Most parents expecting a baby would like to understand what gender the child will be. Many couples want to find out all the nuances around this aspect. Which week is suitable to reveal the gender of the baby?
At what months can a child's gender be determined? It is necessary to understand at what month of pregnancy you can find out the gender of the baby using an ultrasound, as well as how accurate the ultrasound readings will be. And most importantly, how can the mother of a child find out who to expect - a girl or a boy, without ultrasound diagnostics.
About the genitals: the first weeks of fetal life
If a woman becomes pregnant, it will be possible to find out the sex of the child after the baby’s genitals are formed enough that they can be seen on the screen when using ultrasound therapy. But here the question arises: “When exactly does this happen?” So, for example, at the sixth week of pregnancy, the embryo still looks very little like a person; it only has certain tubercles, which will later become arms and legs. The same applies to the genital organs: at this stage of the baby’s development, it is still only a genital tubercle, which will not answer the question of what gender the baby will be from the parents.
What factors influence the gender of the child?
When ovulation occurs, a female egg matures in a woman’s body and begins its movement to the peritoneum. In turn, a man's sperm are divided into those containing the girl's X chromosome and the boy's Y chromosome. The gender of the child depends on which one reaches the female reproductive cell first.
When a married couple plans the sex of the baby, a certain knowledge of the time of conception before and after ovulation is required. The properties of sperm with different sets of chromosomes also play a role. If male cells are more mobile, but die quickly, then female cells are more viable, but have a slow movement speed. All these features are taken into account when calculating the moment favorable for fertilization.
In this regard, when parents want a girl, doctors recommend sexual intercourse 2-3 days before the egg matures. To have a boy, you need to make love on the day of ovulation and the next 24 hours.
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However, other factors can influence the process of conceiving a boy and a girl:
- The nutritional pattern of the expectant mother is of great importance. Scientists have proven that a special diet, followed for about 3-4 months before fertilization, can influence the process of formation of the baby’s gender. In order to have a boy, a woman is encouraged to eat foods such as mushrooms, lentils, peas, pasta, pickles, mushrooms, potatoes, as well as bananas and fruit juices. To make a girl, the diet must consist of seafood, tomatoes, honey and nuts, citrus fruits, cereals, and chocolate.
- It has also been noted that the age of the parents also plays a role. Typically, when the mother is older than the father, a girl is born. If the father is older than the mother, there is a high probability of having a son.
- Oddly enough, even the time of year can affect the gender of the child. Typically, daughters are born more often in the summer and spring, and sons more often in the fall.
- Another factor influencing the gender of the unborn baby is the character of the mother. A strong, active woman in all respects usually gives birth to boys. This is due to the high content of the male hormone in her body - testosterone. For this reason, the female reproductive cell prefers sperm with the Y chromosome.
Be that as it may, the question of how many weeks can you find out the sex of the child remains relevant for most families, and invasive examination and ultrasound can help with this.
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Development of the genital organs after the 10th week
Around the 11th week, the situation begins to change; in boys, the genital tubercle slowly turns into a penis, moving forward slightly, while in girls it seems to subside, forming the clitoris and labia. However, even at this stage it is extremely difficult to find out exactly the sex of the baby; ultrasound does not provide such a clear picture as to clarify the picture regarding the baby’s gender. So at what month can you find out the gender of the baby? Almost all doctors agreed that this can be done correctly no earlier than the 16th week of the embryo’s life. However, in our country, the second ultrasound, the main task of which on the part of parents is to determine the sex of the baby, is scheduled for approximately 20-21 weeks, so that the results are almost 100% reliable.
How long can you accurately determine the sex of a baby using ultrasound?
In the second month from the beginning of fertilization, it is useless to recognize sexual differences, since external signs have not yet appeared. In male and female fetuses, up to three months only the genital tubercle is formed, which later begins to form into the labia and penis.
Early diagnosis of sex before this time may allow errors. The most common is mistaking an embryo's limb for its penis. Another mistake occurs when the fetus associates swollen labia with a boy's scrotum.
Therefore, when parents are interested in how long it is possible to accurately determine the sex of the child by ultrasound, doctors recommend a time from 14 to 20 weeks. This is the most optimal time when sexual differences become apparent.
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The ultrasound image will be most clear at 18-19 weeks, but, of course, everything depends on the position occupied by the fetus in the womb. In addition, sometimes the child’s place of origin may be covered by the umbilical cord or the arm, the fetus may be located in an unfavorable position for this purpose, or the legs may be compressed.
Experts recommend undergoing examinations using ultra-precise equipment, such as 3D ultrasound. The mechanism of its action is similar to ordinary ultrasound examination - these are low-frequency waves, elusive to human perception. Passing through the skin, they are reflected from obstacles in the form of internal organs, thus revealing the smallest details of the examined object.
