A recent study conducted by the Institut Marquès, a center of medical excellence and member of Top Doctors, shows that fetuses can hear music through the mother’s vagina from the 16th week. This study has also shown that fetuses hear outside sounds as distorted whispers.
This technique brings new and important innovations. In particular, it makes it possible to rule out fetal deafness and allows the pregnant woman to verify the well-being of the fetus. The study shows that learning begins in the mother’s womb, since music through the mother’s vagina induces the fetus to make a response of vocalization movements, prior to the acquisition of language. The vagina is the only way that allows the fetus to hear what we hear.
The scientific study
The scientific study was carried out by the Institut Marquès team. The main author was Dr. Marisa López-Teijón, Head of Assisted Reproduction at the clinic. The other two authors were Dr. Álex García-Faura, scientific director of Institut Marquès, and Dr. Alberto Prats, Professor of Human Anatomy and Embryology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona.
In addition to the study, a clinical trial was conducted with 100 pregnant patients at the Institut Marquès center between the 14th and 39th week of pregnancy. Currently, more than 1,000 patients have already tested it. The researchers have been able to observe through ultrasound scans the reaction of the fetus when listening to music emitted via the abdominal route (the usual common one) and via the vaginal route. If the music is emitted via the abdominal route, the fetus only hears the sounds from the outside as a kind of distorted whisper. However, if the sound is introduced through the vagina, the stimuli that this causes in the fetus can be observed.
In the ultrasound scans performed at the beginning of the study, it was observed that 45% of the fetuses spontaneously showed head and limb movements, 30% of the fetuses showed mouth movements and 10% of the fetuses stuck out their tongues.
However, in the ultrasounds performed during the emission of the music through the vagina, 87% of the fetuses reacted with specific movements of the head and limbs and specific movements of the mouth and tongue, characteristic of vocalization. A striking fact is that approximately 50% of the fetuses reacted by sticking out their tongue. On the other hand, when the music is emitted abdominally, the ultrasound scans show no significant changes in the fetuses, which allows us to deduce that they practically do not hear it.
The authors believe that music induces a vocalization movement response because it activates brain circuits that stimulate language and communication.
Babypod
Music is introduced into the mother’s vagina through a music-emitting vaginal device called Babypod. The Institut Marquès has provided this prototype so that all fetuses can benefit from it.
The device is placed like a tampon and is connected to music through a cell phone. It is recommended for use, provided there are no other medical contraindications, from the 16th week of gestation, when the fetus has developed its inner ear. Doctors advise using the device for intervals of 10 to 20 minutes once or twice a day so as not to interrupt the fetus’ sleep cycles.