When can I start using a fetal doppler?
In some woman the fetal heart can be detected as early as 8-12 weeks. The fetal heartbeat should be audible 95% of the time in 12-week pregnancies, and nearly 100% of the time after 14 weeks. Earlier in pregnancy, between 8-12 weeks, your success in finding the heart rate can have to do with the quality of your device. Fetal dopplers that employ a 2 mghz probe tend to pick up the fetal heart rate earlier than 3 mghz fetal dopplers as they have a more defined beam which penetrates deeper (3-5cm compared to 1-2cm). An important note is to remember that everyone is different, so not finding your baby’s heartbeat early isn’t a reason for concern. If you have concerns about your pregnancy you should contact your healthcare provider. Like the numbers above reflect nearly 100% of woman are able to hear the fetal heartbeat from the 14th week.
