A Note on Terminology

Throughout this article, we’ve used “sex” and “gender” interchangeably to mirror common usage. However, these two related concepts have an important difference: sex refers to biological differences, while gender encompasses the roles, behaviors, and identity that society associates with being male or female.

How is a baby’s sex determined?

At conception, the chromosomes carried by the sperm determine a baby’s biological sex. If the sperm carries an X chromosome, it will pair with the mother’s X chromosome to make a girl (XX). If the sperm carries a Y chromosome, it pairs with the mother’s X to make a boy (XY). This fetal DNA dictates not just the baby’s sex, but also plays a significant role in baby development of sexual characteristics.

Can you find out a baby’s gender early?

Now that conception has occurred, the baby’s gender is still a mystery as far as anyone outside of the womb is concerned. So what pregnancy week do you find out gender? Here’s when various gender testing methods work with maximum accuracy, from earliest pregnancy week to latest:

• In vitro fertilization with sex selection – Before pregnancy
• At-home gender test – 6 weeks (SneakPeek Test)
• Chorionic villus sampling – 10 weeks
• Non-invasive prenatal test – 10 weeks
• Amniocentesis – 15 to 20 weeks
• Ultrasound – 18 to 20 weeks

No matter which method you choose, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider, OBGYN, or midwife before pursuing screening. While each of these methods is perfectly safe, some of them look for other conditions (like birth defects) as well as gender.

Methods of Gender Determination

Let’s take a closer look at each of these methods for finding out your baby’s sex early and how they work in practice.

#1 In Vitro Fertilization with Sex Selection

IVF is a type of assisted reproductive technology (ART) that can help women who struggle with fertility achieve a pregnancy. It’s a highly involved process during which mature eggs are harvested from ovaries, fertilized in a laboratory, and returned to the body for implantation in the uterus. Parents who undergo in vitro fertilization have the option to select their baby’s sex even before implantation occurs, which eliminates the need to discover this trait later on in pregnancy.IVF with sex selection offers a remarkably high accuracy rate for determining the baby’s gender, with success rates exceeding 99%.

#2 At-Home Early Gender Test

Because of the significant strides made in DNA testing methods in recent years, there’s excellent news for any expectant parent wondering, how early can you find out gender? The SneakPeek Early Gender Prediction test is a DNA-based, at-home gender test lets you discover your baby’s sex with over 99% accuracy1 as early as 6 weeks into pregnancy. These early gender test kits use a special, virtually painless device to collect a small blood sample from the mom-to-be. The sample is then sent to a laboratory, where qPCR-based testing methods are used to look at the nucleic acids comprising the fetal DNA, which can indicate gender.

Among all of the available gender testing methods, this at-home gender DNA blood test can tell a baby’s sex the earliest and with the highest accuracy-99%.

#3 Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)

Chorionic villus sampling, or CVS, is a technique that can be performed as early as 10 weeks into your pregnancy. This procedure may be administered in one of two ways:

• Transcervical, where a tube is inserted into your cervix
• Transabdominal, where a needle is inserted into your lower abdomen

During this procedure, your healthcare provider will locate your chorion—the most superficial layer of your placenta—to retrieve a small sample of villi. Villi are tiny extensions emanating from your placenta that interact with maternal blood and possess the same genetic material as your baby (including information about their gender).While this procedure can be used to identify fetal sex, clinicians primarily use chorionic villus sampling to:

• Rule out chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome
• Screen for genetic conditions, such as cystic fibrosis

Success rates typically exceed 98%, however, the risks of CVS include bleeding, cramping, infection, infant limb defects, and miscarriage.

#4 Non-Invasive Prenatal Tests (NIPTs)

Non-invasive prenatal tests, or NIPTs, are primarily used as a means of screening fetuses for genetic abnormalities. These tests involve taking a small sample of blood, which is then sent to a lab to examine cell-free DNA, or cfDNA—a type of DNA that originates in the placenta and contains genetic information about your baby. NIPTs are usually only offered to pregnant women who are at risk of giving birth to a baby with chromosomal or genetic disorders like Down Syndrome, Edwards syndrome, or Patau syndrome. Risk factors include:

• Being 35 or older
• Having a history of pregnancies with chromosomal abnormalities
• Having a personal or family history of chromosomal abnormalities

However, because NIPTs examine the fetus’ sex chromosomes, they can also determine gender. NIPTs may be offered as early as 10 weeks into your pregnancy, with NIPT test results typically arriving between 8 to 14 days. NIPT test gender accuracy often exceeds 99%.

