this report I should make sure to discuss with our midwife or OB at the next appointment?” — Direct, polite, and protects against ambiguity.
- “When and how do we get the written report?” — Knowing the timeline stops you from refreshing your inbox for three days.
If they mention something — the exact follow-up questions
If the sonographer mentions a finding — a soft marker, a measurement at the edge of the normal range, a structure they want to look at again — the temptation is to either go silent or to ask a dozen panicked questions at once. Neither helps. Three questions cover what you need:
- “Is this a definitive finding or something to recheck?”Most flagged items are rechecks, not diagnoses.
- “What does this mean in isolation, given everything else looks normal?”Most soft markers have very different significance alone versus combined.
- “What's the next step — a follow-up scan, a specialist referral, or no action?” Knowing the pathway is the single biggest anxiety reducer.
Write the answers down. Don't trust your memory. Stress flattens recall — you will almost certainly remember a sentence as more alarming than it was actually said.
After the scan — questions for your partner, not the sonographer
On the drive home, two questions matter more than anything you asked in the room. Ask your partner: “How did that feel for you?” and “Is there anything you want to write down before we forget?”She was the one on the bed. The experience hits differently from her angle. For more on the partner-support side of the scan, our guide on how to support your partner at the anatomy scan covers the full emotional arc of the appointment.
What to do with the report when it arrives
Anatomy scan reports are written in clinical shorthand, for radiologists and OBs — not for dads sitting in the car park trying to figure out whether “no gross structural abnormality identified” is good news or terrifying news. (It's good news. “Gross” means “obvious to the eye” in medical-speak. It does not mean they had to look hard.)
If you get a report you can't read, you have three options: wait until your next OB appointment and ask line by line, search every term on your own and risk a worry spiral, or use Dadly. Dadly's scan-report analysis is built for exactly this — you upload the report and it walks you through every line in plain English, flags what's reassuring, what's worth noting, and which follow-up questions are worth bringing to the next appointment.
Print or save the questions in this article to your phone before the appointment. You won't remember them in the room. Nobody does. Having them in front of you is the single highest-leverage thing you can do as a dad walking into the anatomy scan.
After the anatomy scan, the next big milestone is the start of the third trimester. Our week 28 dad's guide covers what changes after the anatomy scan, what to prepare for, and the next set of scans and tests on the way. And if the report comes back with terms you don't recognise, the guide to soft markers walks through what they actually mean.