How long does it take for a child’s sex to be determined, and what factors does it depend on?

Parental impatience

Ultrasound has various purposes during pregnancy. But the use of this technology often gains the greatest significance precisely because it is an excellent way to reveal the gender of the child. Some expectant parents are so excited and excited about pregnancy that they simply cannot wait until the birth to find out whether their family will be a boy or a girl. While others simply do not want to postpone the moment of awareness of this until birth.

Parents who want to choose a name or stock up on baby clothes before their baby arrives often look forward to an ultrasound scan. Parents may also need to know whether their baby is at increased risk for gender-specific types of genetic abnormalities. Not only will they be able to see a picture of their baby, but they will also have the opportunity to find out its gender. Doctors typically use ultrasound imaging early in pregnancy to also measure the size of the baby and check for birth defects or other problems.

In this regard, before starting the analysis, parents will need to warn the doctor about their desire or unwillingness to be informed regarding the gender of the future baby.

Longer term – greater data accuracy

By the 12th week of pregnancy, most babies have distinctly male or female genitalia. At the same time, an ultrasound examination can provide a good view of the genitals if the child is in the correct position. Ultrasound is about 70 percent accurate in determining gender at 11 weeks. By week 12, accuracy jumps to nearly 99 percent using modern equipment. By the 13th week, a good ultrasound picture will be very accurate.

However, you should not expect the analysis to be completely reliable. Babies don't always behave in the womb in ways that make it easier to see them as closely as possible. The expectant mother should ask the doctor (check with him in more detail separately) whether he was really able to get a clear, unobstructed view of the child’s genitals. If the baby's position did not allow the specialist to have access to an ideal view, then you will have to wait until the next scheduled ultrasound.

Many doctors still advise using ultrasound exclusively as a diagnostic tool when there is a medical reason, and not doing repeated examinations just because during the previous examination, the position of the fetus blocked visual access to the view that carries information about the baby’s gender.

Test for determining the fetus by blood Genderbaby test

GenderBaby-Test - Early genetic test to determine the sex of the fetus. Test for identifying the Y chromosome in the blood of a pregnant woman. It is carried out using technology developed in Canada more than 10 years ago.

With the development of new technologies in the field of embryonic genetic diagnostics, it has become possible to determine the sex of a child as early as possible during pregnancy.

DNA analysis to determine the sex of a child is absolutely safe and can be used as early as the 8th obstetric week of pregnancy. It is based on the detection of fetal DNA of the fetus in the mother’s blood, which already appears in the blood of the pregnant woman from approximately the 3rd week of gestation (5 obstetric weeks) and reaches a sufficient amount by 8 obstetric weeks to accurately determine the sex of the child.

• From 8 obstetric weeks, the reliability of genetic determination of the child’s sex is on average 95-98% for a girl,
• and 99% for a boy.
• After 9 weeks, the reliability of the analysis increases.
• The result of DNA testing to determine the sex of the fetus contains one of the following conclusions:

Previously, it was possible to find out the exact gender of the child only in the second trimester by examining amniotic fluid or umbilical cord blood. The procedure was carried out using an invasive method, which was accompanied by risks for the mother and fetus.

The technology for studying fetal DNA from the mother’s blood is safe and does not require preparation.

• To determine the sex of the child, it is enough to donate blood from a vein in a clinic.
• No preliminary preparation is required for this.
• The analysis is NOT taken on an empty stomach. Blood samples are placed in a special tube and sent to a laboratory for testing.
• Ready time from 1 to 3 days.
• analysis accuracy up to 99%

When is the sex of a child determined in the early stages?

A direct indication for DNA testing is the high probability of a child developing a sex-linked genetic pathology. A number of hereditary diseases are transmitted only through the male or female line. Timely determination of the sex of the fetus with a burdened genetic history in the family reduces the risk of having a child with diseases such as:

• Hemophilia;
• hydrocephalus;
• various types of mental retardation;
• diabetes insipidus of nephrogenic type;
• deafness.

It is also necessary for pregnant women suffering from a congenital type of adrenal hyperplasia to determine the sex of the child as early as possible. This pathology is accompanied by a large amount of male hormones in the blood, which negatively affect the development of the future girl. Antiandrogen therapy may be required, which is not indicated when carrying a boy.

In other cases, diagnosing the child’s gender is carried out in order to satisfy the curiosity of parents who want to choose a name for the baby in advance or buy the necessary things.

Contraindications for testing

Determining the sex of a child using DNA is not recommended if there is a high risk of obtaining an unreliable result. Testing is contraindicated if there is a possible presence of Y chromosomes in the mother's blood that do not belong to the fetus. This may be due to a history of:

• An interrupted previous pregnancy, after which 3 months have not passed. If the fetus was male, its genetic material can remain in the mother's blood for a long time.
• Bone marrow transplantation. If the exact gender of the donor is unknown or the donor is male, the test will be unreliable.
• Blood transfusion procedures from an anonymous donor or a man.
• When a woman takes anticoagulants, blood should be donated no earlier than 12 hours later.
• The presence of cancer.

