What do you see on a 5 week, 4 day ultrasound?

I had my dr. do a early ABDOMINAL ultrasound due to the fact I was having lower left abdomen sharp pains. He wanted to make sure it wasn't a eptopic pregnancy. As he moved the wand over my belly, we immediatly saw the sack along with the fetus and a bright flashing heartbeat. I thought that I was just 5 weeks, 4 days lmp but the dr. said that I'm  at least 6 weeks. Could it be that I'm further along in my pregnancy and that I ovulated earlier?

[pinkbelle]

yeah.. i think its very uncommon to see a heartbeat at 5 weeks.. we saw the heartbeat at almost 7 weeks

[Karalyn]

I am about 6 weeks along, and got my first ultrasound when i was about 5weeks 2days along and my doctor found a heartbeat of 111! I dont know if that helped, but good luck with ur pregnancy!

[AnnieBrooke]

The heart is said to start to beat at about 22 days after conception.  Pregnancy is counted the medical way (from day 1 of previous period).  Add 14 days (to get from beginning of period to average date of ovulation) to the 22 days it takes for the embryo's heart to start, and you get 36 days, or 5 weeks 1 day pregnant counted the medical way.  

Not every baby follows this schedule, obviously! or we wouldn't get so many posts from women who didn't see a heartbeat in their 6th week and did see one in their 7th or 8th week.  But because of the fact that it is possible, I wouldn't take seeing the heartbeat now as a signal that you ovulated extremely early, you could have just been spot-on at getting pregnant the day you ovulated.

[peekawho]

I'm very surprised that he saw a clear heart rate and a fetus at 5 weeks, 4 days via an abdominal ultrasound, frankly.  Abdominal ultrasounds usually are not good at seeing intrauterine contents that early.  

I'm sure he will do another ultrasound to follow you for dates.  

[6wkspgncounting]

A babies heart beats after just four hours of conception. Im not surprised you heard it.

[megmil]

I think it just depends. Everyone's different. 6wkspgncounting is that true? I thought it was 2 weeks after conception. The town I live in actually has these things up with a picture of a baby and it says my heart was beating 2 weeks after conception. Karalyn, my baby's heartbeat is always in the 160s 170s with all three. My doctor never said anything about it but is that too high cuz I never had a baby heartbeat nowhere near 111.

[AnnieBrooke]

Sorry, but if you are counting the moment the sperm meets the egg as "conception," the heart does not begin to beat 4 hours after conception.  4 hours after the sperm meets the egg, the nucleus of the sperm is fusing with the nucleus of the egg.  The resulting cell has not even begin to divide yet.  

[30something13]

yeah the heart does not develope till week 5 and the baby is the size of a orange seed and the heart has is developing two chambers and then starts to pump blood during the 5th week but lots of times can not be seen till week 6. The heart at 5 weeks is the size of a poppy seed. Were di you here that?