What you need to know about the heartbeat in the fetus

Doctors monitor the fetal heart rate throughout pregnancy. This indicator reflects the viability of the unborn child and its condition as a whole. Changes in the nature and heart rate may indicate irregularities in fetal development. While listening, the doctor will determine which phase it is currently active or inactive.

When appears heartbeat in the fetus

The process of formation of the heart begins in the fourth week of pregnancy and is a fairly complex process. Its early embryo has the form of a hollow tube, and only to the eighth week, becomes similar to a man's heart. On the fifth week it begins to shrink, but the runout is still impossible to hear without special equipment. Listening to in this period is only possible during the ultrasound examination using a transvaginal transducer. By the seventh week can hear heart beat of fetus during ultrasound transabdominal probe (through the abdominal wall). And with only 20-weeks fetal heart sounds listening with a stethoscope.

What options study

During the hearing determine:

• heart rate (HR);
• the character of the fetal heart;
• rhythm.

Standards of heart rate

This proportion varies by week, and considered normal values listed in the table (in beats/min.):

1. To confirm pregnancy. When you first access the doctor about a possible pregnancy a woman goes for an ultrasound. Usually, at this time hear heart beating unborn baby. If it is not in the presence of the ovum in the uterus, this is not the reason for the experience. As a rule, after a week, heart beat is tapped. But if he never appeared, and the egg is misshapen, it is a sign of missed abortion, and therefore requires it to interrupt.
2. To assess the General condition of the unborn child. Disease, physical or emotional stress to the mother, the oxygen content in the air a woman breathes in the moment, activity or resting phase in the fetus – they all affect the heart rate, while its short-term changes. High fetal heart rate that persists for a long time is a sign of chronic placental insufficiency, that is, violations of blood supply the fetus. About the deterioration of the unborn child is demonstrated by the drop in heart ratebelow the norm. Treatment will depend on the duration of pregnancy. In some cases, you need an emergency delivery.
3. To monitor the child's condition and recording the parameters during childbirth. Monitoring is essential due to the fact that the baby during childbirth passes through a serious of tests (compression, lack of oxygen). Most often the heart and blood vessels cope with stress, but sometimes there are situations that require urgent care (detachment of the placenta, the umbilical cord is pinched). Not to miss the signs of acute fetal hypoxia, heartbeat is measured during all contractions.

Methods of listening

Ultrasound

Ultrasound allows not only to hear the heartbeat, but also to visually assess the size of the baby and the condition of the placenta. Carefully listen to the tones and examine the structure of the heart of the unborn child if a woman has a malformation or previous children were born with heart defects and blood vessels, and also if the mother suffered during pregnancy, infectious diseases.