Hello Dr. Nirja. I am at the ninth week of pregnancy and the doctor says that he doesn t hear the baby s heart beat. since this is my second pregancy, I was wondering if there is any chance that he might be wrong or if there are case in which you can t hear the heart beat. thank you.
Hello. By 9th weeks of pregnancy all embryos should have a visible and audible heartbeat by Doppler Ultrasound. At 9 weeks the embryo should measure about 2.3 cm and must always have a heartbeat 120-180 beats per minute. If frequency is less than 80 bpm prognosis is no good and there could be a pregnancy loss within the next few weeks. If the embryo size is 9 weeks and there is no heart activity you are certainly facing an early pregnancy loss and uterine evacuation, pregnancy termination, is indicated. If the embryo is less than 3-5 mm there could be a mistake in pregnancy dates (wrong last menstrual period date) and the patient should be seen in about 2 weeks to confirm embryo health and growth. Good luck!