Differences between Consumer and Medical-Grade Fetal Heart Dopplers
A fetal heart Doppler is a device that is used to monitor and listen to your unborn baby’s heartbeat. Women have seen this device when they visit their OB/GYN and are able to hear their baby’s heartbeat. Many women have decided to get a fetal heart Doppler for home so that they can hear their unborn child’s heartbeat whenever they’d like. It is a beautiful thing to hear that tiny beating and know it is your child! When you are deciding to purchase or rent a fetal heart Doppler, there are some things you need to know. One of the most important things is the difference between consumer and medical-grade fetal heart dopplers. Here is some information that you may find useful.
Consumer-grade heart dopplers –
Consumer-grade heart dopplers are what most mothers want to avoid when it comes to purchasing a heart Doppler. This is because the consumer-grade heart dopplers are not using ultrasound technology. They are basically a microphone that amplifies sounds in the stomach area. You will hear a lot of digestion sounds, maybe some womb sounds, and possibly a heartbeat, but it is not a quality sound. If you do get to pick up a heartbeat, you will find it nearly impossible to time the heartbeat to get an accurate heartbeat per minute rate. Although many people have utilized them and found that they have worked, most people are searching for an ultrasound Doppler they can use confidently and easily.
You can purchase a consumer-grade heart Doppler without a prescription or approval from a physician. They are also not regulated at all, so anyone can purchase one. In fact, you can find consumer-grade heart dopplers in many different places, including in some drug or health stores.
Medical-grade heart dopplers –
Medical-grade heart dopplers are quite different from the consumer-grade ones. The medical-grade dopplers utilize ultrasound technology – which is the same thing that the OB/GYN uses when you visit him or her for a check up. It is basically a beam that penetrates the skin, tissues, muscles, and such in order to reach the sound of the baby’s heartbeat. It then amplifies it so that you can hear it. Ultrasound technology has been found to be completely safe, since it has been used for over half a century with no adverse effects reported thus far.
Medical-grade dopplers are regulated by the FDA and must be approved before being sold. They also require a pregnant woman to have approval from her doctor in the form of a prescription to even be able to purchase one. If a company sells these medical-grade dopplers, they must ask for the prescription before selling one to anyone. If they don’t, they are selling it illegally. Medical-grade dopplers are far more advanced in their quality than the consumer-grade ones. You are able to pick up the baby’s heartbeat without other interference or noise, such as digestion or static. You can also get digital ones that can differentiate between twin heartbeats and display the beats per minute. They are much easier to use and it is pretty much guaranteed that you will find a heartbeat with the medical-grade dopplers. Their design and technology is improving all the time, and as they improve, the quality increases.
If you are thinking about purchasing a Doppler for your pregnancy, it is a great way to bond with your unborn child and it is amazing to hear that little heartbeat. Utilize the insightful information above to help you decide which grade would suit your needs best, and which one you would rather purchase. Because the medical-grade dopplers are more expensive than the consumer-grade ones, it also depends on the desired quality and budget you have. Choose wisely and enjoy your new baby…before he or she is ever born!