When do I find out the sex of my baby, and how can I do that? It has been one of the most common questions that expectant mothers usually ask. Some expectant mothers may like the suspense that accompanies not knowing the sex of their baby. Other mothers do not find it amusing at all and will like even to know the sex of their baby as soon as they know about their conception.
When To Find Out The Sex Of Your Baby
When anxiety has overwhelmed most to-be mothers, they tend to want to know the sex of their baby quickly. Many mothers usually find out the sex of their baby when they go for scanning at 20 weeks. However, this scan is often done by physicians to check if your baby is in good health. So, finding out the sex of your baby during this scan is just an addition to your routine scan.
Generally, the sex of your baby can be determined at around 16 weeks of pregnancy. However, you can get to find out about it sooner in some places. If the baby’s position is good and the legs are open, your sonographer may be able to tell you the sex as early as 14 weeks of conception. If you have a little bit of patience and do not want your sonographer to give you a false report of the sex of your baby, you may need to wait until 20 weeks of conception.
If you have been eagerly awaiting what sex your baby is, then you may want to find out some of the methods that can be employed in knowing the sex of your baby. Most of these methods are accurate, and you can be sure that they will give you the correct prediction so you can know how to prepare for the birth of your coming bundle of joy.
How Can You Find Out The Sex Of Your Baby?
Scientifically, your baby’s penis or vulva starts to form as early as the 6th week of conception, during which the fetus (differentiating cells/tissues of your baby) for both a male and a female baby are exactly similar. The difference in these fetuses is not usually seen until around 14 weeks of conception. Some major methods which you can use to know about the sex of your baby quickly are discussed below.
Blood Test Screening In The First Trimester
Physicians do the non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) to check if a baby has Down syndrome majorly. This test is usually done after ten weeks of conception. Your blood samples are taken and checked if there is a chromosome disorder in the fetal DNA. Hence, the NIPT test is usually employed if there is a high risk of abnormality in your unborn baby.
This test can also be employed in checking the sex of your baby. Mothers who have once had a defective baby or that are above the age of 35 are usually recommended for this blood test. However, if you will like to know the sex of your baby, giving your blood sample to the physician does not pose any danger because this test is a non-invasive test.
Amniocentesis
Amniocentesis is another test that is used to diagnose any developmental abnormalities in your fetus. The amniotic fluid surrounding your fetus is usually used for testing for such abnormalities. Often, amniocentesis is recommended for expectant mothers over the age of 35 or who have a history of the chromosomal disorder in their family.
Amniocentesis can be done between 15 to 18 weeks of conception. This test is also able to predict the sex of your fetus. So, you may go ahead and do it if you are eager to know whether your baby will be male or female. The risk associated with carrying out this test involves spotting, cramping, bruising, and miscarriage.
Ultrasound
Many mothers are used to the ultrasound testing system. This is because the ultrasound is a routine prenatal scanning test used by the physician to know your baby’s health and position. This scan helps you to see your baby by creating its image on the ultrasound system.
When the image of your baby appears on the screen of the ultrasound monitor, your sonographer will be able to tell you whether you are to expect a baby girl or a baby boy. Although ultrasound scanning can help you detect the sex of your baby as early as 14 weeks of conception, it is usually good to wait until 18 to 22 weeks of conception to get an accurate result.
Chorionic Villus Sampling
The chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is another test that can be employed any time you want to check out the sex of your to-be baby. This test is, however, used to check the possibility of your baby developing Downs syndrome.
You do not need to worry that your baby will develop Down’s syndrome if you are not above the age of 35 years or have any genetic history of Down’s syndrome in your family; this is because this test is normally recommended for expectant mothers who have a family history of Down’s syndrome or are above the age of 35 years.
The chorionic villus found around the placenta is usually removed for this type of testing. This chorionic villus discloses the genetic information that the baby carries. This test is very accurate in predicting the sex of your baby. However, risks involved are preterm labor, leakage of the amniotic fluid, bleeding, and cramping.
In-vitro Fertilization
The word “in-vitro” refers to anything taking place outside the body. The in-vitro fertilization method (IVF) is often employed for couples who could not conceive via the normal sexual relationship.
This method is also often used to select the sex of a baby. The couples donate their gametes, and these gametes are fertilized outside the body using a test-tube. After fertilization has occurred, the zygote is then implanted into the mother.
The advantage of this is that couple can decide which sex of the baby they want, and only such sex will be implanted into the mother. This test has a 99 % success rate, and pregnant mothers can give birth to more than one baby provided that more than one embryo was transferred into the mother.
Do Other Testing Methods Work?
Over the years, mothers have been keen on quickly knowing the sex of their baby. Some of these methods involve a home-based testing kit, some involve just guessing, while others are traditional methods that have been passed along the generational line. Some of these methods are
Home-based Testing Kits
Some companies have made few home-based testing kits and claim that such a kit can detect the sex of a baby from as early as eight weeks. These kits are marketed as the “early baby gender blood test.” Although some mothers say that these kits delivered the desired results, there is no research to back up these claims.
The Method Of Ramzi
Some expectant mothers who do ultrasound scanning as early as the 6th week of conception have claimed that they can use the Ramzi method to know their baby’s exact sex. The Ramzi method asserts that the position of the placenta during pregnancy can be used to determine the sex of a baby.
This theory claims that if the placenta is positioned on the left, the fetus will be female, and if the placenta is positioned on the right, the fetus is male. Expectant mothers should, however, know that no research or scientific claim is supporting this theory. So, do not make haste to see your sonographer after six weeks of conception.
Traditional Old Wives’ Tales
Some people still hold some traditional beliefs passed down from the previous generation. Many of these beliefs come from folklore, and some of them will say that you will probably give birth to a male child if you are often hungry during pregnancy or that if the heartbeat of the fetus is high (say more than 140 bpm), you are probably going to have a baby girl.
These traditional and other historical views may be amusing. However, there is no scientific reasoning to back any of them up. So, the best way you can be sure to know the sex of your baby is by going through the modern methods and booking an appointment with your physician.
As an expectant mother, you should eagerly seek to find out the sex of your baby because knowing about the sex of your baby is an amazing experience for you and further let you know how to prepare for the coming of the unborn child. Different tests can be performed to this effect, and your physician will be able to let you know the sex of your baby after having distinguished between the penis and vulva of the fetus.