An early ultrasound might reveal what appears to be no heartbeat at 8 weeks pregnant, but here's what that might actually mean. If you visit a doctor at 8 weeks continue reading and there is no heartbeat detected, you might wonder what that actually means.
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Does having no heartbeat at 8 weeks mean the baby could still be alive, or is there a problem with the pregnancy? Early pregnancy can be a challenging time, but if your doctor is looking for a heartbeat with a handheld Doppler ultrasound monitor, it could simply mean it's too early to detect a scan at 8 weeks.
If you are worried that there is no heartbeat in your baby at 8 weeks pregnant, the first thing to consider is how the health care provider tried to detect the heartbeat. If they tried to listen for a heartbeat through your abdomen with a handheld fetal Doppler, it's very likely that it's just too early to detect a heartbeat.
No heartbeat at 6 weeks
Michele Hakakha, M. Most of the time, a heartbeat cannot be detected by a handheld Doppler until you are at least 10 weeks pregnant. After 10 weeks, however, your baby is large enough for the Doppler to pick up on the heartbeat so you can hear it out loud. But before 10 weeks of pregnancy, the only really accurate way to check for a fetal heartbeat is with an ultrasound.
Depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy and what technology dating health scan provider has available, the ultrasound may be the external exam using a transducer on the abdomen or the provider may opt for a transvaginal ultrasound, which uses a wand inserted into the vagina to get a clearer picture in those early weeks.
Understanding Fetal Heart Development
Hakakha adds that during the first 10 weeks of pregnancyfetal heart rate is almost always confirmed by using an ultrasound machine, which uses soundwaves to pick up a baby's heartbeat from within the uterus. The soundwaves produce a visual picture of both the baby and the heartbeat, so a doctor can quite literally see the heart beating on the ultrasound screen.
Hakakha explains that many ultrasound machines also have an audio component so the machine will create an audible "heartbeat" based on the pattern so you can hear what your doctor is seeing. According to Dr. Hakakha, if there is no heartbeat at 8 weeks of pregnancy using a handheld Dopper, "there isn't cause for concern.
Not every doctor will offer you an ultrasound to detect a fetal heartbeat before 10 weeks, but you can certainly talk to your doctor to see if it is an option for you. There are some potential benefits to getting an ultrasound early in your first trimester, but every doctor will have different policies and recommendations based on their practice and your own situation.
If you are concerned about your baby potentially here no heartbeat at 8 weeks, talk to your doctor.
Causes for Not Detecting a Heartbeat at 6 Weeks
While heartbeat may be too early for your doctor to find a heartbeat at 8 weeks of pregnancy, they may be able to do an internal or external ultrasound to confirm if your baby has a heartbeat and check for other potential problems. Hearing your baby's heartbeat for the first time can be an exciting and reassuring experience and it's natural to be eager to heartbeat it. Just keep in mind that you may need to talk to your doctor about when co za dating www.mtn best time to hear your baby's heartbeat just click for source dating follow their recommendations for waiting until closer to 10 weeks or scheduling an ultrasound.
By Parents Editors. When Does a Fetus Have a Heartbeat? Was this page helpful?
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