#5 Amniocentesis

Amniocentesis is similar to chorionic villus sampling because it also requires your provider to take a sample from your body. In this case, instead of sampling your villi, your doctor will retrieve a sample of your amniotic fluid. Your amniotic fluid is the liquid that envelops your baby in the womb to help her stay cushioned, thermoregulated, and protected from infections. Floating in your amniotic fluid are dead cells that your baby has shed, and these cells contain her genes—precisely the material your doctor needs to determine your baby’s sex.

Amniocentesis may be performed in your second trimester, typically between weeks 15 and 20 of pregnancy. The results of this procedure tend to take longer than others to receive, meaning you’ll likely need to wait 10 to 14 days after testing to learn your baby’s sex. Usually, this method provides results with an accuracy rate of over 99%.

#6 Ultrasounds

Ultrasounds use sound waves to get a closer look at your baby as he develops in utero. During this procedure, your provider (usually a sonographer) will use a special wand called a transducer to emit sound waves either transvaginally (through your vagina) or transabdominally (over your abdomen). These sound waves bounce off of your internal organs and growing fetus to produce a rough image of your uterus and your baby, which you’ll be able to see on a monitor. Most pregnant women undergo two ultrasounds during the course of their pregnancy—one in their first trimester, and one in their second. Pregnancy ultrasounds are primarily used to:

• Determine how far along you are and predict your due date
• Confirm that your baby is growing at a healthy rate
• Screen for complications or birth defects
• Assess the baby’s position before you’re ready to give birth

While fetal ultrasound scans are important for monitoring your baby’s health, they aren’t necessarily the most recommended method for early fetal gender detection. This is because most sonographers hypothesize a baby’s sex based on what’s known as the “nub” method. Between the 11th and 13th week of your first trimester, fetuses develop a nub—a small protrusion where their future genitals will be. Sonographers look for two variations of this nub to gauge a baby’s sex:

• If the nub is angled over 30 degrees up, the baby will most likely be male
• If the nub is angled 10 degrees down or flush with the baby’s spine, it will most likely be female

An ultrasound can predict the sex of your baby as early as 11 weeks into your pregnancy but with only 70.3% accuracy. For the most accurate gender assessment, you’ll want to schedule your ultrasound scan between your 18th and 20th weeks, when accuracy jumps up to between 95 to 99%. At this point in fetal development, male genitalia is typically visible, so sonographers can more easily identify (or rule out) a baby boy.

Old Wives’ Tales for finding out baby’s gender

Before modern science and technology, generations of pregnancy folklore was passed down to predict a baby’s gender. These tales, often shared among families and friends, offer a playful glimpse into gender prediction long before ultrasounds and DNA tests became the norm. A few common old wives’ tale gender tests include:

• The Baby Heartbeat Gender Test – Using a fetal heart monitor, this method claims that a bpm (beats per minute) over 140 signals a girl, while a bpm below 140 points to a boy.
• Pregnancy Cravings – This myth suggests that salty pregnancy cravings point to a boy, while sweeter ones indicate a girl.
• Baking Soda Gender Test – This gender experiment requires you to take a sample of your urine and stir in 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Supposedly, if it stays flat you’ll have a girl, and if it fizzes, you’ll have a boy.
• Ancient Prediction Calendars – Some ancient cultures predicted a baby’s gender based on the mother’s age at conception and the month of conception, such as the Mayan Gender Predictor and the Chinese Gender Predictor.
• Gender Prediction Quiz – For a fun and interactive experience, try out our Gender Prediction Quiz!
• Ring Gender Test – One of these rituals is the ring gender test: a sweet, simple “test” that involves dangling a ring or wedding band over an expecting mother’s pregnant belly to divine her child’s gender.

While these old wives’ tales can add an element of fun to your parenthood journey, we wouldn’t recommend choosing a baby name based on their predictions. At the end of the day, you get to decide on which option for gender detection is best for your pregnancy. If you decide to find out, you get to plan how to reveal the little one’s sex to your family and friends!

SneakPeek: It’s Never Too Early for a Gender Reveal

If you’ve decided you want the earliest and most accurate verdict possible, your best bet is to scoop up SneakPeek’s Test. This test delivers faster, more accurate results earlier than any other method used today—and it’s the #1 OBGYN-approved test kit, used by 1 million parents eager to meet their little ones as early as 6 weeks into their pregnancies. So you can stop wondering, and start looking at gender reveal party ideas today!

SneakPeek also offers complete privacy protection to keep you and your baby’s sensitive data safe, with a 100% money-back guarantee if your results don’t match your baby’s gender on delivery day. If you’re ready to learn the sex of your baby, we’re ready to help. Jump-start your journey into parenthood with SneakPeek.