13-week scan given no permanent place for now
The Health Council of the Netherlands warns of uncertain results and the consequences of follow-up tests.
According to new reports, the Health Council of the Netherlands advises against including the 13-week scan on a permanent basis in the national screening programme for now. The council is said to believe that the results are still too often uncertain. The full advice was not publicly available on the official pages consulted when this edition was published.
The 13-week scan has been offered as part of research since September 2021. The scan is intended to make serious physical abnormalities in a foetus visible earlier than at the routine 20-week scan. The advantage is that parents have more time for follow-up tests and decisions about the pregnancy.
The scan provides no certainty. According to information from the Prenatal and Neonatal Screening programme, about 990 of every 1,000 pregnant women receive a result showing no indication of an abnormality. In about 10 in every 1,000 cases, something is seen or suspected for which further examination may be offered. The figures are estimates based on the initial study results.
That distinction between an indication and a diagnosis is precisely an important part of the debate. An ultrasound operator may see something that later proves not to be an abnormality. Conversely, a normal scan cannot rule out every possible condition. An abnormal result can therefore lead to weeks of uncertainty and additional medical examinations.
Researchers at LUMC and UMC Utrecht investigated, among other things, the reliability of the result and parents’ experiences as part of the IMITAS study. LUMC writes that an abnormal result at 13 weeks can be associated with considerable psychological distress. Following a termination after a serious diagnosis, earlier discovery may on average result in fewer psychological complaints, but that does not lessen the gravity of the decision.
The outcome of the advice does not mean that the scan will disappear immediately. The cabinet previously stipulated that the service must be extended until a decision has been made about its future. In February, the Lower House (Tweede Kamer) reported that the decision could not be implemented before 1 January 2027; the service and the licence would therefore be extended until 1 January 2028.
The final choice lies with the government. It must determine how much uncertainty is acceptable within a population screening programme, how much capacity is available for follow-up diagnosis and how parents are supported. For pregnant women, the reports in themselves change nothing about existing freedom of choice or the significance of an individual scan result.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The 13-week scan is offered nationally as part of a research programme.
- An abnormal scan result is not a diagnosis and may make follow-up tests necessary.
- The government still has to decide whether to include it permanently in the screening programme.
Left
Arguments A public screening programme should primarily prevent parents from becoming dependent on their income, place of residence or individual healthcare providers. If the scan has demonstrable benefits, the government should also invest in rapid follow-up diagnosis and psychological support.
Values Accessibility, equal opportunities and protecting parents from unequal healthcare practices.
Consequences Not introducing it could mean that useful early information is less widely available; introducing it without proper support could instead cause additional uncertainty and pressure on healthcare services.
Centre
Arguments The decision should depend on the balance between serious abnormalities detected, false-positive results, follow-up tests and feasibility. A phased introduction with clear quality standards could be a compromise.
Values Carefulness, proportionality and confidence in evidence-based policy.
Consequences An interim phase could allow time for better training and capacity, but would also prolong uncertainty about the definitive organisation of care.
Right
Arguments The government should be cautious about additional prenatal screening when results are uncertain and families could consequently come under pressure. Parents should be able to choose for themselves, without a standard service feeling like a medical obligation.
Values Individual responsibility, freedom of choice and limited government.
Consequences Not introducing it permanently would prevent an expansion of public healthcare costs, but could also lead to differences in access and information between families.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The background and research status are well documented. The precise content of the new advice could not yet be checked directly in a publicly available advice document.
- confirmed The 13-week scan has been offered as part of research since 2021. — This is stated in information from the Lower House and the national screening programme. source
- confirmed A 13-week scan provides no certainty and may lead to follow-up tests. — The official public information from the Prenatal and Neonatal Screening programme describes several possible results and their uncertainty. source
- confirmed The IMITAS results were used for the advice on permanent introduction. — LUMC describes the study and the request for advice submitted to the Health Council of the Netherlands. source
- uncertain The Health Council of the Netherlands advises against permanently introducing the scan for now. — News headlines report this, but the full text of the advice could not be publicly verified through the official pages consulted. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: The Health Council of the Netherlands advises against permanently including the 13-week scan.Now: According to new reports, the Health Council of the Netherlands advises against permanently including the 13-week scan for now; the full text of the advice had not yet been publicly checked. (The official advice page confirmed the publication, but not the content of the new advice.)
Editor's note
The official sources confirm the research status, the uncertainty of the results and the planned date for the advice. The full text of the new advice was not accessible when checked; the core conclusion has therefore been worded cautiously.Sources
- Aankomende adviezen — Gezondheidsraad
- Prenatale screening — Tweede Kamer
- 13-wekenecho brengt afwijkingen eerder aan het licht, maar kan ook een keerzijde hebben — LUMC
- De uitslag van de 13 wekenecho — Prenatale en neonatale screeningen
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „13-wekenecho zwangerschap”
- de Volkskrant — „13-wekenecho zwangerschap”
- RTL Nieuws — „13-wekenecho zwangerschap”