Women walking through varies types of pregnancy journeys come through the same Life Line Sampson door entrance. They fill out the same medical intake forms. They sit in the same intake room and receive ultrasounds with the same ultrasound machine. Some women are very excited about their pregnancy. Others are scared but hopeful. & others felt a knot of anxiety and fear the moment they saw the positive pregnancy test while thinking, “What am I going to do?”
One thing that many of these women, though their circumstances may be different, anxiously await is viewing the ultrasound. They want to know two things:
- “How far along am I?”
- “Is there a heartbeat?”
Though it seems like fundamental knowledge that a fetal heartbeat is assessed during a first trimester ultrasound, this common intervention is currently being challenged by the abortion industry and big letter agencies that support it.
While heartbeat laws are active in some pro-life states after the overturn of Roe vs. Wade, the promotion and adaptation of “neutral language” is spreading through big letter agencies that should be dependable and unbiased. This language is circulating through all social media platforms sharing a deceptive lie that “Embryos do not have heart beats.”
You may read false statements like:
“An embryo has potential to have a heart, but the heart is not formed.”
OR
“The ultrasound picks up electrical impulses, not a heartbeat.”
What’s the truth?
- The truth is simple. Embryos DO have functioning hearts. Though it is not a fully developed adult heart, it is a functioning heart with the ability to produce a measurable fetal heart rate.
“By 6-7 weeks gestation, the embryonic heart uses coordinated muscle contractions to unidirectionally pump blood through the embryo’s veins to facilitate exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.”[1] [2]
- Ultrasounds do NOT “pick up” electrical impulses or measure electrical activity. Ultrasounds use Doppler and M Mode to hear or measure a heart rate through heart MOTION.
Doppler ultrasound detects motion, not electrical activity, and uses measurements of the fetal heart movements to calculate heart rate in the first trimester. While we can measure the electrical activity of the heart from outside the body in humans after birth (the electrocardiogram), this method is nearly impossible during pregnancy due to the mother’s interfering cardiac signals. Fetal cardiac electrical activity can be measured prior to birth, but only by an electrode attached directly to the baby’s head through the cervix to get a more accurate measurement during high-risk deliveries. It is not measured through transabdominal or transvaginal ultrasound. [3]
Please know that when you come to see us for an ultrasound, regardless of your pregnancy plan, the ultrasound is very important. It will give you tools needed to make an informed decision. Those tools include knowing the location of the pregnancy and ruling out an ectopic pregnancy, determining gestational age, and yes… measuring how often your baby’s heart beats per minute (fetal heart rate). Having a healthy and normal fetal heart rate will not guarantee a live birth but it significantly raises the probability. The fetal heart rate is an accurate measurement and tells us a great deal about your pregnancy. If it didn’t, why would it be measured at almost every OBGYN appointment? 😊
We are aware that TikTok is now a common search engine for users. I will attach some TikTok videos as well as other resources laced with great information to study regarding the embryonic/fetal heart. Watch and read below!
Ultrasounds Measure Hearts by Motion, NOT “Electrical Activity”
Embryology Textbooks Vs Abortion Providers
Embryos Have Hearts that Pump Blood
Also see:
Other TikTok Check Outs:
- https://www.tiktok.com/@aaplog
- https://www.tiktok.com/@liveactionorg
- https://www.tiktok.com/@studentsforlife
[1] https://secularprolife.org/2022/02/responding-to-7-pro-choice-claims-about-embryonic-hearts/
[2] https://secularprolife.org/hearts/
[3] https://secularprolife.org/2022/03/opponents-of-heartbeat-bills-dont-understand-how-ultrasounds-work/