12-week dating and nuchal translucency scan cost in the UK: what you pay privately (2026)

A private 12-week scan measures the baby, confirms the due date and, if chosen, measures the nuchal translucency to help estimate the chance of Down, Edwards and Patau syndromes, sometimes combined with a blood test.

Because we could not confirm a published price for 12-week dating and nuchal translucency scan, this page does not offer a figure. Each provider sets its own price, so the practical task is to ask several for an itemised estimate and compare what each covers.

You lie on a couch while the sonographer scans through the abdomen, measuring the crown-rump length to date the pregnancy and, if screening is chosen, the fluid at the back of the baby neck. A blood sample for hormone markers may be taken before or after.

The result of combined screening is given as a chance, such as higher or lower than a threshold. Ask how it is communicated and who you can speak to if you receive a higher-chance result.

A single guide figure for 12-week dating and nuchal translucency scan can mislead, because the final amount depends on factors like these.

• Dating only or with screening: a dating scan is simpler than a combined screening test with nuchal measurement and blood markers.

• Blood test component: combined screening uses blood results, and these are often priced with or separately from the scan.

• Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT): a blood test for fetal DNA is priced separately and is not part of the standard scan fee.

• Accredited operators: the nuchal measurement needs a sonographer who is credentialed for it, which can affect price.

• Images and video: pictures are sometimes extra.

Providers define a package differently, so two quotes are only comparable once you line up what each covers. The table lists what is typically in and what is often billed separately for this procedure.

Insurers rarely pay for routine pregnancy scans, and policies often exclude pregnancy unless a complication arises, so most women self-pay for private scans.

Insurers often agree a procedure code and a fee ceiling in advance. Self-pay patients should ask whether instalment finance is offered and what the total repayable would be, as the representative rate and terms differ by lender.

The NHS offers a dating scan and combined screening for Down, Edwards and Patau syndromes in the first trimester, and an anomaly scan at around 20 weeks, so a private scan is an addition rather than a replacement.

NHS care is free at the point of use, and for non-urgent consultant-led treatment the standard is 18 weeks from referral. You also have the right to choose where you are referred in England. Local waits differ, so ask what applies near you.

There is no recovery. The costs that follow depend on whether further tests are offered or chosen.

No one plans for things to go wrong, but a short conversation about extra costs now can save difficulty later.

• Screening gives a chance, not a diagnosis, and a higher-chance result leads to decisions about further testing, with extra cost and emotional weight; think about what you would do with the result first.

• Bleeding with pain or fever in pregnancy should be assessed urgently via your maternity unit, NHS 111 or A&E.

Quotes only compare fairly when they cover the same things. Put these questions to every provider you approach.

• Is the price for dating only or for combined screening?

• Are blood tests included?

• Who explains a higher-chance result, and what are the next-step costs?

• Is NIPT offered, and what does it cost?

• Will I receive one price covering the hospital, the consultant and the anaesthetic, or several bills from different parties?