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Principles of imaging

An ultrasound scan sends high-frequency sound waves into the uterus. Since these sound waves record their interaction with the internal surfaces in a certain way, it appears on the computer monitor, showing an image of the fetus. Ultrasound imaging can also help detect developmental abnormalities and determine the baby's size and height, in addition to gender. Most mothers use ultrasound between 18 and 20 weeks to get information about the sex of the baby. But sometimes it is done for this purpose along with other important data about the baby at 16 weeks.

At this time, both the position of the child and the professional skills of the specialist play an important role in determining the sex of the child. This visual method is approximately 95 percent to 100 percent accurate in determining sex at 20 weeks. Excess weight of the mother and certain positioning of the fetus, blocking the doctor’s visual access to the baby’s groin area, can affect the specialist’s ability to determine the sex of the child.

Using 3D ultrasound will help determine the sex of the baby even earlier than traditional 2D ultrasound. According to the study, of 150 women who underwent 3D ultrasound in the first trimester of pregnancy, 128, or 85.3 percent, received correct gender predictions for their children. These predictions were made between 11 and 14 weeks, demonstrating that 3D ultrasound can be an effective way to reveal the sex of a baby in the first trimester of pregnancy.

There may also be a medical need for sex determination. For example, an increased risk of developing genetic diseases or birth defects is suspected.

How long does it take to determine the sex of a child?

At what time is the gender of the child determined? This question is probably asked in all families preparing for the birth of a baby. Of course, nothing can be changed anyway, knowledge of gender will not affect anything, but it’s clear that it’s just interesting. Some are thinking about the name of the baby, others are looking at children's clothes in stores, and they want to know whether to look at clothes for boys or for girls.

Methods for determining gender

All methods for determining the sex of a child can be divided into three parts:

• All kinds of signs or beliefs, predictions. For example, they try to determine gender by the shape of the belly, changes in taste, or by the movement of a wedding ring on a thread over the belly. Let’s say right away that such methods have no scientific basis, and we will not discuss them as untenable.
• Determination of the y-chromosome in the analysis of amniotic fluid or placenta. As you know, boys have such a chromosome, but girls will not have it. This is the most accurate way to determine gender, but it cannot be used just for fun. This is a complex and dangerous study that can threaten miscarriage, and it is performed only if genetic mutations are suspected.
• The last method to determine the sex of the child is the most common and quite effective - ultrasound examination of the fetus. I will immediately upset expectant mothers - the gender of the child can be determined quite reliably at a period of approximately 12 - 14 weeks. They try, of course, to see the child’s genitals before, but the likelihood of error is such that it doesn’t make much sense. There are only two options, and you can just guess the gender with the same success.

True story

Regarding gender guessing, I always remember the story about one “predictor” of the child’s gender. It was in a distant mountain village. When a couple waiting for a new addition to the family came to this man, he would predict for money that, for example, there would be a boy. At the same time, he himself wrote down “girl” in a large book. If a couple had a boy, everyone was happy and praised the “fortuneteller.” If a girl was born, indignant parents came and demanded money back for an erroneous forecast. Then our “fortune teller” took out his book and showed the recording. It said “girl,” and our hero began to blame his parents for getting something mixed up. The earning option is a win-win.

When ultrasound does not deceive

The next aspect is also very important. If you have ever seen what the screen of an ultrasound machine shows, you understand that the picture there is not the same as in a photograph or in a video camera. There are some cumulus and cirrus clouds. In order to correctly display the image of the desired organ and determine the sex of the child in the early stages, there must be two components:

• Experienced doctor
• Good ultrasound machine.

The absence of any component makes the diagnostic value of the sex determination study highly questionable.

Come find out the sex of the baby in the First Doctor

We invite you to the gynecological departments of the First Doctor clinic network. Here you will be met by experienced doctors and good diagnostic equipment. We will try to see the sex of your baby as early and reliably as possible. Come and let's see. We are also interested in whether you are having a boy or a girl...

Additional sources of information

As part of this analysis, when visual access to sex information is not available, fetal heart rate data can be used. In the early stages of pregnancy, there will be no difference in heart rate between the sexes. During the third trimester of pregnancy, a girl's heart rate tends to be a little faster and a boy's heart rate a little slower. However, on an individual basis, it may be that a boy may have a faster heart rate and a girl may have a slower rate.

The fact that it is considered more likely to carry a girl if the expectant mother experiences serious morning sickness has a right to exist. Women expecting a girl have higher levels of a certain hormone during pregnancy. These higher levels are associated with an increased risk of developing severe morning sickness and vomiting. Therefore, this popular assumption is partly supported by scientific data.