The most joyful and exciting moment for the expectant mother is the one when she first finds out that her baby’s heart has already begun to beat. A woman is looking forward to a new life. A fetal heart beat is a sign that the pregnancy is proceeding without deviations. The heart rate of the unborn child is able to give information about his physical condition. Today, there are many ways to assess this indicator, thanks to which doctors can timely detect pathologies and take measures to eliminate them.
Embryo Heart Formation
Naturally, any expectant mother is concerned about the question of when the fetal heartbeat is heard. First of all, it must be remembered that the development of the heart at the embryo takes place gradually and is one of the slowest stages in the formation of the future organism.
This organ appears already in early pregnancy (about the fourth week) and has the appearance of a tube. Through it, blood supply to the body of the unborn baby takes place. Then the tube is transformed into the heart. In the fourth week of pregnancy, it begins to contract, and already in the 6th it works much more actively.
This period is considered to be the time of the formation of one's own heart rhythm in the embryo.
How to determine the beginning of a developing pregnancy?
So, the heartbeat of the fetus indicates that it is actively being formed. After a delay in menstruation, a pregnant woman is anxiously awaiting her first ultrasound examination.
She asks the doctor the question of how long the fetal heartbeat is heard on an ultrasound. As a rule, already at the 3rd week of the study, you can detect the heartbeat of the embryo. Unfortunately, there are situations when the fetal membrane is not formed correctly. In this case, heart contractions are absent. This condition means that the pregnancy does not develop and it must be interrupted with the help of drugs. Fortunately, after about six months, a woman is able to conceive a child again.
Embryo Heart Assessment
Knowing when the fetal heartbeat is heard on an ultrasound, you must remember that the body of the unborn child feels everything that happens around him. Tense situations in the life of the mother, her illness, physical and mental overload, sleep or wakefulness of the fetus itself - all this can affect the heart rate. In some cases, small deviations of the heart rhythm go away on their own. But if they persist for a long period, this may mean the presence of a serious pathology. For example, an accelerated heartbeat indicates that the fetus is poorly supplied with blood, and a slower one indicates the depletion of the body of the unborn child.
Fetal heart rhythm disturbances
Any mother is worried about the health of her future baby. Naturally, she is interested in how much the fetal heartbeat is heard in weeks, and this is no coincidence. After all, the heart is a vital organ.
It plays a huge role in the functioning of the whole organism. Sometimes an unborn baby may experience heart rhythm disturbances. Arrhythmia in the embryo occurs due to a significant acceleration or deceleration of metabolism. Pathological changes in heart rate are divided into two types: tachycardia and bradycardia. The first violation is characterized by an increase in rhythm, and the second is a slowdown.
A heart rate of 170 beats per minute may not mean serious pathologies. Although in some cases this indicates a malfunction of the placenta and the effect that the woman has negative emotions on the fetus. Sometimes tachycardia indicates an insufficient supply of oxygen to the body of the unborn child. This phenomenon is considered quite dangerous. Fetal bradycardia (heart rate below eighty beats per minute) indicates the death threat of the unborn child. Sometimes the fetal heart is poorly audible. This happens in a short gestation period. The beating of the heart seems inconspicuous due to the excess weight of the mother, too large and small amount of amniotic fluid. But this may also indicate defects in the formation of the cardiovascular system.
Causes of Violations
Women who are wondering when the fetal heartbeat is heard on an ultrasound should not worry if the heart sounds are almost inaudible in the early stages. This phenomenon may also indicate a malfunction of the ultrasonic sensor, for example, in the case when it is too old.
Of course, fetal heart rhythm disturbances are found, although extremely rarely. With the normal course of pregnancy and good health of the expectant mother, they are unlikely. However, if a woman’s relatives have cardiac abnormalities and she herself suffers from chronic diseases of this organ, she needs regular medical supervision. It is also important to take the prescribed drugs. Problems with the stomach, intestines, thyroid gland can provoke fetal heart rhythm disturbances. Vitamin deficiencies, smoking, drinking alcohol, stress and overload during pregnancy also harm the health of the baby.