Such equipment is capable of showing all the features and anatomical structure of the baby’s body in three-dimensional form. Volume diagnostic ultrasound helps to identify all developmental abnormalities, including the genital organs of the fetus. Unfortunately, not all medical institutions have such high-tech equipment. But you can get tested by registering at medical centers, for example, mother and child.
However, parents who are eager to quickly find out who their child will be born should understand that such a diagnosis will require a doctor’s referral. Despite the fact that this procedure is painless and, at first glance, harmless, it must be taken into account that it may be unsafe for the fetus. It has been proven that after this procedure the child begins to behave restlessly and roll over frequently.
It is especially dangerous to carry out diagnostics without permission when a woman has already had miscarriages or there are disturbances in the functioning of the uterus. There are known situations where even women who do not have health problems experienced termination of pregnancy due to frequent 3D ultrasound. In addition, it should be noted that three-dimensional ultrasound has its own contraindications.
By the way, there are other methods when you can determine the sex of a child. Perhaps in some situations, they are more acceptable when it comes to the health of the mother and her baby.
Heartbeat
Some mothers may be concerned about whether it is possible to find out the gender of the child not only by ultrasound results. So, some doctors practice determining gender by the baby’s heartbeat. According to their opinion, this can be done almost at the 10-11th week, when the baby’s heart is already fully formed. What is most important in this case? It is believed that the heart rate of girls is much higher than that of boys. If we look at the numbers, then women’s indicators are 140-150 beats per minute, men’s – 120-130. If the number of calculated blows fluctuates in the range of 130-150, then doctors say that at the moment it is impossible to determine the sex of the child in this way. However, most gynecologists reject this theory, comparing it with medieval methods of sex determination, which have no basis.
Stages of formation of the fetal reproductive system
After fertilization, the male and female cells unite, resulting in a new organism with 46 chromosomes.
The main moments of gender formation occur as follows:
- At 5-6 weeks, the embryo develops gonads. Depending on the presence of different chromosomes and a specific antigen, the glands develop as a boy or a girl.
- At 8-9 weeks, through the production of hormonal substances, the baby’s genitals begin to form. Organs such as male testicles and female ovaries develop only in the 9th week.
- Starting from the 10th week, the testicles are already functioning and producing testosterone.
- Due to the work of male and female hormones, external organs
- appear by the beginning of the third month, but it is still impossible to distinguish them.
- Only at the 14th week does the time come when it is possible to determine the sex of the child during pregnancy.
The earliest ultrasound examination is carried out a little earlier - at 12-13 weeks. Its purpose is to identify defects and pathologies of the internal organs of the embryo.
Ultrasound
If a woman wants to understand how to find out the exact gender of the child, doctors will definitely recommend ultrasound therapy, based on the results of which she will receive the desired information. So, according to doctors, it is simply impossible to find out the answer to this question before 15 weeks of pregnancy using this method. However, not every doctor can do this even at such an early stage. The main factors that play a role in this matter are, of course, the qualifications of the specialist who conducts the study, as well as the condition of the equipment with which the ultrasound is performed. Thus, often inexperienced doctors mistake swelling of the labia of girls in the early stages of fetal development for the genitals of a boy, providing parents with incorrect information. So at what month can you find out the gender of a child reliably? It is best to do this no earlier than the fifth month of pregnancy, around the 22nd week. This will be the exact result, which will be announced by a specialist at a regular clinic using not very new equipment.
Other methods of determining gender
It is known that ultrasound does not always have a favorable effect on the body of a pregnant woman and the fetus, so sometimes other methods of determining gender can be used.
In this case, use:
- Taking samples of biomaterial from the uterus using a special needle. Sometimes the test is done using a probe through the vagina. The goal is to study the contents of the organ for the presence of chorion located in the fetal placenta at the 11th week of gestation. This type of examination is justified when a pregnant woman has a high risk of developing hereditary diseases or having a baby with mental retardation.
- Amniocentesis - examination of the composition of amniotic fluid is carried out through a puncture. This is an accurate diagnosis that gives almost 100% accurate results. Used upon reaching four months of pregnancy.
- You can also find out the sex of the baby by blood taken from the umbilical cord. To do this, it is not at all necessary to wait 3-4 months for the appearance of external sexual characteristics. This can be done much earlier - as early as 1.5 months. Microscopic examination of the plasma will help to recognize the baby's DNA code. Usually, if male genetics are not detected, then a girl should be born.
- Today, gender is determined easily and without any unnecessary interventions by heartbeat. Gender can be found out as early as 10 weeks, due to the fact that the fetal heart is actively functioning. If the heart rate reaches 150 beats per minute, it is safe to say that a girl will appear. In male children it does not exceed 130 beats.
It is not worth explaining that all these methods are available only with a doctor’s prescription, as they can cause pathological changes that threaten spontaneous abortion.
