No, the heart rate cannot predict the sex of your baby. There are lots of old wives’ tales surrounding pregnancy. You may have heard that your baby’s heart rate can predict their sex as early as the first trimester. If it’s over 140 bpm, you‘re having a baby girl. This is typically not valid form of gender determination. It is fun but it does not tell you the gender. You can always guess and perhaps 50% of the time you will be correct since there are only two genders to choose from. We at Pregnancy Treasures are accurate with gender determination if you are 14 weeks into your pregnancy we can tell you via ultrasound. Call or go online for details Show
The development of a baby is a beautifully intricate process. From the moment the egg and sperm meet, your baby is growing. This early part of development lays the foundation for a healthy pregnancy and delivery. It is important to be informed in order to address any concerns regarding early fetal development. If a possible complication in early fetal development is suspected, your health care provider will use a combination of blood tests and ultrasound tests to make a clear diagnosis. A blood test can be used to monitor hCG levels and progesterone levels. Ultrasounds can be used to visually see what development is taking place in the uterus and measure progress. Because every women is different and every pregnancy develops differently, this information should be used as a general guide for healthy pregnancy development, although early fetal development may vary due to the mother’s health or a miscalculation of ovulation. Gestational age is the age of the pregnancy from the last normal menstrual period (LMP), and fetal age is the actual age of the growing baby. Gestational Age Week 1 & 2 (Fetal Age: Conception)At this stage, the menstrual period has just ended and your body is getting ready for ovulation. For most women, ovulation takes place about 11 – 21 days from the first day of the last menstrual period. During intercourse, several hundred million sperms are released into the vagina. Sperm will travel through the cervix and into the fallopian tubes. When conception takes place, the sperm will penetrate an egg and create a single set of 46 chromosomes called a zygote – the basis for a new human being. The fertilized egg, called a morula, spends a couple of days traveling through the fallopian tube toward the uterus and dividing into cells (this dividing process is where many chromosomal abnormalities occur). The morula becomes a blastocyst and will eventually end up in the uterus. Anywhere from day 6 – 12 after conception, the blastocyst will embed into the uterine lining and begin the embryonic stage. Gestational Age Weeks 3-4 (Fetal Age: 2 weeks)The earliest change that can be seen through a vaginal ultrasound at this time will be the “decidual reaction,” which is the thickening of the endometrium. The endometrium lining thickens as the blastocyst burrows into it. This cannot always be detected by ultrasound—sometimes it may take a special eye or very good equipment to see this “reaction” in the endometrium lining. hCG, The Pregnancy HormoneOnce implantation occurs, the pregnancy hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) will develop and begin to rise. This hormone will signal that you are pregnant on a pregnancy test. hCG can be detected through two different types of blood tests, or through a urine test. Doctors will often use the quantitative test if they are closely monitoring the development of a pregnancy. After implantation occurs, the hormone will begin to rise and should increase every 48-72 hours for the next several weeks. ProgesteroneThe follicle from which the egg was released is called the corpus luteum. It will release progesterone that helps thicken and prepare the uterine lining for implantation. The corpus luteum will produce progesterone for about 12-16 days (the luteal phase of your cycle.) Sometimes, the failure of the corpus luteum to adequately support the pregnancy with progesterone can result in an early pregnancy loss. Progesterone inhibits immune responses, decreases prostaglandins, and prevents the onset of uterine contractions. Gestational Age Week 5 (Fetal Age: Week 3)Around 5 weeks, the gestational sac is often the first thing that most transvaginal ultrasounds can detect. This is seen before a recognizable embryo can be seen. Within this time period, a yolk sac can be seen inside the gestational sac. The yolk sac will be the earliest source of nutrients for the developing fetus. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels can have quite a bit of variance at this point. Anything from 18 – 7,340 mIU/ml is considered normal at 5 weeks. Once the levels have reached at least 2,000, some type of development is expected to be seen in the uterus using high-resolution vaginal ultrasound. If a transabdominal ultrasound is used, some type of development should be seen when the hCG level has reached 3600 mIU/ml. Although development may be seen earlier, these levels provide a guide of when something is expected to be seen. With both hCG levels and progesterone levels, it is not the single value that can predict a healthy pregnancy outcome. It is more important to evaluate two different values to see if the numbers are increasing. Levels of hCG should be increasing by at least 60% every 2-3 days, but ideally doubling every 48-72 hours. Progesterone levels rise much differently than hCG levels, with an average of 1-3mg/ml every couple days until they reach their peak for that trimester. In situations when there is a concern of an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage, hCG levels will often start out normal, but will not show a significant increase or will stop rising altogether, and progesterone levels will be low from the beginning. Gestational Age Week 6 (Fetal age: 4 weeks)Between 5 ½ to 6 ½ weeks, a fetal pole or even a fetal heartbeat may be detected 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 a 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 of the outcome of the pregnancy. Gestational Age Week 7 (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. 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 an absence of a fetal pole, then further testing should be done to rule out the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy. Gestational Age Week 8 & 9 (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. The hCG levels will peak at about 8-12 weeks of pregnancy and then will decline, remaining at lower levels throughout the remainder of the pregnancy. If the levels are questionable, an ultrasound scan should be used to diagnose the pregnancy outcome. Ultrasound findings are much more accurate at diagnosing pregnancy viability after 5-6 weeks gestation than hCG levels are. Guideline to hCG levels during pregnancy:hCG levels in weeks from LMP (gestational age)* :
Guideline to Progesterone Levels During Pregnancy:
*There are many averages for progesterone levels. These charts are a very broad guideline—speak with your health care professional for more specific guidelines for you Want to Know More?
Compiled using information from the following sources: 1. Current Obstetric & Gynecologic Diagnoses & Treatment, Ninth Ed., DeCherney, Alan H., et al, Ch 8, 14 2. Williams Obstetrics Twenty-Second Ed. Cunningham, F Gary, et al, Ch 3 3. eMedicine 4. Creighton University Medical Center Search BLOG CATEGORIES
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What is a strong fetal heartbeat?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.
Which heartbeat is faster boy or girl?A baby girl's heart rate is usually faster than a boy's, but only after the onset of labor. There's no difference between fetal heart rates for boys and girls, but the rate does vary with the age of the fetus. By approximately the fifth week of pregnancy, the fetal heart rate is near the mother's — around 80 to 85 BPM.
What is a good heartbeat for 6 weeks pregnant?In fact, at 6 weeks' gestation, the baby's heart rate is about 110 beats per minute, which can be easily detected by ultrasound.”
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