Is it normal to have no fetal heartbeat at 50 days of pregnancy?

Don't be too nervous if there is still no fetal heartbeat after fifty days of pregnancy. Sometimes it is a normal condition, so you should do a good job of diagnosis. Only after the diagnosis is fully made can you ensure that there will be no misdiagnosis. In addition, if the fetus is in suffocation and shock in the womb, it can easily cause the fetal heart rate to become abnormal. This is also a very common phenomenon and needs special attention.

1. Diagnostic criteria

(1) Excluding the influence of maternal fever and drug factors, the baseline fetal heart rate is continuously or >160 beats/min.

(2) Baseline variation and attenuation. The judgment standard is baseline amplitude ≤5 times/min or baseline amplitude ≤2 times/min.

(3) Frequent early decelerations, with the deceleration rate being less than 100 times per minute.

(4) Frequent late decelerations occur, with a frequency exceeding 20% ​​of uterine contractions.

(5) Severe variable decelerations, with a frequency exceeding 30% of uterine contractions or a minimum deceleration of 60 times per minute.

2. Abnormal reasons

In most cases, abnormal fetal heart rate means that the fetus is suffering from hypoxia in the uterus. The more severe the abnormal fetal heart rate, the more severe the fetal hypoxia. However, not all abnormal fetal heart rate is caused by hypoxia. In addition to the above situations, the condition of the pregnant woman herself also affects the changes in the fetal heart rate.

(1) Maternal factors High-risk factors for pregnant women include premature rupture of membranes, placenta previa, severe preeclampsia, abnormal amniotic fluid volume, advanced age, and placental gas exchange disorders.

(2) Fetal factors include umbilical cord entanglement, torsion, knotting, premature birth, and amniotic fluid with II-III degree meconium staining. If a pregnant woman monitors the fetal heart rate at home and finds any abnormalities, she should seek medical attention and have a check-up promptly. It helps to detect problems in time and take timely measures to save the baby's life.

Generally speaking, when a pregnant woman is about four months pregnant, the fetal heartbeat can be heard near the midline below the navel. But at the beginning, because the baby is too small, the fetal heartbeat cannot be heard with an ordinary stethoscope. You can use a Doppler stethoscope to listen, or listen to the fetal heartbeat under the guidance of a professional. Later, as the fetus grows and the fetal position changes, the position of the fetal heart will also change. Because most fetal heart sounds come from the fetal back, they can be heard most clearly near the shoulder blades on the fetal back.

In the head position, the fetal heart sounds can be heard on both sides of the lower abdomen; in the breech position, the fetal heart sounds can be heard on both sides of the upper abdomen; in the lateral position, the fetal heart sounds can be heard above the umbilicus or below the umbilicus in the midline of the abdomen. If the pregnant woman is at home, the main methods of listening to the fetal heart rate are: stethoscope, fetal heart monitor, and fetal talk monitor. The stethoscope requires high technical skills and the sound is relatively small, making it difficult for ordinary people to hear. Therefore, pregnant women mostly use ultrasonic Doppler fetal heart rate monitors and fetal talk monitors at home.

It should be noted that fetal heart sounds need to be distinguished from uterine artery and placental murmurs. The uterine artery murmur is a low, blowing-like sound produced when blood flows through the dilated uterine arteries. The placental murmur is produced when blood flows through the placenta. The speed of both is consistent with the maternal pulse. The range of placental murmurs is larger than that of uterine artery murmurs.