Is it possible to hear heartbeat at 10 weeks

This way of counting, which is also termed gestational age, includes approximately two weeks prior to conception. As a result, a six-week pregnancy by this measure includes only about four weeks of actually being pregnant. A normal pregnancy lasts approximately 40 weeks. The first sign of pregnancy is often a missed period, which would occur, on average, 14 days after conception, or at four completed weeks of pregnancy.

Many women, however, do not have regular periods , so they may not know they are pregnant until later. To be consistent, we will refer to weeks of pregnancy as measured from the last menstrual period, but will also give days since conception in some cases, as this is a standard measurement in embryology. We consulted multiple embryology textbooks and several scientific reviews and research papers to learn about heart development, and also spoke with a pediatric cardiologist and researcher, Colin Phoon of New York University Langone Health.

A good rule of thumb, according to Phoon, is that heart development occurs over a four-week period, starting in the sixth week of pregnancy. So scientists may eventually learn more and revise their timelines. But a general consensus is that around days after conception, two groups of cells that form a horseshoe shape fuse together to form a tiny, hollow tube. This tube is known as a heart tube, and initially is very simple. Very soon after the tube forms, some cells of the tube begin to spontaneously contract, creating the first heartbeat, although the heart tube may not pump blood for another day or two.

Textbooks and papers also peg this to approximately days after fertilization, or what would be five completed weeks of pregnancy, or a few days into the sixth week. Over the next several days, the heart tube elongates and loops , bending and twisting into a more recognizable heart shape.

The process of forming separated heart chambers begins around 28 days , or six completed weeks of pregnancy, as tissue starts to form to divide up the tube. The chambers include the upper left chamber, or left atrium, which after birth will collect oxygen-rich blood coming from the lungs, as well as the right atrium, which collects oxygen-depleted blood coming from the rest of the body.

The two lower chambers, or ventricles, perform the reverse functions, and pump blood back out to either the lungs or the rest of the body.

In the embryo and fetus , oxygen comes not from the lungs, but from the mother, via the placenta. The last key elements of the heart that begin to develop are the valves , which are important flaps between the upper and lower chambers and between the ventricles and the major arteries. These make sure blood moves only in one direction through the heart.

Chamber and valve formation take about three weeks to wrap up. Based on 3D imaging of human embryos, scientists are able to identify all of the major structures after nine weeks and one day of pregnancy, when the entire process is largely complete. Cardiac muscle also changes its composit i on and structure over time, including a shift to a more mature helical organization well into the second trimester. But the majority of the developmental action occurs within those first nine to 10 weeks.

Heartbeats are first detectable with a transvaginal ultrasound, usually after six completed weeks of pregnancy, but also sometimes during the sixth week. As Erika Werner , a maternal fetal medicine physician at Brown University and a Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine board member , explained, the ultrasound at this stage is visual-only. The ultrasound is picking up on the slight movement of the developing heart while it beats, as high frequency sound waves are sent out from the machine, get reflected back when they hit different kinds of fluids and tissue, and are used to form an image.

The more standard abdominal ultrasound, Werner said, can be used after six to eight completed weeks. But even then, it may depend on a variety of factors. The more tissue you have to penetrate with the sound waves, she said, the less likely the ultrasound will be able to pick up a heartbeat. Even the quality of the ultrasound machine matters. In places with poor machines, Werner noted, the flicker might not be apparent until weeks later. The machine is handheld and also uses ultrasound waves, taking advantage of the Doppler shift.

As a product manual for one such device explains, the sound is the amplified version of the difference between the transmitted and received signals. Doppler ultrasounds, which are distinct from the handheld monitors, can also provide audio and visual confirmation of a heartbeat during pregnancy, including more detailed evaluations of fetal blood flow.

The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, however, discourages the use of such machines in the first trimester. To hear a true heartbeat, expecting parents can turn to a stethoscope — if they are willing to wait. At your next appointment, your practitioner will check to make sure everything is okay. Chances are, you'll be able to hear your baby's heartbeat then.

In just two more weeks, the fetal heart rate will rise to to beats a minute. During labor, a normal fetal heart rate can span from to beats per minute, although brief variations outside of this range can occur for a variety of often perfectly normal reasons.

Your doctor or midwife will place this handheld ultrasound device on your belly to amplify the pitter-patter of the heart. Plus, it can be hard to use an at-home Doppler properly without training.

In these early stages, it resembles a tube that twists and divides to eventually form the heart and valves which open and close to release blood from the heart to the body.

Precursor blood vessels also begin to form in the embryo during the first few weeks. By 17 weeks, the fetal brain has begun to regulate the heartbeat in preparation for life in the outside world. Up until this point, the heart has been beating spontaneously. During your second trimester ultrasound , your doctor will check the structure of your baby's heart and look for any congenital heart defects.

You'll want to make sure you get one if you have a family history of congenital heart defects, or if you personally have diabetes, phenylketonuria or an autoimmune disease. By the close of week 25, capillaries the smallest blood vessels are forming and filling with blood.

While the fetal circulatory system develops rapidly throughout pregnancy, it actually works quite differently in utero than it does once your baby is born. Until then, his developing circulatory system relies on the umbilical cord for a steady supply of oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood.

Umbilical arteries and veins transport what your baby needs from you to him, then carry unoxygenated blood and waste products back to you for removal. In this way the fetal Doppler makes your baby's heartbeats loud enough for you to hear. Yes, you can rent or buy a Doppler for home use. However, some experts think a home Doppler isn't a good idea.

Many women say that the beating of their baby's tiny heart sounds like the thunder of galloping horses. Hearing it for the first time can be very moving. Talk with other parents about hearing your baby's heartbeat. BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals.

We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Fetal heart monitoring. Fetal development: The 1st trimester. When does a fetus have a heartbeat? Napolitano R et al. Rettner R. Is a 'Fetal heartbeat' really a heartbeat at 6 weeks? Steinburg SP et al. What is the 'normal' fetal heart rate?