When can I know the sex of my baby?
Are you wondering when you can find out the sex of your baby. We are here to give you quick and long answer with a little insight, some tips, and other options to consider.
Quick answer: usually about half way through your pregnancy (4-5 months or 20 weeks)
Fun answer: Have you heard that baby’s heart rate will predict the sex of the baby? Or how about this one: plant some corn and water it with your urine…. the color of the corn will tell you if you are having a boy or girl?!? I don’t think too many of Alaskan mamas are going to be out peeing on your corn plants in the winter. Check out the more scientific methods of prediction and this very fun blog to learn about other old wives’ tales that you could try for fun.
The most common way…
- To learn the sex of your baby is at the screening ultrasound your doctor will order mid-way through the pregnancy.
- It is usually scheduled between 18 and 22 weeks and is meant to check all of the baby’s organs and development.
- Learning the sex of your baby is optional, and they will usually ask if you want to know. If you are waiting for a surprise at the delivery, they will keep quiet about baby’s gender.
Sometimes you can find out sooner!
In some case – you can find out the sex of your baby earlier than 18 weeks. If your obstetrician wants to do additional screening tests for genetic diseases like Down Syndrome. These tests may include a blood test called NIPT, an amniocentesis, or chorionic villus sampling. The tests are expensive and not done routinely. They are not done just to find out the sex of the baby. But usually done to reveal information as they examine the genes for other things. TheBump.com has interviewed three physicians about these laboratory tests. Click this link to learn more!
There are some companies that advertise DIY at-home gender-reveal tests using the mother’s urine or blood.
- According to one company, you can order a blood test kit, send them several drops of your blood and they will check it for male DNA. Male DNA can appear in mom’s blood stream as soon as 8 weeks after conception (that’s an awesome bit of trivia!). This company claims a 99.9% accuracy rate. But the studies have only been done by that company, so the medical community has yet to endorse this method.
- A different company that offers at-home urine tests to predict the sex of the baby tells you right on the web site that they aren’t very accurate and that you should only do it for “fun”.
- So these at-home tests may or may not be accurate – but more for fun!
And speaking of accuracy, most of us think that if the ultrasound technician says “its’s a boy” we can go out and buy blue paint. Read this great article by Dr. Patricia Santiago-Munoz who recommends caution because she was told she was having a boy.
Here at the CPC, we do lots of ultrasounds. Feel free to check out our ultrasound page for other questions you may have! And learn more about ultrasounds on our ultrasound blog.
If you haven’t had an ultrasound for this pregnancy and are not already seeing a doctor or midwife, call us for an appointment. We do limited OB ultrasounds in first trimester, which is too early to tell you the sex of your baby. During this ultrasound we will look for a heartbeat, and send you home with a photo of baby and a proof of pregnancy if you need one. All of our services are free.