Key takeaways

• Old wives’ tales for predicting a baby’s sex, such as heart rate, cravings, and the ring gender test, are fun but not scientifically reliable.
• Common pregnancy symptoms are influenced by hormones, not the sex of your baby.
• It’s best to turn to science-based methods of sex prediction for accurate results and peace of mind.

1. Pendulum or ring gender test

What is the pendulum or ring gender test?

Myth: The ring test, also known as the necklace test, pendulum test, pregnancy ring test, or ring on a string test, is a pregnancy myth performed to determine the sex of a baby very early. The test uses the motion of a ring on a necklace or string over a pregnant belly and claims to determine if the pregnant person is having a boy or a girl.

How to perform the ring gender test

Tie your wedding ring, although any ring will do, to a long piece of string or through a necklace. Lie flat on your back with your baby bump toward the sky. Have a partner or friend dangle the wedding ring inches above the pregnant mama’s belly button. Watch the subtle movements of the threaded ring. Back-and-forth movement over the unborn baby indicates it’s a baby boy. Circular movement means it’s a baby girl.

2. Baking soda gender test

What is the baking soda gender test?

Myth: This commonly shared baking soda test is a pregnancy myth that tests a the pregnant person’s urine to determine the sex of her baby. This wives’ tale claims that urine reacting with baking soda can determine if it’s a boy or a girl.

How to perform the baking soda gender test

Place the two tablespoons of baking soda into two small containers. Next, take one of the containers with you to the bathroom; it’s time to collect a urine sample. Once you have your urine sample, combine it with the baking soda and give it a gentle stir. If it fizzes, it’s a boy. If it doesn’t react, it’s a girl. In reality, the fizzing is just carbon dioxide gas, a natural byproduct when sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) reacts with an acid. Thus, the more acidic the urine, the more bubbles will form.

3. Red cabbage gender test

What is the red cabbage gender test?

Myth: This is another interesting sex prediction method that mothers have sworn by time and time again. The claim is that the baby’s sex may be determined by examining the color of liquid after combining urine and liquid from boiled cabbage.

How to perform the red cabbage gender test

Cut half a head of red cabbage into roughly one-inch pieces. In a medium-sized saucepan, cover the cabbage in cold water and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to let the mixture simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and wait for it to cool. Strain the boiled cabbage water into a clear container-it should be a deep purple color.

Next, collect the urine sample. Then measure out equal parts of cabbage water and urine. Combine the two in a third mixing container, stir gently, and observe the color of the chemical reaction to determine your baby’s sex.If the liquid turns to a reddish-pink color, then you’re having a boy. If the liquid remains unchanged or takes on a greenish or purple hue, then you’re having a girl.

Much like the last test, this doesn’t truly determine your baby’s sex, it tests if the urine sample is highly acidic or not. When cabbage water mixes with an acid, the reaction turns reddish-pink; when it mixes with a base, the reaction turns the liquid green. To learn more about this sex predicting fallacy, check out our article on the Accuracy of Urine Gender Tests.

4. Baby heartbeat gender test

What is the baby heartbeat gender test?

Myth: This wives’ tale lives on and suggests a faster fetal heart rate indicates a baby girl, and a slower fetal heart rate is a baby boy.

How to perform the baby heartbeat gender test

In this test, you’ll need to hear the heartbeat of your baby and determine its heart rate in beats per minute. If you have an at-home fetal heart monitor, you can listen to the fetal heart rate at around 16 weeks while a friend or partner helps you count the beats in 10 seconds. Then multiply this number by 6 to get beats per minute.

• If the bpm is over 140, you’re having a girl
• If the bpm is under 140, you’re having a boy

In 2006, however, a paper was published by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Wright State University on exactly this matter. In the study, they examined 244 female fetal heart rates and 233 male fetal heart rates and did not find a statistically significant difference between the two.

5. Where you’re carrying the weight test

What is the weight carrying gender test?

Myth: Where you’re carrying the baby weight will indicate the sex of your baby.

How to perform the weight carrying gender test

This pregnancy tale claims you should take a look in the mirror or ask friends and family if you’re carrying high or low.

• If you’re carrying the weight high, it’s a girl
• If you’re carrying the weight low, it’s a boy

Whether there’s a scientific link here or not has yet to be proven. But physicians are not hopeful. Here are some reasons why you might be carrying high or low:

• Your natural body shape
• The baby’s positioning inside you
• Your posture and postural muscles
• How strong your pelvic floor is

6. Partner’s weight gain test

What is the partner’s weight gain gender test?

Myth: Examining the weight gain and sympathetic symptoms of your partner will give insight into your baby’s sex.

How to perform the partner’s weight gain gender test

While we’re on the subject of a weight-watching game, here’s another one:

• If your partner gains weight alongside you, you’re having a little boy.
• If your partner stays the same weight, you’re having a little girl.

This, however, has been linked to your partner’s empathy levels rather than to the genetic makeup of your growing baby.

