Many parents would like to know the sex of their baby before they give birth. It is reasonably easy to tell sex by the 20 week scan, as long as the sonographer gets a good view. Boys and girls have obvious differences at this stage. A third trimester scan can normally tell the sex of your baby as there is plenty of amniotic fluid around your baby and it doesn't have its feet tucked up between its legs.
In the early weeks, however, it is not so simple. The sex of a baby is genetically determined at conception, but during the early development of embryos, they all look alike.
If you want to guess the gender of your baby there are tons of Old Wives tales. A familiar one that is supposed to differentiate between a boy and girl is the rate of the baby's heartbeat. 140 BPM appears to be the commonly used threshold, or “try to tell between a galloping horse and a steam train.” But surely its common sense – a baby's heartbeat is normally irregular during development. If the baby is asleep or having a subdued time then it will be slower than when the baby is awake and active. 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. Another common one is carrying the baby all up front means boy and on the hips mean girl. How can this be? Women are all different shapes and sizes, what does it mean if there is a nice even spread all the way round?
It is achievable, 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. Early research showed that, if babies that were lying in a position to see, very experienced sonographers using top-of-the-range scan machines got the sex right in solely 70 per cent of cases at 11 weeks, and in only over nine out of 10 cases at 12 weeks. In another study, sonographers could only correctly differentiate the sex 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 subsequently that it was incorrect can be very distressing. It is best to wait until your mid-pregnancy, detailed scan unless you need to know the gender because you have a family history of gender-linked genetic problems. By then there is a greater probability of getting the sex right.
As the pregnancy develops, the genitalia become more and more distinguishable. The sonographer can see things better with the incresed amniotic fluid; and hopefully, your baby's legs aren't folded into their chest.
This is why experts suggest going at least halfway through your gestation to get a more accurate look at what your baby's sex is. A gender scan is usually performed after at least 18 weeks and determines the gender of your baby. A reputable company should spend time determining the sex so that they can be fairly positive in their decision, whilst there are no 100% guarantees with ultrasound. 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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