When can fetal heartbeats be heard?

Do you still remember the excitement and joy you felt when you first heard your baby's heartbeat, and how many family members around you burst into tears? In the eyes of the smiling people, the fetal heartbeat can be regarded as the electrocardiogram of the fetus, and for pregnant mothers in the early stages of pregnancy, being able to hear the fetal heartbeat frequently is a silent comfort. Do you know how many weeks you can hear the fetal heartbeat?

At how many weeks can you hear the fetal heartbeat?

Generally speaking, the fetal heartbeat can be measured by instruments as early as the 10th week of pregnancy. At present, the widely used high-sensitivity Doppler instruments can detect the heartbeat like horse hoofbeats when the fetus is 10 or 12 weeks old. However, some hospitals may use general auscultation. In that case, it will take until 17-18 weeks to track the fetal heartbeat.

There is also a situation that in the early stages of pregnancy, due to the position of the fetus, or many other influencing factors, such as the mother's excessive body fat, even with extremely sophisticated instruments, the fetal heartbeat cannot be heard. If you can't hear the fetal heartbeat in the early stages of pregnancy, you should calm down, go to another hospital, or wait another week or two before going for a check-up. If there is still no fetal heartbeat, it may be that the embryo has stopped developing. There are many reasons for fetal growth retardation, including contact with toxic substances, exposure to radiation or large amounts of electromagnetic radiation, taking drugs that affect fetal development, smoking or drinking, etc. It is recommended to find out the cause and then use medication to treat it. The sudden absence of fetal heartbeat in the middle and late pregnancy may be caused by fetal intrauterine hypoxia, such as fetal umbilical cord disease: umbilical cord torsion, umbilical cord prolapse, etc.; fetal factors: malformation, fetal intrauterine language development delay, infection, multiple births, etc.; maternal diseases: post-term pregnancy, pregnancy-induced hypertension, cardiovascular disease, toxic shock, etc.; embryonic factors: placental abruption, placenta previa, etc. The above reasons all result in insufficient oxygen production for the embryo, causing the fetus to die from intrauterine hypoxia. It is recommended that pregnant women go to the hospital for a physical examination and receive corresponding treatment as soon as they find it.

At what week of foetus can the fetal heartbeat be heard using auscultation?

After 10 weeks of pregnancy, pregnant women can hear the fetal heartbeat. In clinical medicine, ultrasonic Doppler fetal heart rate monitors are commonly used to listen to the fetal heart rate, and electrocardiogram monitors, which are electronic devices for fetal heartbeats, are used to continuously monitor the fetal heartbeat. If you are at home, you can use a home-mounted ultrasonic Doppler fetal heart rate monitor to listen to the fetal heart rate; if there are professional personnel at home, you can also use a stethoscope or fetal heartbeat headphones to listen to the fetal heart rate. As long as you can hear clearly, it's fine. So when should we start fetal heart rate monitoring? Generally speaking, before 15 weeks of pregnancy, there is no need for ultrasonic Doppler fetal heart rate monitoring. For pregnant women in the 15-28th week of pregnancy, it is safe to measure three times a day for one minute each time. For pregnant women after 28 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus has completely split and the monitoring time and frequency can be extended. For high-risk pregnant women with gestational hypertension, hyperthyroidism, etc. after 35 weeks of pregnancy, they should be hospitalized and continuously monitor the fetal heartbeat with a fetal heart rate monitor. If necessary, long-term (more than 1 hour) continuous monitoring can be provided. Scientific research has confirmed that the normal heart rate of a fetus is between 120 beats/minute and 160 beats/minute. Experts emphasize that listening to the fetal heartbeat requires the help of professional instruments. Doppler auscultation can be used to hear the fetal heartbeat in a very quiet environment around 12 weeks of pregnancy. We recommend that pregnant mothers go to the hospital to listen to it, or use a fetal talker at home.