Pregnancy Ultrasound Records Online: How to Find, Get and Keep Them

You can usually see your pregnancy ultrasound report in your provider’s patient portal within days. The images are another story. They often live in a separate system and may need a separate request. Under federal law you have a right to both. This guide shows where to look, how to ask, and how to keep every scan in one place.

TL;DR

• Check your patient portal first. Reports often appear there quickly, but full-quality images may not.
• If the images are missing, send a written request to the health information management (HIM) office and name the exam, date and format you want.
• HIPAA gives you the right to a copy. Providers generally have 30 days to respond.
• Facilities don’t keep records forever, and retention rules differ by state. Download your scans now.
• Store everything in one secure, organized place you control, so you can find it at your next appointment or in an emergency.

Table of Contents

• Why ultrasound records are harder to find than lab results
• What counts as a pregnancy ultrasound record
• Step 1: Check your patient portal
• Step 2: Request the images directly
• Your rights under HIPAA
• Why you may still get a CD
• How long are ultrasound images kept?
• Understanding what you get
• Our perspective
• Keep your scans in one secure place
• How MedFiles helps
• Troubleshooting: when you can’t find the scan
• FAQ
• Sources

Why ultrasound records are harder to find than lab results

Lab values and visit notes sit in your provider’s electronic health record (EHR). Ultrasound images usually don’t. Imaging is often kept in a separate system. ONC notes that X-rays, CT scans and MRIs are often stored outside the EHR, in systems such as PACS. Ultrasound studies are commonly handled the same way.

That split explains a familiar frustration. The radiology report shows up in your portal. The pictures of your baby don’t. Nothing is being hidden. The two kinds of data travel through different pipes.

It also explains why pregnancy records end up scattered. Your OB-GYN may do the dating scan. A maternal-fetal medicine specialist may do the anatomy scan. A hospital imaging center may do a follow-up. Each one holds its own copy.

What counts as a pregnancy ultrasound record

When you ask for “the ultrasound,” you may mean several things. Be clear about which one you want.

• The written report. The findings, measurements, estimated due date and the interpreting physician’s name.
• Still images. The printed or digital pictures handed to you at the visit.
• Full study files. The complete set of images or clips, usually stored in a medical imaging format called DICOM.
• Measurements and worksheets. Growth data, fluid levels and cervical length, when recorded separately.

The report is the easy one. The full study is the one that matters if you switch doctors, get a second opinion or move.

Step 1: Check your patient portal

Most people start here, and most should. The ONC Patient Engagement Playbook reports that 57% of individuals used smartphone health apps to access their records as of 2024. Portals such as MyChart are the common front door.

Here is what to look for:

1. Open Test Results or Imaging and look for the ultrasound by date.
2. Open the report and check the exam name matches your visit.
3. Look for a link to view full-resolution images. Some health systems add one. Cincinnati Children’s MyChart guide shows how one system lets you view, share and download imaging, though what your portal offers will differ.
4. Download or print whatever is available.

If you see a report but no images, that is normal. It doesn’t mean the images are lost.

If you see records from only one provider

If you had scans at several organizations, you will have several portals. Some portals can pull in data from other organizations. Epic’s MyChart, for example, has a feature that consolidates records from multiple organizations into one view. Not every provider takes part, so check each one.

Step 2: Request the images directly

When the portal doesn’t show images, ask for them. Ask the health information management (HIM) department, also called medical records or release of information. This is the office that releases records. Nurses and front-desk staff can usually only point you there.

A good request includes:

• Your full name, date of birth and contact details
• The type of exam (for example, “second-trimester anatomy ultrasound”)
• The date or date range, and the facility
• What you want: the report, the images, or the full study in digital format
• How you want to receive it: secure download, patient portal, or email link
• Your signature and the date

Be specific. A request for “my records” may return only text notes. HHS explains that you can ask for your records in the format you prefer, as long as the provider can readily produce it in that format.

Many systems have an online request form. Others want a signed authorization by mail or fax. Use whichever your provider accepts, and keep a copy of what you sent.

Your rights under HIPAA

You don’t need a reason to ask. HHS says the HIPAA Privacy Rule gives you the right to inspect, review and receive a copy of your medical records held by covered providers and health plans. HHS also confirms that this covers diagnostic images such as X-rays, and that includes the images from your ultrasound.

What to know about the rules:

• Timing. Providers generally must act on your request within 30 calendar days. They are encouraged to respond sooner.
• Fees. A provider can charge a reasonable cost for copying and mailing. It can’t charge for searching for or retrieving your records.
• Unpaid bills. A provider can’t refuse access because you owe money.
• No new documents. A provider must give you what exists. It doesn’t have to write a new summary or explanation.

If a provider stalls, the right is real. In 2019, Bayfront Health paid $85,000 and adopted a corrective action plan to settle a potential violation of the right of access, in the first case under HHS’s Right of Access Initiative. You can also file a complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights if a request goes nowhere.

Why you may still get a CD

Some providers still hand over physical media. HHS has said the use of CDs and USB drives in radiology is a burden. It proposed a rule that would have certified EHRs include direct links to diagnostic-quality images beginning January 1, 2028. That is a proposal, so check current status before counting on it.

Until then, if you get a disc, do two things. Copy the files to your computer. Then store them somewhere that won’t fail, scratch or get lost in a drawer.

How long are ultrasound images kept?

This is one of the questions people ask most, and the answer is: it depends on the state and the facility.

HIPAA gives you a right of access but doesn’t set a federal retention period for medical records. CMS rules for hospitals set a floor. Hospitals generally must keep records for at least five years, and state laws frequently require longer, in some cases seven to ten years or more. Imaging retention may follow a different schedule than the chart.