Prevention of Arrhythmia in the Fetus
If the future mother has problems with the heart and blood vessels, she should regularly visit not only a gynecologist, but also a specialist in CCC diseases. During delivery, the cardiologist should be next to the woman and the newborn to monitor their condition. To prevent cardiac arrhythmias in the fetus, proceed as follows:
1. Lying on your back as little as possible.
2. Eat foods rich in nutrients.
3. Lead a healthy lifestyle, stay more in the fresh air, move.
4. From time to time, visit a gynecologist and undergo examinations.
In the presence of edema in the expectant mother and arrhythmias in the fetus, examination and administration of drugs in hospital conditions are sometimes required. After giving birth, he may need regular monitoring by a cardiologist for several years.
What methods can be used to determine the fetal heart rate?
There are several ways to do this today. The following methods can be listed as basic methods:
1. Ultrasound examination of the fetus.
2. Cardiotocography (CTG).
3. Listening to heart sounds with a stethoscope.
4. Echocardiography.
The answer to the question of which week the fetal heartbeat is heard, largely depends on which of the above methods the study is conducted. The fact is that each of them can recognize heart sounds only at certain stages of the development of the unborn child.
Ultrasonography
Fetal heartbeat can be recognized already in early pregnancy. One of the most famous methods for determining heart rate in an unborn child is considered an ultrasound scan. So, when is the fetal heartbeat heard on an ultrasound?
With the help of a special sensor, which is applied to the stomach of the expectant mother, you can detect the beat of the baby’s heart in the fifth week of pregnancy. The device, which is placed inside the vagina of a woman, can determine the heartbeat already in the third or fourth week. When conducting an ultrasound, the doctor must take into account factors such as the presence of pathologies in the mother and fetus, the condition of the child (he is calm or active). Speaking about the week of the ultrasound, the fetal heartbeat is heard, it is important to know the heart rate at different stages of pregnancy. So, in the period from the sixth to the eighth week, heart rate varies from 110 to 130 beats per minute. From the eighth week to the eleventh, it can reach 190 strokes, after the 11th the upper limit of the norm increases to 160.
Examination with a stethoscope
Another way to determine the heart rhythm of a future baby is to listen. With such a study, the doctor applies a special tube to the woman’s stomach. When is a fetal heartbeat heard with a stethoscope? It is possible to detect heart beats of the unborn baby through this method at the eighteenth week of pregnancy. However, sometimes this study does not give the desired result. This occurs if the placenta is located near the front of the uterus or if the woman is overweight. Also, listening can be ineffective with excess or lack of amniotic fluid.
Cardiotocography
This examination can give a lot of information regarding the heart rhythm of the unborn child. In particular, using this method, fetal hypoxia can be detected at an early stage and its further development can be prevented. The device used in cardiotocography is able to absorb signals from the fetal heart and interpret them. Using this method, you can also evaluate the work of the uterus. Diagnostic results are recorded on a special tape in the form of special icons. The study is quite long, it usually takes at least an hour. Its main advantage is that it allows you to track the condition of the fetus both during wakefulness and in sleep. Sometimes the CTG sensor is fixed to the woman’s stomach and left for 24 hours. At what period of pregnancy is the fetal heartbeat heard during this study? CTG allows you to assess the condition of the heart of the unborn child after the thirty-second week. This is the time when the baby begins to move intensively.
The diagnostic results using this device are decoded by a specialist. The doctor also compares CTG and ultrasound data.
Echocardiography
This diagnostic method is carried out using a two-dimensional sensor. It is used only in cases where the expectant mother has children with heart disease or she herself has CVD pathologies. Echocardiography is also recommended in the presence of infectious diseases or diabetes in a pregnant woman. The method is also used for suspected malformations of organs in the unborn child. What time is the fetal heartbeat heard on an ultrasound scan with a two-dimensional sensor? Echocardiography can be performed from the eighteenth week. The method is used in the early stages only if the expectant mother is older than thirty-eight years. In the question of when the fetal heartbeat is heard on ultrasound, it is important to consider that this diagnosis is divided into several types. In some cases, the study is carried out using a one-dimensional sensor, in others a two- or three-dimensional is used.
Depending on the type of diagnosis, it is carried out at different stages of fetal development.