When can I hear the fetal heartbeat?

During the pregnancy, pregnant women are important protected objects for the whole family. Everyone hopes to give birth to a healthy baby, so it is necessary to understand the health status of the fetus in time. In the middle and late pregnancy, pregnant women need to do fetal heart monitoring regularly to understand whether the fetal heart rate in Taiyuan is normal. Usually, the normal fetal heart rate is 120 to 160. How long does it take to hear the fetal heart rate?

When can I hear the fetal heartbeat?

Under normal circumstances, the fetal heartbeat can be heard using a Doppler at 12 weeks of pregnancy, while the fetal heartbeat can only be heard using a regular stethoscope at around 18 weeks of pregnancy.

According to the development of the embryo, the gestational sac is formed between 30 and 40 days, the fetal bud is formed between 40 and 50 days, and the fetal heart is formed between 50 and 60 days of pregnancy. Therefore, general B-ultrasound or Doppler examination of the fetal heart should be performed around 60 days of pregnancy. Only then can you see whether the gestational sac, fetal bud, and fetal heart are normal.

However, it is meaningless to check the fetal heart rate in early pregnancy because the fetal heart rate has not yet formed, or there is no more advanced technology to check the fetal heart rate in early pregnancy. The period from the third trimester to the first month and four weeks of pregnancy is called the embryonic stage. The embryo is 0.5-1 cm long and shaped like a small seahorse.

The fetal heart rate is the heartbeat of the fetus, which can usually be heard in the abdomen with a regular stethoscope between 17 and 20 weeks. The fetal heart rate is 120-160 beats/minute, sometimes even faster and less regular. It becomes more regular towards the end of pregnancy. Sometimes there may be a brief pause in the heartbeat, or the heart rate may reach 180 beats per minute, which is normal. However, if this phenomenon occurs frequently or for a long time, you should seek medical attention in time.

Therefore, doctors generally do not use Doppler fetal heart rate monitors for prenatal examinations before 15 weeks of pregnancy. Pregnant women between 15 and 28 weeks of gestation need to have a prenatal check-up every 4 weeks. Pregnant women between 28 and 36 weeks of gestation need to have prenatal checkups every two weeks. For high-risk pregnant women after 35 weeks of pregnancy (for example, pregnant women with gestational hypertension, hyperthyroidism, etc.), they should be hospitalized and have the fetal heart rate continuously monitored using a fetal heart rate monitor. If necessary, continuous monitoring can be provided for a long time (more than 1 hour).