Identifying the baby's gender is pretty easy with the help of a trained ultrasound technician or a doctor, but most women don?t want to wait that long. As soon as a woman gets pregnant, there is speculation about the gender of the baby. Older women will make comments about how high or low a baby is being carried. There are a number of old wives? tales regarding gender prediction that many women still swear by.
Morning Sickness? It's a Girl!
Many women swear that lots of nausea indicates that the baby?s gender is female. Doctors say there may be some truth to this in extreme situations. Women who get hyperemesis gravidarum often give birth to girls. This severe type of morning sickness is due to levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG. Ask a woman who has ever carried a baby boy if she has had morning sickness though. Mothers of boys aren?t immune from pregnancy-related nausea.
Carrying Low? It's a Boy!
This is a classic old wives? tale about gender prediction. People say that if a woman is carrying a baby low, the baby will be a boy. If the woman is carrying the baby high, the baby will be a girl. There isn?t a whole lot of science to this gender prediction method, but many women swear it works.
Heartbeat
Some people think that if a baby?s heart beats more than 140 beats per minute, it is a girl. Studies have shown that this really doesn?t apply to babies in the first trimester, but there is a kernel of truth to the statement. Research has shown that the hearts of female babies beat faster prior to delivery. Women hoping to predict the sex of their babies early shouldn?t rely on this method.
Good Old Science
An ultrasound is the best way to find out the sex of the baby. Unfortunately, couples will have to wait until about 18 to 20 weeks into the pregnancy. It?s also possible to find out the gender of the baby through an amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling test. These tests are considerably more invasive than an ultrasound, and they are usually reserved for women who need testing for potential genetic disorders. DNA testing of the mother?s blood can also determine the gender of a baby. These tests are not always available to everybody, because they can be incredibly expensive. There only other way to know the gender with absolute certainty is to wait 9 months.
