Can You Hear a Baby's Heartbeat at 8 Weeks Pregnant?

An early check-up 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 pregnant and there is no heartbeat detected, you might wonder what that actually means. 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 heartbeat at 8 weeks.

Related: When Can You Hear a Baby's Heartbeat?

8 Weeks Pregnant, But No Heartbeat

If you are worried that there is no heartbeat in your baby at 8 weeks pregnant, the first thing to assess is how your doctor tried to measure the heartbeat. If your doctor tried to listen to a heartbeat through your abdomen with a handheld Doppler, it's very likely that it's just too early to detect a heartbeat.

Michele Hakakha, M.D., a board-certified OB-GYN affiliated with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, explains that at 8 weeks, it is "very difficult, if not impossible," to hear a fetal heartbeat with a handheld Doppler machine.

Most of the time, a heartbeat cannot be detected by a handheld Doppler until you are at least 10 weeks pregnant. After 10 weeks, 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 (baby) heartbeat is to use an ultrasound machine.

The ultrasound may be an external procedure that will measure through your abdomen, but it could also be an internal one using a wand that will be inserted through your vagina to display an image on the ultrasound screen.

Dr. Hakakha adds that during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, fetal 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.

Dr. Hakakha explains that many ultrasound machines also have an audio component so the machine will create a heartbeat based on the pattern so you can hear your baby's heartbeat as well.

Related: What to Expect at Your First Ultrasound During Pregnancy

Should You Worry About No Heartbeat at 8 Weeks Pregnant?

According to Dr. Hakakha, if there is no heartbeat at 8 weeks of pregnancy using a handheld Dopper, "there isn't cause for concern." It might just be soon for your doctor to hear a heartbeat unless they are using an ultrasound machine.

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.

Related: When and Why Pregnancy Ultrasounds Are Done

"Getting an ultrasound can ensure that the pregnancy is developing normally," explains Dr. Hakakha.

Additionally, she says that an early first-trimester ultrasound can confirm that the fetus is located inside the uterus and not outside the uterus.

The Bottom Line

If you are concerned about your baby potentially having no heartbeat at 8 weeks, talk to your doctor.

While it 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 hear it. Just keep in mind that you may need to talk to your doctor about when the best time to hear your baby's heartbeat is and follow their recommendations for waiting until closer to 10 weeks or scheduling an ultrasound.

For more Parents news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Parents.