If a married couple needs to find out at what time it is possible to accurately determine the sex of the child by ultrasound, they will have to wait for the most convenient time, starting from 18-19 weeks. To avoid disappointment, it is not recommended to carry out the examination earlier and then repeat it if the desired results are not obtained. Moreover, there is no particular need to further traumatize the baby’s condition.
Biopsy
Some mothers may be interested in how and when you can find out the gender of your baby using methods other than ultrasound. So, some doctors may suggest doing a chorionic villus biopsy for this. What is it? First of all, it must be said that this is an extremely dangerous method, which is prescribed to identify various chromosomal diseases of the fetus, but never only to determine the sex of the baby. But as a bonus, doctors with this method of research can tell parents who they are thinking of having - a boy or a girl. What is this procedure? Doctors take a piece of tissue from a woman's uterus that carries the same genetic information as the unborn baby. Having examined this fabric, certain conclusions are drawn. As for the sex of the embryo, this is an almost 100% method. When can you find out the sex of the child in such a situation? Duration: approximately 7-10 weeks of pregnancy.
What month can I find out?
It remains to understand the important point at how many months the gender of the unborn child will be found out. An extremely impatient mother and father are wondering whether it is possible to find out the child’s gender at 3 months or not?
During pregnancy up to 10-12 weeks, it is not always possible to determine the gender of the child, for a number of reasons described above. At the same time, under favorable circumstances, it is possible to determine who exactly will be: a boy or a girl.
After 10-11 weeks, the fetus begins to develop sexual characteristics. In the future, after undergoing 2 additional ultrasound examinations, parents will be able to determine the sex of the baby with 99% of the readings.
Blood renewal
If a woman wants to get information on how and in what month she can find out the gender of the child, she may be advised to do this by updating the parents’ blood. So, in women, the blood is completely renewed every three years, in men - every four. And the baby, according to the data, will be of the exact gender whose parent’s blood will be “younger.” So, it's quite easy to calculate. It is necessary to divide the mother's age by three, and the number of complete years of the father by four. Whoever has the lower number should have a baby of that gender. However, this method has not found support among doctors and is considered just a game rather than something truly serious.
Traditional methods
Even during the time of computer technology and the development of society, our people love to use methods for determining the gender of a child, which were known to our great-grandmothers. So, these are certain signs that can indicate to a woman who lives in her tummy. If, for example, a woman has a round belly, expect a girl, a pointed belly, expect a boy. A lady's appearance can also tell a lot. If she has turned ugly, there will be a girl, because it is believed that she takes away her mother’s beauty, but if the lady has become prettier, most likely she will have a boy. If a pregnant woman feels sick in the morning, this indicates that she is having a girl, but if everything is fine in the morning, it is a boy. It is believed that diet is also important: if a woman “pounces” on sweets, you should expect a girl, if on salty foods, you should expect a boy. Well, our ancestors believed that the sex of the baby also depended on what happened at the moment of conception: if the man was wearing a T-shirt and socks (or any other clothes), the window was closed, and the woman was less active during sex - it would be a boy. If the lady received the highest pleasure before the man, and intimacy took place in wet weather, a girl will be born. However, it is worth saying that this is far from a reliable method of determining the sex of a baby.
DNA determines everything
Without an ultrasound, the tables should not be trusted, even if they are presented to you as the result of centuries-old research by Japanese and Chinese monks. As soon as conception occurs, chromosomes determine everything that concerns the unborn baby - eye color, hair thickness, growth parameters, quality of health, as well as gender.
Here it all looks like this:
- at week 5, germ cells are formed;
- At week 7, the formation of the gonads begins.
You will have to wait another 2 weeks for the ovaries or testicles to appear. It is clear that the first ones are for the princess, the second ones are for the cowboy. The process is not visible on ultrasound, it occurs in the abdomen.
Around the 11th week, the fetus acquires external sexual characteristics. But you won’t see them on an ultrasound yet, or rather, you won’t be able to distinguish them. This is a tubercle that in a week will become either a penis or a clitoris. But it is possible to understand who a woman is carrying in her womb only at the 14th obstetric week.
How can you find out in an unconventional way who you will have? My grandmother used to say that if a woman asks herself a question about the sex of her child before going to bed, she can get the answer.
Test yourself. So, the white bunny is a girl, the goat is a boy. If you caught, for example, a pike or a rudd, then in accordance with their gender, which is female, you will have a girl. But a catch in the form of carp or crucian carp speaks of a boy.
Interesting fact
It may be interesting to know the time at which Indians find out the gender of their child. So, this happens only after the birth of the child. And this is not because they do not conduct routine examinations of a pregnant woman. Finding out the gender of the baby is prohibited by law. For this, not only the parent who wanted to receive this information, but also the doctor who made it public may be punished. The thing is that most fathers expecting the birth of a son are disappointed if they find out that there is a girl in the mother’s womb, and insist on an abortion.
