Lots of parents would like to know the sex of their baby before they give birth. By the time of your 20-week scan it's reasonably uncomplicated to tell the gender, as long as the person doing the scan, called the sonographer, gets a good view. Boys and girls have obvious differences at this stage. A third trimester scan can normally tell the gender of your baby as there is lots of amniotic fluid surrounding your baby and it doesn't have its feet tucked up between its legs.
But, it is not so easy in the early weeks. All embryos look the same even though their gender would have already been genetically set at conception.
There are stacks of Old Wives tales surrounding guessing the gender of your baby. The rate of the baby's heartbeat is a familiar one that is supposed to differentiate between a boy and girl. 140 BPM seems to be the typically used threshold, or “try to tell between a galloping horse and a steam train.” But surely its common sense – a baby's heartbeat is frequently irregular during development. If baby is wide awake and active it will be faster than when the baby is having a subdued time. This is all very common. As you probably don't know what the baby is doing at the time, a one off heartbeat reading won't give you any information. Carrying the baby all up front means boy and on the hips mean girl is another common one. How can this be? What about if there is a nice uniform spread all the way round? Women are all different shapes and sizes.
It is possible, from about 11 weeks to see a slight difference between the sexes. Studies show that early gender detection is a pretty hit and miss affair. Past research has shown that very experienced sonographers using top-of-the-range scan machines got the gender correct in only 70 per cent of cases at 11 weeks, and in just over nine out of 10 cases at 12 weeks, if babies that were lying in a position to see. In a more recent study, sonographers could only accurately differentiate the gender in 46 per cent of babies at 12 weeks and 80 per cent at 13 weeks. A gender scan this early may not be accurate.
Being told the gender and then finding out afterwards that it was wrong can be extremely distressing. Unless you need to know the gender because you have a family history of gender-linked genetic problems, it's best to wait until your mid-pregnancy, detailed scan. The probability of getting the sex correct then is a lot greater.
It is easier to identify the genitalia as the pregnancy develops. The sonographer can see things better with the incresed amniotic fluid; and with any luck, your baby's legs aren't folded into their chest.
As the sonographer can see more clearly, experts suggest going at least halfway through your pregnancy. A gender scan is commonly performed after at least 18 weeks and determines the sex of your baby. There are no 100% guarantees with ultrasound but a reputable company should spend time establishing the gender so that they can be reasonably positive in their decision. After all, it's no joke to buy blue only to find out it should have been pink!
For more help and advice on gender scan and to get a quote please contact 4D babyimages. We also specialise in 3D and 4D scans.
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