When you are expecting a baby, parents are always interested in knowing their baby’s sex. Some parents may want to know what they are having immediately, while some choose to know it naturally. There is 50% chance of having a girl and 50% chance of having a boy through normal intercourse. Some people want to try different things for some kind of reasons, regardless of cultural beliefs, wanting a certain gender or to prevent gender based genetic conditions.The baby sex can be a continuous theme of your pregnancy. This article will share various ideas that may help you know your baby sex.
How Is Your Baby Sex Determined?
As soon as your egg is fertilized with your partner’s sperm, the sex of your baby is already determined. After the 23rd pair of chromosomes comes together, the sex of your baby is established. Mom’s egg contains the X chromosome and Dad’s sperm has either a Y or an X chromosome. If the combination is XX then you will have a girl, if the combination is XY you will have a boy.
In the beginning stages of life, your tiny little fetus inside and out including genitalare all the same. Over time, the gonads turn into either testicles on a boy and ovaries ona girl. There is a phallus in the early stages that turns into the penis on boys or a clitoris on girls.
Can You Choose the Sex of Your Baby?
It is possible to visit a specialist in fertility that can isolate either a fetus with an XX or an XY chromosome. In some countries, this is not legal to do like Canada, U.K. unless it is medically necessary. However, it is legal in the United States, therefore many visit U.S. fertility specialists from other countries for this reason.
Fertility specialists take the father’s sperm and look for either the X chromosome or the Y chromosome. Then they fertilize the egg with either “boy sperm” or “girl sperm.” Then they implant the fertilized egg into the uterus with IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). Couples can also opt for PGD or Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis that can pre-screen embryos for gender based genetic conditions.
You can also try some inexpensive, easy and safe practices at home and have one gender or the other. There is no proof they work, but it is worth a try. There are sex-selection kits available or old wives remedies like diet and herbs that are said to assist to conceive a boy or a girl.
The following video shares more information about choosing your baby sex:
How to Predict Your Baby’s Sex
1. Scientific Ways
- Ultrasound
The images produced on ultrasound are actually pretty accurate. There are some occasions where the ultrasound technician cannot see the sex of the baby orit has been mistaken, but that is actually quite rare. The best time to look for the sex of your baby on ultrasound is between 18 to 26 weeks of pregnancy.
- Amniocentesis and CVS
These two tests can predict the baby’s sex with over 99% accuracy. Either of these tests is only done if you are at risk for having a baby with chromosomal abnormalities or genetic disorders. They are only done if necessary because they can involve inserting a needle into the uterus and taking a sample of fluid, which may set risk of miscarriage during these tests.
2. Myths and Tales
- Baby’s Heart Rate
Some women believe that baby sex is indicated by the baby’s heart rate. It is thought that boys have slower heart rate under 140 bpm. If the rate is faster than that, you may have a girl.Doctors argue that there is no scientific proof as well as medical evidence.
- Wedding Ring Test
An old folk method of gender prediction is to take a strand of mother’s hair or a piece of string and tie her wedding ring onto it. Someone hold the ring over the mother’s belly. A back and forth swing indicates a boy and a circle swing indicates a girl. Of course, there is also no scientific proof that this is true.
- Baby’s Position in the Womb
The shape of your body is another popular method of predicting a baby’s gender. It is said that if you are carrying your baby weight in your buttocks and hips you may be having a girl. If you are carrying your baby weight all in front, you may be having a boy.
- Food Tastes
It is said that certain food cravings may be an indicatorof your baby’s sex. Salty and savory foods like chips or pizza may signal a boy. If you crave sweets, you may be having a girl. Medically, doctors will tell you that you cannot predict the sex of your baby by your foods tastes changes.
- Chinese Gender Charts
Chinese gender charts have been used for over 7 centuries. They are said to be more than 90% correct if it has been done properly. The chart needs the month you conceived, the mother’s birthday according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Previous users of the chart state that it is surprisingly accurate! For more detailed and accurate information, you can click the reference link below and obtain a more exact result:
http://www.babycenter.com/chinese-gender-predictor
If you want to know more about how to predict your baby sex, the video below can be a great help: