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Parentpedia
Finding Out If It's a Boy or Girl
When you tell people you're pregnant, you've probably gotten used to the next question: Are you going to find out the sex? With the dissemination of ultrasound technology, virtually everyone has the option of finding out these days. Yet a surprising number of people — about half — still choose to be surprised.
How Can I Find Out?
Ultrasound: It has become perhaps the key diagnostic tool to make sure your baby is thriving all the way through the pregnancy. Between 18 and 26 weeks, you likely will be given the option of finding out your baby's sex. Bear in mind that this is not the primary reason for giving an and some studies have indicated that ultrasounds should be limited because they can alter cells. Surprisingly, ultrasound is the least accurate way to determine sex, but the most common way because it is non-invasive. The factors in determining an ultrasound's accuracy are your baby's positioning, the gestational age, and the skill of the technician.
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS): Doctors sometimes order this test for people with a high risk of genetic abnormalities and for patients who want information earlier. It is performed between the 8th and 13th week of gestation and the results come back roughly two weeks later. It carries some risk, including a 1/400 or 0.3 percent miscarriage rate, so doctors will only order this test if they think the benefit outweighs the risk. This test is more accurate for determining your baby's sex, but it still carries a small chance of a mistake.
Amniocentesis: In this procedure, a small amount of amniotic fluid is removed using a needle so that it can be analyzed to check for disorders such as Down syndrome and spina bifida. It can be performed as early as 14 weeks and up to 18 weeks. It carries a roughly 0.2 percent chance of miscarriage and a slight risk of other complications. It also happens to be among the most accurate ways to determine sex, though none of them is foolproof.
In experienced hands, there is no difference in risk between amniocentesis and CVS.
Folklore
The following indications carry about a 50-50 chance of telling you whether you'll have a boy, but you may as well get used to hearing these commonly spewed predictions of a masculine child:
- The baby's heartbeat is below 140 beats per minute
- You're carrying out front
- You didn't have morning sickness in the first trimester
- You crave salty food
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