# Fetal heart rate at 165 at 8 weeks? Is the heart rate boy/girl a myth?



## RachelS

Hello









I just had my first appointment and we got a reading of 165 for the fetal heart rate at 8 weeks. Is that high? Also, is there an old myth about the heart rate and tell if the baby is a boy or girl?

Thank you!!


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## Autoemesiss

165 is completely normal. As for the boy or girl? You've got a 50/50 chance. LOL Sorry!

Sue


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## forestrymom

Congrats on hearing the heartbeat...you don't happen to know how early a heartbeat can be heard do you?

And as for the numbers, I heard that fast indicated a boy and slow a girl, but I have no idea which is which. At 8 weeks, dd was 160...so pretty close to what you got. Again, though, I think its a wive's tale...those darn wive's!


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## Lizzo

Under 145 is a boy, above is a girl. In the practice I work for, that is about 80% correct.
However, until 20 weeks, the baby will have a high heartbeat no matter what- like 160s and above. Of course, lower can be normal too.

A heartbeat with a doppler can be heard as early as 7 weeks. With a fetoscope typically is 20 weeks, give or take.


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## turnipmama

That is about what my little one's heartbeat was at my 8 wk appointment, perfectly normal.


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## Meems

my MW says that the heartbeat isn't an indicator of sex at all. She said it has more to do w/ the activity level of the baby, and the stress level of the mother. She purposely does the doppler at different points in time at each visit so that people aren't "misinformed" about the sex.

My girlfriend's baby never had a heartbeat lower than 155 and it was a boy, contrary to the myth... So I don't pay it any attention. With this in mind, I have NO IDEA what my baby is!!


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## dantesmama

DS's heart rate was always high and he was (obviously!) a boy.


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## scrappingmom

Yes, high is girl, low is boy,after the first trimester + ..so goes the wives tail

So far i've had 4 live births and the wives tale has been 100% for me...

100% wrong that is







this one is bouncing on the fence.. lil turkey...

even though you cant really base to much on the wives tales, they are fun to learn about and try and see how they stack up for you


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## teeny_bean

165 is totally normal. I think our son's was about 178 at that point. His heart rate has always been a little on the higher side, and I don't think it's EVER been under 145 when it's been checked.

The fetal heart rate predicting the sex thing is a myth. Here is a page with lots of pretty charts:

http://www.obgyn.net/medical.asp?pag...dubose/ehr-age


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## Wild Flowers

I have heard, though not sure about this, that it isn't the sex, but the size it determines. A smaller baby has a faster heart rate. Which makes sense since the heart rate goes down as the baby gets older. With my two girls, they were both at 160 pretty much the whole time, and weights of a little over 7 lbs and a little 8 lbs. This time, 145-150, don't know sex. We will see if I end up with a bigger baby, or a boy.


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## beckyand3littlemonsters

*If you were to bellieve the old wives tales then girl because under 140bpm = boy 140+=girl, mine was above 140 most of the time with caitlin*


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## CTMOMOF2

yes, my dr. guessed girl w/my first cuz the heartbeat was always really fast... he was a boy though.


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## RachelS

Thank you ladies for your great responses!! I really appreciate the info!!







I am feeling very positive about the great heart rate! I really do not care if my baby is going to be a boy or a girl!!! I am just so excited to be pregnant and to give my ds a sibbling!!


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## Dhana

*HeartBeat In 8 Weeks*

I just had my first appointment and we got a reading of 186 for the fetal heart rate at 8 weeks. Is that high?


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## javilu

It's never held true for my babies (all boys, all high heartrates), but if it's size-related, then it makes sense (mine have been in the lower 6-pound range).


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