When is sex determined in pregnancy ?
How Soon Can You Tell Your Baby's Sex?
Beginning around week ten of your pregnancy, your doctor can utilize various tests to determine the sex of your unborn child. Usually, a routine ultrasound at 18–20 weeks tells people.
The million dollar question for many after finding out about a pregnancy: Am I having a boy or a girl?
Some people enjoy the tension that comes with not knowing their baby's sex until the delivery. Others, however, are impatient and want to know much sooner.
Of course, the only person who can accurately identify a baby's sex is a doctor. This doesn't stop many parents from making assumptions about their unborn child's sex based on things like how they carry the child or what they're craving.
Learn about the techniques used to identify a baby's sex and how some individuals estimate the sex based on ancient wives' tales.
How can you determine the sex of your child?
There isn't a one test that can be performed to determine your baby's sex for everyone. Therefore, your doctor might utilize various tests at different stages of your pregnancy if you want to know the sex in advance.
Although these exams are all trustworthy, not everyone can benefit from them. Some of them are really dangerous. While the test seeks out other information, determining the sex is a secondary benefit for the majority of the tests on the list.
Starting with the earliest options, here are some potential ways to find out your baby's sex.
Using sex selection in in vitro fertilization
When you are considering in vitro fertilization (IVF), you have the choice to select the sex of your child. By fusing a mature egg with sperm outside the body, IVF helps with fertility. As a result, an embryo is produced and placed within the womb.
You have the option to identify the sex of various embryos and then only transfer the embryos of the sex you want.
If having a kid of a particular sex is important to you, this could be a possibility.
The accuracy of sex selection combined with IVF is approximately 99 percent. Naturally, though, if you transfer more than one embryo to the uterus during IVF, you run the possibility of having multiple births.
Non-invasive prenatal test
A non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) looks for chromosomal abnormalities like Down syndrome. This test can be performed as early as week ten of pregnancy. Chromosome disorders are not diagnosed by it. All it does is screen for the potential.
Your doctor may prescribe additional testing to determine Down syndrome and other chromosomal problems if your baby's results are abnormal.
You will supply a blood sample for this test, which will be submitted to a laboratory to be examined for the presence of fetal DNA associated with chromosome abnormalities. Additionally, this test can reliably identify your baby's sex. Before the test starts, let your doctor know if you don't want to know.
If you have a high chance of giving birth to a child who has a chromosomal issue, you will need the NIPT. This may be the case if you will be older than 35 at the time of delivery or if you have previously given birth to a child with an abnormality.
You and your unborn child are not at risk by providing a blood sample because this test is noninvasive.
Chorionic villus sampling
Down syndrome can be detected via a genetic test called chronic villus sampling (CVS). A sample of chorionic villus, a type of tissue present in the placenta, is taken out for this test. It provides genetic details about your child.
This test can be performed as early as week 10 or week 12 of your pregnancy. Additionally, it can indicate your baby's sex because it contains gene information about them.
If you are over 35 or have a family history of chromosome abnormalities, your doctor might recommend CVS. Although there are certain hazards involved, this test is accurate for determining the baby's sex.
Preterm labor and miscarriage are also possible risks, and some women experience cramping, bleeding, or amniotic fluid leakage.
Amniocentesis
One test used to identify developmental problems in a fetus is amniocentesis. A tiny sample of amniotic fluid, which includes cells that signal anomalies, is taken by your doctor. Spina bifida, Down syndrome, and other genetic disorders are examined in the cells.
If an ultrasound finds an abnormality, you will be older than 35 when you give birth, or you have a family history of a chromosome disorder, your doctor might suggest an amniocentesis. This test, which takes around 30 minutes, can be performed between weeks 15 and 18 of pregnancy.
After locating your baby in the womb with an ultrasound, your doctor will remove amniotic fluid from your abdomen using a tiny needle. Spotting, bruising, and cramps are among the risks. Additionally, miscarriage is a possibility.
An amniocentesis determines your child's sex in addition to identifying birth malformations and other abnormalities. Therefore, let your doctor know if you don't want to know before the test so they won't tell.
Ultrasound
An ultrasound is a common prenatal exam in which your tummy is scanned while you lie on a table. This test, which is frequently used to assess your baby's growth and health, creates an image of your child using sound waves.
An ultrasound can disclose your baby's sex since it produces an image of the child. The sex can be ascertained by ultrasound as early as 14 weeks, although most doctors plan an ultrasound for between 18 and 21 weeks.Reliable Source
However, it's not always 100% accurate. Your infant may be positioned awkwardly, making it hard to see their genitalia. The technician will assume you are having a girl if they are unable to locate a penis, and vice versa. However, errors do occur.
What about other ways to determine a baby's sex?
At-home testing kits
Some people find success with at-home kits billed as "early baby gender blood tests" in addition to conventional techniques.
According to claims, some of these tests have a 99 percent accuracy rate in determining the sex as early as 8 weeks. Nevertheless, the firms are making these claims, and there is no study to support these figures.
The process is as follows: You draw blood, and a lab receives the sample. The lab looks for the male chromosome in particular while analyzing your blood sample for fetal DNA. It is said that if you have this chromosome, you will give birth to a male. And you're having a girl if you don't.
Remember that there are numerous factors that could lower the dependability of the results when sending samples via mail to an unidentified lab. Because these tests can be costly, you might want to think about whether the expense is worthwhile for you.
Old wives’ tales
Some even anticipate the sex of their unborn child by using old wives' stories. It's a common belief that if you're really hungry when pregnant, you're most likely expecting a boy. It is thought that a baby boy's increased testosterone secretion stimulates appetite.
A greater fetal heartbeat (over 140 bpm) is even thought to indicate that you are expecting a girl. And that you’re carrying a girl if you’re forgetful during pregnancy. Some people even think that if your tummy is low, you're carrying a boy, and if it's high, you're having a girl.
However, there is no evidence or research to support these beliefs or claims, even though old wives' tales are a fun method to guess a baby's sex. Making an appointment with your physician is the only way to find out what you're experiencing.
Finding out your baby's sex can be both thrilling and helpful in getting ready for the arrival of your child. It's quite OK for some couples to relish the suspense and only find out their baby's sex in the delivery room.
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