Is a Fetal Heartrate of 170 Okay?
QUESTION
Dear Ms Ultrasound,
I don't want to seem overly concerned. However, this is my first pregnancy. I had my first ultrasound today. I was told the baby measures almost 2 cm long & the heart rate was 170. Is this okay? I have read a normal heart rate was between 120-160.
Kristin
ANSWER
Hi Kristin,
Your heartbeat is normal. The 120-160 is the average range. When the pregnancy is in the first trimester, picture how small that heart is. To pump blood, that extremely small heart has to literally flutter to move the blood. You can image how many flutters a minute it takes to work right. As the heart gets bigger you get more into the 120-160 range.
Don't worry everything is fine.
-- Jane, RDMS
Jane Foley
Jane Foley has worked as a Sonographer (Ultrasound Technologist) since 1979. Jane has lived and worked in many parts of the world including Saudi Arabia. She is a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer or RDMS. She pulls a wealth of information from her experience in the field of Radiology and her interactions with such a broad cross-section of cultures she has visited. She now makes her home on the island of Maui with her English husband, Michael.
