Tests done at GP Visits

fi1979

Hi all,
I was chatting to a friend earlier, and she mentioned that she had an inkling of the babys sex from the heart beats. Apparently when she has her GP visits they listen for the babys heart beat.

However when I've visited the docs, all they've done is urine, BP and felt my belly, asked me if I was ok, and sent me on my way. Oh and bloods taken of course!

Does this seem odd. I've had 2 hospital apts so far and have been scanned at both. But nobody has done anything else to listen to the babys heartbeat at all.

Just wondering if my doc is taking short cuts, as she always seems in a mad rush to get rid of me. I changed docs when I became pregnant, as I had no confidence in my old doc, and thought I would prefer to deal with a woman.

January

Some doctors don't have a doppler in the room so they wouldn't be able to check heartbeat. In the hospital they can see the heartbeat on the scans so wouldn't need to listen to it.

Dfens

+1 on above.
When I was pregnant I read about the rate of heartbeat (faster for a boy if I recall correctly) being an indication as to the sex of the child, but I don't think there is solid scientific evidence available to support this as an accurate way of determining the sex of the unborn child. The only true way is by genetic testing to check for x/y chromosome, even sexing via sonograph is dependent on the position of the child/umblical cord and the sonographers skill/experience.

AmcD

There isn't any way of predicting the sex of the baby by listening to the heartbeat. Usually the heartbeat is very variable and much faster than the mother's.
I am a GP, who does antenatal care. As adrieanne_x said, if a GP has a doppler, they will listen for the heartbeat. In public antenatal clinics there isn't time to listen for each foetal heartbeat and little chance of any spare doppler machines lying around.
It isn't necessary to scan at each visit. Later in pregnancy foetal movements are a good predictor that things are ok.