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Fetal heart detectors that use ultrasonic waves to provide audible and/or visual information. They consist of an ultrasound-frequency electrical generator and appropriate ultrasound transducers housed in a probe that is placed on the maternal abdomen. Ultrasonic heartbeat detectors amplify the audible frequency shift (i.e., Doppler effect) signal of the returned ultrasonic waves and deliver it to speakers or headphones; the heart rate is determined either by measuring the timing of the peaks in the Doppler signal or, more accurately, by using automated autocorrelation procedures. These devices can detect fetal heart activity as soon as 10 weeks after conception.
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