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Are home dopplers safe?

tiesqtiesq
in 1st Trimester

I see that a lot of women on here use them.  I was googling and found this warning from the FDA (from 2008): 

https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm095508.htm

Here are some highlights:

"Although there are no known risks of ultrasound imaging and heartbeat monitors, the radiation associated with them can produce effects on the body," says Robert Phillips, Ph.D., a physicist with FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). "When ultrasound enters the body, it heats the tissues slightly. In some cases, it can also produce small pockets of gas in body fluids or tissues."

Phillips says the long-term effects of tissue heating and of the formation of partial vacuums in a liquid by high-intensity sound waves (cavitation) are not known.

"When the product is purchased over the counter and used without prior consultation with a health care professional, there is no oversight of how the device is used and little or no medical benefit derived from the exposure," Phillips says. "The number of sessions or the length of a session to which a fetus is exposed is uncontrolled, thus raising the potential for harm to the fetus."

So I guess they are ok to use in moderation? 

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Re: Are home dopplers safe?

  • ies821ies821 member

    I am a labor and delivery nurse and we frown upon people using dopplers themselves. We see people coming in to the hospital in a panic because they cant find the heartbeat and fear the worst. We are often able to find the heartbeat right away. Also, unless you are educated on the significance and difference between accelerations and deceleration of the baby's heart its not a useful too. It will only tell you the baby is still alive not how the bay is doing and reacting to contractions etc.

     Good luck with your pregnancy!

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  • BBColt78BBColt78 member

    I did some research before I bought mine. There is not a lot of evidence on safety. What I found said that most are approved by the FDA.

    My thought is that I'll only use it a couple of times for a few minutes so it won't hurt.

    As much as PP said it's frowned upon, I think it's fine if you are using it for novelty. I'm not assessing my baby's health. I just want to record the heartbeat and let MH hear it. I'm not counting beats or using it every day. Right now, I'm not comfortable waiting another four weeks to hear my LO's hb. So, I can do it when I want :)

    IVF #1- BFP- DD 4/8/2011
    FET #1- 3BB and 3B-B
    Beta #1 (4w0d)- 504
    Beta #2 (4w4d)- 4,577
    Beta #3 (6w0d)- 78,399 HB 115 bpm
    U/S #2 7w0d- HB 155 bpm

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  • Green*FlamingoGreen*Flamingo member
    Overexposure to nearly anything is unhealthy. Heck, even oxygen, water, and sunlight are bad in huge doses. As long as you are not listening to baby for hours a day, you should be fine. My OB recommended 1-2 listens a week, no longer than 10 minutes.
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  • Emjay221Emjay221 member
    imageies821:

    I am a labor and delivery nurse and we frown upon people using dopplers themselves. We see people coming in to the hospital in a panic because they cant find the heartbeat and fear the worst. We are often able to find the heartbeat right away. Also, unless you are educated on the significance and difference between accelerations and deceleration of the baby's heart its not a useful too. It will only tell you the baby is still alive not how the bay is doing and reacting to contractions etc.

     Good luck with your pregnancy!

    I seriously doubt anyone is using a doppler at home during contractions.  Therefore, detecting early and late decels, etc shouldn't be a concern. 

    I'm also a nurse, but this fear seems unfounded to me.  Most of the time, these are used by women at home, early in pregnancy before they can feel movement, simply to detect if the baby is still alive, or to feel closer to the baby, or to allow family members hear it that can't go to appointments.  I rented one, but I sent it back this week now that I can feel her move a lot. 

     

     

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