How to Determine a Baby’s Gender – At What Stage of Pregnancy Can It Be Identified

Although most parents claim that they don’t mind whether they have a boy or a girl, many of them still dream of finding out the gender of their future child as early as possible. Currently, there are numerous ways to determine the baby’s gender without using technical means. Among them are calculations based on the birth dates of the father and mother, folk signs, and predictions based on taste preferences. 

However, such independent “research” can present surprises during childbirth. It is not always possible to determine the baby’s sex with one hundred percent certainty, even when consulting specialists who usually determine it using ultrasound (US), especially if they try to do this in the early stages of pregnancy. To ensure the result is clear and accurate, it’s crucial to choose the optimal time for determining the baby’s sex.

The process of developing the child’s sexual organs

It is logical to assume that the gender of the unborn child can be known when the baby’s sexual organs are formed. The characteristics of its development in the mother’s womb are related to the fact that gender is determined by the father at the moment of conception. It depends on whether the sperm with the X or Y chromosome fertilizes the mother’s egg with the X chromosome. If with Y – a boy will be born (genotype XY), and if with X – a girl will be born (genotype XX). 

According to the genotype, from the 6th week of pregnancy, the genitals begin to form in the future babies. This will later allow determining the child’s gender. The process begins with the appearance of a small bump where the child’s sexual organs will be located in the future. Remarkably, the bumps look exactly the same in both girls and boys. This stage continues until the 11th week of pregnancy, so gender cannot yet be determined by ultrasound results.

When an approximate prediction can be made

Once the fetus reaches 11 weeks, the mound in male embryos begins to transform into a penis. After the 13th week, the genital organ increases in size as the male sex hormones synthesized by the future boy’s testes begin to convert into dihydrotestosterone in the future penis. 

Externally, the boy’s genital organ appears more elongated. At this stage, the future baby’s testes remain in the abdomen.

The boy’s testes descend into the scrotum only by the 7th month of pregnancy. Consequently, an experienced specialist can presumptively determine the child’s gender after this period. However, the probability of error is quite high and occurs in half of the cases, because:

• the fetus’s legs may be closed, which can prevent determining its gender;
• During examination for a penis in girls, swelling of the labia, finger placement, or umbilical cord loops may be mistaken.

When to Know the Gender Without Error

You can find out the baby’s gender almost accurately as early as the 18th week. Since visually it is already easy for the doctor to identify a boy, determining a girl is also within their capability. The most optimal weeks for gender determination are 20-24. The baby is highly mobile, and the fetal gender features are well distinguishable. 

At this stage, it’s not difficult to observe and record the fetal gender characteristics if using modern ultrasound techniques. The third trimester ultrasound screening provides the most accurate gender determination. This examination is performed in the 7th-8th month of pregnancy, and at this stage, determining the gender does not pose difficulties. Exceptions include:

• the presence of multiple umbilical cord loops in the perineal projection;
• pose with tightly cramped knees and buttocks pressed close to the pelvis;
• breech presentation;
• presence of oligohydramnios, which also hinders visualization.

Accuracy of Gender Determination by Ultrasound 

Currently, ultrasound examination is the most accurate method

for determining who will be born to a pregnant woman. However, there are nuances to this method. Among various reasons that prevent accurately determining the baby’s gender, the situation often arises when, during the ultrasound procedure, the baby is quite active and turns its back and buttocks to the doctor. In such cases, it becomes significantly more difficult to determine the baby’s gender. 

Even with fully developed genitals, the doctor can only make a supposition. Some babies behave this way every time the ultrasound sensors are placed on the pregnant woman’s belly. The baby hears the sounds and tries to eliminate the unpleasant impact by actively moving, thus preventing the doctor from determining the baby’s gender. However, this method rarely fails — the accuracy of gender determination is 97%.

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Other Methods of Determining a Baby’s Gender

Despite the high accuracy, ultrasound is not the only way to determine the gender of the future baby during pregnancy. To find out the gender of the future child with 100% accuracy, invasive diagnostics can be performed. The examination is prescribed by a doctor based on medical indications. Chorionic villus sampling, where a sample of cells is taken from the placenta, and amniotic fluid analysis are only possible in cases of a real risk of serious diseases that depend on the gender of the child.

However, this is an extreme case and such methods are used quite rarely. For various reasons, a certain number of women preparing to become mothers resort to other methods that allow them to find out the child’s gender. This is especially true for those whose babies consistently turn away from the researcher during the ultrasound procedure. Such expectant mothers are ready to resort to any, even the most exotic methods, to determine the gender of their future child. 

Determining Gender by Heartbeat – Is It Possible?

When trying to determine who to expect at birth—a son or a daughter—many women wonder if it’s possible to know the gender of the baby by its heartbeat. There is an opinion that the heartbeat can reveal it. Experienced gynecologists, when determining the gender of the future baby in this way, consider, among other things, the characteristics of the heart rhythm, the position in the belly, and the heart rate.

The accuracy of determination depends on the month of pregnancy, as during different periods of development, the fetus exhibits different heart rates. This method is criticized by official medicine. However, specialists use it alongside modern methods that allow knowing the gender of the baby.

This includes a non-invasive method. It can be used from the second month of pregnancy. The prenatal test allows you to determine the gender of the baby with 99.5% accuracy and also rule out chromosomal pathologies.

Folk Signs for Determining Gender

Women sometimes decide for themselves how to find out the gender of the baby long before taking tests and the first ultrasounds. Sometimes, maternal intuition suggests whether she is carrying a boy or a girl. But more often women rely on various signs to find out the gender of the baby. Among them:

• mothers with beautiful faces and slender waists will have boys, while those with facial pigmentation will have girls;
• pregnant women who prefer sweets will have girls, and those who like salty and spicy foods will have boys;
• future mothers of girls eat significantly less than mothers of boys;
• Hair loss in the mother indicates she will have a girl, while intense hair growth all over the body suggests a boy;
• The presence of reddish skin, a spread figure, and swollen legs suggests the birth of a little man.

Other signs and medical indicators of the child’s gender

It is believed that the gender of the child can be determined by knowing the month of conception and the age of the pregnant woman. If both the age and conception month numbers are even, it is highly likely a girl will be born; if odd, a boy is predicted. One of the most common signs is the shape of the pregnant belly. It is thought that a low and round belly indicates expectant mothers carrying a girl, while a sharp and high belly is more often associated with women pregnant with a boy.

There are also strictly medical methods to determine the child’s gender. These include the time of conception, blood pressure, swelling, and heartbeat rate.

To determine the gender of a baby for a specific woman, you can look at:

• time of conception – after ovulation tends towards a boy, before – a little princess;
• blood pressure – high means a boy, low means a girl;
• heart rate – a higher number of beats per minute increases the likelihood of a son.

Inaccuracies and mistakes in determining the child’s gender

Undoubtedly, a pregnant woman can only know the child’s gender for sure at the moment of birth without using unsafe methods. In all other cases, various errors and inaccuracies are possible in determining the baby’s gender. Most often, they occur in early pregnancy, when the baby’s reproductive organs are not fully developed, and the doctor cannot make a highly reliable prediction during an ultrasound procedure.

Ultrasound is the most accurate of the commonly accepted methods for determining the gender of a developing fetus. However, even this method sometimes yields erroneous results, which depend on the individual characteristics of the specific woman’s body and her unborn baby. Low qualification of the researcher is almost never a reason for receiving an incorrect answer.