The question may not be one you have ever contemplated...but should you? At every routine doctor's visit you will no doubt have the doctor (or nurse) gel up your belly and fumble around looking for the heartbeat. It is such a joyous time for the parents to hear the beautiful sound of their unborn baby's heart beating away. But if you own your own Doppler, and use it from home, how often should you do it? Many women either rent or buy a Doppler to use from about 10 weeks - 20 weeks, or until they can feel regular fetal movement. It provides a relief to hear that the baby is okay and even though you can't feel him/her, you know he or she is alive and kickin'!
According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), ultrasounds have been cleared for continuous use, meaning they deem them to be safe to have done routinely. Similarly home Doppler's should be used in the same manner....routinely. Using a Doppler for more than a 10 minute session and more frequently than once a day, is probably not a good idea. In fact, I personally wouldn't use mine more than once or twice a week just to be safe.
Why do you ask? Because the way a Doppler works is by sending small sound pulses into your body, then pause to listen for returning sounds. The sound waves may be irritating to the fetus. But besides simply annoying the poor kid, there is no scientific proof showing it does or doesn't cause hearing problems. For this reason alone, it is probably not a good idea to over use your Doppler. They are safe to use, according to the FDA, but as with everything you do during your pregnancy, moderation is probably best.
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