Prenatal Care Is Home Fetal Doppler Use Okay in Pregnancy? By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH twitter linkedin Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH is a professor, author, childbirth and postpartum educator, certified doula, and lactation counselor. Learn about our editorial process Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Brian Levine, MD, MS, FACOG on August 01, 2020 Brian Levine, MD, MS, is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology as well as in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Learn about our Review Board Brian Levine, MD, MS, FACOG on August 01, 2020 Print This is a device used to listen to your baby's heart beat in pregnancy. It is most frequently used from 12 weeks gestation through the end of pregnancy. It is used in many prenatal care settings. Oleksiy Maksymenko / Getty Images Question: Is home fetal doppler use okay in pregnancy? A fetal doppler is a hand-held, ultrasound device used by some practitioners to hear your baby's heartbeat at prenatal appointments. (Other devices can also be used to hear your baby's heartbeat.) Answer: Fetal dopplers are approved for use as a medical device. Recently, the question of home fetal doppler use has come up. There are many places that rent fetal dopplers for use by individuals. Women who use a fetal doppler at home say that they wish to monitor their baby's well-being and to reassure themselves that the baby is alive. This can be particularly desirable in the early weeks before the baby's kicks can be felt. Mothers who have experienced previous miscarriage or stillbirth may also be drawn to the perceived reassurance that a fetal doppler could provide. Tools You Can Use for Listening to Your Baby's Heartbeat at Home While there is not believed to be any harm with occasional use by a medical professional, home fetal doppler use does not fall into this category. Many families use the doppler for much longer periods than they may experience with their practitioner and for more frequent uses — think once a day versus once a month at a prenatal visit. Risks There are three common risks to home fetal doppler use: Not hearing the baby's heartbeat, even though the baby is fine, thus causing more worry.Misinterpreting the fetal heart rate.Hearing baby's heartbeat and assuming the baby is fine, when other signs, like decreased fetal movement, truly need to be reported. In this case, it's a false sense of security. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) opposes home fetal doppler use, even when prescribed by an online physician. When to Call Your Doctor During Pregnancy Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Avoid Fetal "Keepsake" Images, Heartbeat Monitors. Aust T, Ankers D, Famoriyo A. Caution with home fetal Doppler devices. Bmj. 2009;339(aug18 2). doi:10.1136/bmj.b3220 Additional Reading Avoid Fetal "Keepsake" Images, Heartbeat Monitors. Food and Drug Administration. March 28, 2008. Obstetric Ultrasound. American College of Radiology. March 15, 2010.