I have a doppler that I rented from Stork Radio (one of the more expensive ones out there),,,,,for weeks I was all excited b/c it was so easy to pick up the heartbeat..only to find out that I was (this was at 12 weeks) listening to my own artery.....If you're picking it up anywhere near your hipbones, and it's wicked loud....it's probably your artery.....In addtition, we all have an abdominal aorta that runs right through your abdominal region, which i wicked easy to pick up too.....