Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve discovered some common questions we’re asked here at Cherish, and provided them with the answers below. If you require more information, feel welcome to contact one of our friendly-team.
You can self refer to our clinic and arrange an appointment at your convenience.
Please telephone us on 0121 354 4777 or 07580 611 879.
Our phones are manned:
Monday to Friday until 1.30pm
Bank Holidays - Closed
Alternatively, you can fill out our online enquiry form or email us at info@cherish-uk.com
Monday to Friday until 1:30pm.
A private ultrasound scan can be arranged with Cherish-UK at a time to suit you and can often be performed the same day (subject to availability). This can give you the reassurance of a rapid diagnosis especially if you are experiencing problems in early pregnancy.
We can also offer services that are not available on the NHS, for example a reassurance scan following a miscarriage.
If you are undergoing fertility treatment abroad, we can perform any necessary scans without the need for you to travel abroad. Our centrally located clinic is within easy access of major motorways and rail links.
Following your scan the report will be written and the results will be emailed to you. Alternatively, if you prefer, you may wait and your report will be produced following your scan for you to take with you. All information and reports are strictly confidential and will only be forwarded on your request and with your permission.
Cherish-UK work together with several overseas fertility clinics. Scans can be performed on any day of your cycle and the results faxed to your chosen clinic.
If your scan shows that the pregnancy is not developing as it should, for example, there is no heart beat or an ectopic pregnancy is suspected, you will be informed of this.
If a problem is found we will advise you to take your scan report to your GP who can then arrange for you to be seen at your local NHS Early Pregnancy Unit. If an ectopic pregnancy is suspected we will advise you to attend your nearest A&E Department.
Sometimes it is not possible to tell if a pregnancy is developing as it should and we recommend a further scan in one week. If this is the case you can choose whether to have a further private scan at Cherish-UK or to be referred by your GP to your local NHS Early Pregnancy Clinic. Please note that NHS services have differing referral criteria and if you are not bleeding or in pain they will be unable to offer an appointment.
There is no evidence that diagnostic ultrasound is unsafe or has produced any harm to patients in the four decades that it has been in use. At Cherish-UK all of our staff are qualified and experienced in ultrasound scanning. However, diagnostic ultrasound can only be considered safe if used prudently.
Developments in real-time three dimensional ultrasonic imaging have led to parents asking for souvenir (keepsake) video recordings of the fetus, sometimes at several stages during the pregnancy. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) and British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS) has recommended for many years that "non-diagnostic" baby scanning should not be performed and that souvenir recordings are only reasonable as part of a diagnostic scan. This is because there have been some instances of diagnostic scans being prolonged in order to provide such recordings. Some services are unable to provide counselling or offer guidance if signs of a fetal abnormality are unexpectedly revealed; at Cherish-UK both partners are fully qualified to offer advice and support as necessary as part of the consultation.
At Cherish-UK 3D / 4D scans and video recordings are available as part of the reassurance scan to help parents bond with their unborn baby. The scan includes a well–being check of fetal heartbeat and movement and if requested confirmation of gender can be performed during the scan. Scanning time is kept to a minimum to ensure there is no unnecessary ultrasound exposure and the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle is always adhered to.
Recommendations:
Ultrasound scans should not be performed solely for producing souvenir images or recordings of a fetus or embryo; however they can be used to enable parents to bond with their baby prior to birth.The production of souvenir images or recordings for the parents to keep is reasonable if they are produced during a diagnostic scan, provided that this does not require the ultrasound exposure to be greater in time or magnitude than that necessary to produce the required diagnostic information.Attention is drawn to the recommendation of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology Clinical Safety Statement for Diagnostic Ultrasound that ultrasound examinations should be performed only by competent personnel who are trained and updated in ultrasound safety matters.
European Committee for Medical Ultrasound Safety October 2006, endorsed by British Medical Ultrasound Society Council: June 2008
Yes, there is no problem if you wish to bring an interpreter with you to your appointments/scan. Below is the contact number of an interpreting service you may wish to use:
Remark! British Sign Language Interpreting.
For bookings in the Midlands, Wales, and the north please contact Midlands office:
Carolyn Nabarro
Remark! Midlands, 43 Temple Way, Birmingham, B2 5LS
Tel: 0121 230 1718; SMS: 07921 004 355; Email: info@remark.uk.com
Yes, there is no problem if you wish to bring an interpreter with you to your appointments/scan. Below are some contact numbers of interpreting services you may wish to use:
Foreign Language interpreting services
www.absolute-interpreting.co.uk/birmingham-interpreting.php
www.1sttransnational.com
www.quicklingo.com