How to Guess the Sex of the Baby | 7 Signs That Might Surprise You

Probably the biggest question pregnant women are asked is, so do you know if you're having a boy or a girl? Well, depending on how far along you are, you can find out in several different methods. But the tricky part is, are those methods reliable enough to start painting the nursery pink or blue? In today's video, we will cover wives' tail methods, and I will tell you if they actually work. And then I'll go over how science can tell you the baby's gender. By the way, I'm Diana. I'm a physician assistant with over 12 years of pregnancy and women's health experience. I'm a mom at a four, and I want to personally invite you to our community of pregnant and new mamas. This is completely free to you, and it's a place where you can connect with others that are experiencing exactly what you are experiencing. Pregnancy and new moms aren't meant to do this alone. And I will put a link in the video description and I will see you inside. But now without any further ado, let's jump into the video. Starting off with some wives' tails and what science actually says. First off, can fetal heart rate predict the gender? The baby's heart can be heard by ultrasound as early as about six, six and a half weeks. So does that mean that we can know the gender that early? The idea is that if the baby's heartbeat is greater than 140 beats per minute, then it's going to be a girl. And if the heartbeat is slower or less than 140 beats per minute, then it's a boy. So a study was done on about 655 pregnancies where the heartbeat was measured and there was no significant difference between the heart rate of a boy or a girl. The average heart rate was 167 beats per minute for both sexes. Next, can the severity of morning sickness tell you if it's a boy or a girl? Now the idea is that if you have more morning sickness, you will have a girl. If you have less morning sickness, it's going to be a boy. First off, morning sickness severity can be very subjective. What's bad for one person might be pretty manageable for somebody else. But a study titled, does greater morning sickness predict carrying a girl? Found that women carrying girls reported slightly higher frequencies of nausea and vomiting in the first trimester. Here's at least one solid study though that supports that idea. In a 2020 analysis of over 4,300 pregnancies, women carrying female babies reported higher frequency of nausea and vomiting during the first trimester compared to women carrying males. However, that doesn't prove causation and it's not consistent across all research. Many studies find there's no strong reliable link between how sick you are and the baby's sex. So the conclusion is there may be a correlation but it's pretty weak and it's not predictive at an individual level. Next is if you are carrying high or low. So the idea centers on your pregnancy bump shape. So if you're carrying high, you are having a girl and if you are carrying low, you are having a boy. There is no scientific research supporting this idea. The shape of the belly depends on the maternal fitness and muscle tone. Also the position of the placenta and the uterine size but nothing to do with the sex of the baby. Next is cravings. Some say that women craving sweets are having a girl but if they are craving salty or savory, they are having a boy. Now I craved jalapenos and there's not anything about if spicy means a boy or a girl. But in actuality, there is no scientific evidence to show that any of that is true. It's been studied and deemed untrue. It doesn't matter what kind of cravings you're having. That doesn't predict if you are having a girl or a boy. What about mother's intuition? I mean when we are pregnant, that little one is inside us. Surely there is something about that very deep emotional and physiologic connection that gives us some kind of extra insight into if there is a little boy or a little girl growing inside our belly. However, a study in 1996 showed that there was no significant difference from mother's intuition than that of random guessing. So essentially, the methods that I just mentioned are really no better than flipping a coin. But fortunately, there are much better ways. In fact, the only reliable ways to determine the sex and that is medical tests. But different tests have different timings, accuracy and levels of risk. So let's talk about those now. Starting off with non-invasive prenatal tests. This can be done as early as 9 to 10 weeks. So inside the mother's blood are tiny fragments of the baby's DNA called cell-free DNA. NIPT takes a sample of the mother's blood and analyzes the DNA fragments. So a female's chromosomes are XX and a male's chromosomes will be XY. So if the lab detects a Y chromosome, then it has to be a boy. If there is no Y chromosome, then it's a girl. And if you're asking yourself how the lab knows if it's evaluating a baby or a mother's DNA, simple. Since the mom is female, the DNA will be XX. So if there is a Y present, it means the baby is a boy since it couldn't have come from the mom. Next is the ultrasound anatomy scan, which I did an entire video about and I will link to it right here. But this is usually done around 18 to 22 weeks where there is a sonographer will do a very detailed ultrasound of the baby's anatomy, including the baby's genitalia. If the sonographer sees the turtle sign, which is the tip of the penis in the scrotum, then it means it's a boy. And if they see the hamburger sign, which is three lines representing the labia majora and the clitoris, then it is a girl. This scan is anywhere between 95 to 99% accurate depending on the baby's position and the sonographer's skill. There are no risks with the ultrasound. It uses sound waves, which is harmless to the mother and the baby. On a side note, this is a really informative and fun examination. You'll see a lot of cute images of your little one, so be sure to ask for pictures when you are getting the scan done. Now let's talk about two of the most accurate, but also the most serious tests that you can do in pregnancy, chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis. Both of these tests are over 99% accurate at detecting genetic and chromosomal conditions like Down syndrome, trisomy 18, and trisomy 13, but here's the thing. They are very invasive and they aren't offered lightly. CVS or chorionic villus sampling is done very early, between 10 and 13 weeks. Parents who want answers sooner often choose this option, but CVS doesn't check for neural tube defects and it carries about a 1 in 300 to 500 risk of miscarriage. Amniocentesis, on the other hand, is done later, usually between 15 and 20 weeks. Now with this test, doctors can not only detect chromosomal problems, but also neural tube defects like spina bifida and the risk of miscarriage is slightly lower compared to chorionic villus sampling. Now yes, both of these tests will also tell you if you're having a boy or a girl with almost 100% accuracy, but it's important to know that they are never done just to find out the sex of the baby. They're used when more information is really needed about your baby's health. And that actually brings me to the opposite side of the spectrum. While some parents want to know the baby's sex as soon as possible, even through invasive testing, others choose to wait until the big moment in the delivery room. And here's the surprise. While most parents today want to know the baby's sex before birth, about one in five still choose to wait until the delivery day. So why would anyone wait when technology makes it so easy to know early? For many, it's about preserving that once-in-a-lifetime moment. After all, there are only a few truly life-changing surprises that you get in life. And hearing it's a boy or it's a girl in the delivery room is one of them. Parents describe it as electric. The room erupts with joy and that moment is sketched into your memory forever. Now others will wait because they feel it helps them focus on a healthy pregnancy and baby rather than nursery colors or shopping lists. Some like the idea of neutral prep, so choosing clothes, names, and other gear that could work either way. And for some families, waiting becomes part of their story. It builds anticipation, not just for the parents, but for grandparents and siblings and for everybody waiting to meet the new baby. So whether you find out at 10 weeks with the DNA test, at 20 weeks during the anatomy scan, or at birth itself, there's no right way. Just the way that feels most meaningful for you. So now that you've watched this video, I'd love to know, are you team early reveal or team surprise? Put that in the comment section below. And then head over to my own My Birth Community. It's a space where you can connect with other expecting moms, swap experiences, and find the kind of support that you will not get anywhere else. Thanks for watching Dianna in the Pink. And if you are new here, I have made a pregnancy series, walking you through pregnancy week by week. It's very detailed. We talk about changes that your body is experiencing, baby development, what to expect at your OB appointment, and so much more. So I'm going to link to that playlist right here. Click on that and I will see you over there.