Practical takeaways:

• Don’t assume your 12-week scan will be there when your child is in middle school.
• If you may need the images later, for a future pregnancy, a genetic question or a move, get them now.
• Ask the facility for its retention policy for imaging. Ask in writing if you can.

Understanding what you get

Having the records is one step. Understanding them is another. The report uses clinical shorthand: biometry, percentiles, presentation, placental location. It can read like a foreign language.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says physicians who perform and interpret obstetric ultrasound should be licensed practitioners with training in the indications and expected content of the exam. That tells you who owns the interpretation: your clinician.

So treat any plain-language explanation, from software or from a website, as a way to prepare questions. It is not a diagnosis. Call your OB-GYN, midwife or maternal-fetal medicine specialist about a finding you don’t understand. Call right away if you have bleeding, severe pain or a decrease in your baby’s movement. Don’t wait for a portal message.

For a sense of how clinicians put scan findings in context, see this fertility clinic’s explanation of how ultrasound results are read alongside a patient’s history. It focuses on uterine lining in fertility treatment, not pregnancy scans, but it shows why a number on a report rarely means much without a clinician’s view.

Our perspective

We see the same pattern again and again. People think their health data is in one place. It’s in five. Pregnancy makes it worse, because you may see several practices in nine months.

Here is what we believe:

• You own the copy that matters. The facility holds the original. You should hold your own complete set, in a format that opens on any device.
• Don’t wait for a reason. The best time to request images is when the scan is fresh. Not when a new doctor asks for it next to a deadline.
• Keep the detail. A screenshot of a scan is not the same as the study. If you can keep the original files, keep full DICOM detail.
• Organize as you go. Label by date and type. A folder named “misc” doesn’t help at 2 a.m. in an emergency room.
• Control who sees what. Share with your OB, your partner or a new provider on your terms, and stop sharing when you want to.

That’s why we built MedFiles around the person, not the provider. Your records should follow you.

— Team

Keep your scans in one secure place

Once you have your reports and images, don’t leave them in an email thread or on a disc. A few good habits:

1. Download everything the portal lets you. Reports, images, lab results and visit summaries.
2. Name files clearly. For example: 2026-03-14 anatomy scan, 20 weeks.
3. Back up in a second place. One copy is not a plan.
4. Combine across providers. We lay out a method in our 6-step plan to combine medical records.
5. Use sharing that can be turned off. Emailing a scan to a clinic gives you no control afterward. See how secure online sharing works.

If you want to understand your rights in more depth, read our guide on using HIPAA rights to upload and secure medical records.

What to put in your pregnancy folder

• Every ultrasound report, with dates
• Image files or clips from each scan
• Prenatal lab results (blood type, glucose screening, genetic screening)
• Your medication and prescription list
• Vaccination records
• Your birth plan and the hospital’s pre-registration paperwork
• Your contact list for each provider

When you go into labor away from home, or see a covering doctor, this folder is the thing you’ll wish you had.

How MedFiles helps

MedFiles is a HIPAA-ready platform where you store and organize medical documents: reports, prescriptions, test results and images. Uploaded documents are organized automatically. You can keep separate profiles for each family member, and for pets too. When you need to, you can share records securely with a provider or relative. Our security and privacy page explains how your data is protected, including encryption.

The plans are simple:

Start with the free plan, upload your ultrasound reports and images, and see how it feels. Create your free account and compare plans.

Troubleshooting: when you can’t find the scan

The portal shows nothing. Not every exam is posted. Some practices release imaging results only after your provider reviews them. Others never post ultrasound reports. Call HIM.

The scan was done at a different office. Contact the facility that performed it, not the one that ordered it. They hold the images.

You only have printed pictures. Ask the sonographer or HIM whether digital files can be released. Photograph printouts as a last resort, and also keep them flat and dry.

You’ve moved. Request records from the old facility and ask for delivery to a secure portal or download link. Don’t rely on a mailed disc if you can avoid it.

The facility says the records are gone. Ask for their retention policy in writing. Records past a retention period may be lawfully destroyed, which is why early requests matter.

You’re requesting for a family member. Providers may need proof you are a personal representative. Policies for minors and sensitive care vary, and some organizations limit what a parent or representative can see. Ask the facility what it requires.

FAQ

Can I view ultrasound results on MyChart?

Often, yes, but it depends on your health system. Reports commonly appear in the portal. Full-resolution images may only appear if your organization has turned that feature on. If they don’t, request them from the HIM department.

How can I check my ultrasound report?

Start with your patient portal under test results or imaging. If it isn’t there, ask your provider’s office or HIM for a copy. Then review it with your OB-GYN or midwife, since they are responsible for interpreting the findings for your pregnancy.

Can you see ultrasound results right away?

Sometimes. Some portals release results as soon as they are final, even before your provider has reviewed them. Others hold them until a clinician signs off. Your sonographer usually can’t give you a diagnosis at the scan, so expect a discussion at your next visit or a call from your provider.

How long do doctors keep ultrasound pictures?

There is no single federal answer. HIPAA doesn’t set a retention period, hospitals generally have a five-year federal floor, and state laws often require more. Ask your facility for its policy, and save your own copies now.

Sources

• Your Medical Records, HHS.gov
• Do individuals have a right under HIPAA to get copies of their x-rays or other diagnostic images?, HHS.gov
• HHS proposes rule aimed at improving patients’ electronic access to medical images, ONC
• Chapter 4, Patient Engagement Playbook, HealthIT.gov
• OCR Settles First Case in HIPAA Right of Access Initiative, HHS.gov
• CMS Manual System, retention requirements
• How to View, Share and Download Radiology Images from MyChart, Cincinnati Children’s

Recommended

• U.S. Patients: Use HIPAA Rights to Upload and Secure Medical Records