The heart starts to beat between 5 and 6 weeks. Is there any way you could be less far along than you thought? I'm really sorry you are going through this. Praying for you.
Don't worry! Here's a little info that i hope will put you at some ease :-] My baby's heartbeat was detected at 9 weeks, and 10 weeks with my first.
Week 6 - Gestational Age (Fetal age 4 weeks)
5 ½ to 6 ½ weeks is usually a very good time to detect either a fetal pole or even a fetal heart beat by vaginal ultrasound. The fetal pole is the first visible sign of a developing embryo. This pole structure actually has some curve to it with the embryo’s head at one end and what looks like a tail at the other end. The fetal pole now allows for crown to rump measurements (CRL) to be taken, so that pregnancy dating can be a bit more accurate. The fetal pole may be seen at a crown-rump length (CRL) of 2-4mm, and the heartbeat may be seen as a regular flutter when the CRL has reached 5mm.
If a vaginal ultrasound is done and no fetal pole or cardiac activity is seen, another ultrasound scan should be done in 3-7 days. Due to the fact that pregnancy dating can be wrong, it would be much too early at this point to make a clear diagnosis on the outcome of the pregnancy.
Week 7 - Gestational Age (Fetal Age 5 weeks)
Generally from 6 ½ -7 weeks is the time when a heartbeat can be detected and viability can be assessed. A normal heartbeat at 6-7 weeks would be 90-110 beats per minute. The presence of an embryonic heartbeat is an assuring sign of the health of the pregnancy. Once a heartbeat is detected, the chance of the pregnancy continuing ranges from 70-90% dependent on what type of ultrasound is used. If the embryo is less than 5mm CRL, it is possible for it to be healthy without showing a heartbeat, though a follow up scan in 5-7 days should show cardiac activity.
If your doctor is concerned about miscarriage, blighted ovum, or ectopic pregnancy, the gestational sac and fetal pole (if visible) will be measured to determine what type of development should be seen. The guideline is that if the gestational sac measures >16-18mm with no fetal pole or the fetal pole measures 5mm with no heartbeat (by vaginal ultrasound), then a diagnosis of miscarriage or blighted ovum is made. If the fetal pole is too small to take an accurate measurement, then a repeat scan should be done in 3-5 days. If there is absence of a fetal pole, then further testing should be done to rule out the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy.
Week 8 & 9 - Gestational Age (Fetal Age 6-7 weeks)
By this point in the pregnancy, everything that is present in an
adult human is present in the developing embryo. The embryo has reached
the end of the embryonic stage and now enters the fetal stage. A strong
fetal heartbeat should be detectable by ultrasound, with a heartbeat
of 140-170 bpm by the 9th week. If a strong heartbeat is not detected
at this point, another ultrasound scan may be done to verify the viability
of the fetus.
Thank you so much Mrs. Andrews! the fetus measured exactly 6 weeks today and i am pretty accurate with the counting. I am so hoping that whenever i go back for my next ultrasound all will be okey since i am not having any cramps or bleeding anymore.
Thank you babygomez and honestly, I'm a little bit relieved. i went google crazy as soon as got out of the Doctor's office and read this same article. And it gave me hope...
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- Krysta1203
on Feb. 15, 2012 at 2:10 AM