Couvade syndrome

The real reason behind your partner gaining weight is something known as Couvade syndrome. Men who are empathic and share in their partner’s distress will go through some of the discomforts of pregnancy, including:

• Weight gain
• Morning sickness (that’s right)
• Dysregulated hormone levels
• Trouble sleeping or irregular sleep patterns

7. Pregnancy acne gender test

What is the pregnancy acne gender test?

Myth: The pregnancy acne sex prediction test gives insight into your baby’s sex based on whether or not you develop acne during the first trimester.

How to perform the pregnancy acne gender test

• If you have acne, you’re having a girl.
• If you don’t, you’re having a boy.

The phrase “pregnancy glow” is often used to describe pregnant people. If your acne gets in the way of your skin complexion shining, then the old wives’ tales sex prediction says you are having a girl. It’s said that a daughter steals her mother’s beauty, thus the reason for acne.

While around 50% of individuals experience acne during pregnancy, the link is not due to the sex of the baby. It’s due to the increase of hormones and oil on the skin, which is specific to the individual and can happen regardless of the sex.

8. Morning sickness gender test

What is the morning sickness gender test?

Myth: Having a little girl will cause severe morning sickness due to the increased production of hCG hormones in the body.

How to perform the morning sickness gender test

Do you have severe morning sickness? While the production of hCG hormones is known to cause morning sickness, and while it’s higher in those who are carrying baby girls, the unaccounted-for factor is how the individual’s body reacts. Two pregnant people could experience different degrees of morning sickness with the same levels of hCG in the same way two people could experience different degrees of pain from a broken bone. Every body is different.

Pregnant individuals carrying either sex can have severe morning sickness. Only looking at one factor doesn’t offer the full picture.

9. Pregnancy cravings – sweet vs salty test

What is the cravings gender test?

Myth: Different types of cravings can predict sex.

How to perform the cravings gender test

To have fun with this tale for sex prediction, simply assess your cravings according to the following:

• If you are having salty cravings, it’s a boy.
• If you are craving sweets, it’s a girl.

According to science, there is evidence that pregnancy cravings are, in fact, real. But is there a relationship between pregnancy cravings and gender? It appears not. Cravings are most often tied to hormonal changes or an indication that a pregnant person is in need of nutrients.

10. Breast size & nipples gender test

What is the breast size gender test?

Myth: A pregnant person can determine the baby’s sex by her first trimester breast size

How to perform the breast size gender test

This tale claims that if the breasts are much bigger than usual, you are carrying a girl, and if there are darker nipples, you are carrying a boy.

One study in Poland revealed that there is a correlation between fetus sex and breast circumference: mothers of female fetuses had a larger circumference than mothers of male fetuses. However, the study concludes that breast size alone cannot provide an accurate verdict of a baby’s sex as breast size shifts as a result of trade-offs between energy allocations to the baby that is constantly growing.

The verdict on nipple shade and baby’s sex is also false. Darker nipples during pregnancy are a result of hormone secretion from the placenta that can increase the body’s melanin levels. Pregnant people, especially those with darker complexions, can notice darker spots across their bodies.

11. Pregnancy dreams

What are pregnancy dreams for sex prediction?

Myth: The content of your dreams during pregnancy can predict your baby’s sex, with certain themes indicating a boy or a girl.

How to assess pregnancy dreams for sex prediction

According to this old wives’ tale, your dreams may reveal the opposite of what’s to come. If you’re dreaming of a baby girl, it could mean you’re having a boy, and if you’re dreaming of a baby boy, you may have a girl. Common dream scenarios include imagining a baby girl in a dress or a baby boy playing with trucks. While these pregnancy dreams can feel meaningful, they’re simply a fun way to predict your baby’s sex.

In reality, pregnancy can heighten emotions and stress, often leading to vivid dreams. This phenomenon is linked to hormonal changes and increased anxiety during pregnancy, and not proven to be related to sex.

12. Linea nigra

What is the linea nigra sex prediction test?

Myth: The length and position of the linea nigra—a dark vertical line that can appear down the center of your baby bump—may signal whether you’re carrying a boy or a girl.

How to assess the linea nigra for sex prediction

This wives’ tale says that if the linea nigra extends above your belly button, you’re carrying a boy, while a line that stops below the belly button means you’re having a girl. While many old wives’ tales for predicting baby’s sex can be fun, referencing the linea nigra for gender prediction isn’t reliable. The appearance of the linea nigra is a common pregnancy symptom and not a true way to predict whether you’re having a boy or a girl.

Takeaway and reliable alternatives

Myths and old wives’ tales gender predictions have proliferated online, and the Shettles method has even been developed for parents to try to influence their baby’s sex. If you’re interested in a fun and alternative method, you can also explore the ancient tradition of the Chinese gender calendar predictor or the Mayan gender predictor. Although these pregnancy myths and predictors won’t reliably determine the gender of your baby, they can be fun to try—so enjoy and dream about your future baby boy or girl.

Looking to get accurate results sooner? Medical tests, including ultrasounds, amniocentesis, chronic villus sampling (CVS), and blood tests, can all predict the sex of your baby with great confidence. The SneakPeek® Early Gender Test underwent scientific studies proving that our results are over 99% accurate in predicting your baby’s sex as early as 6 weeks into pregnancy. So, you can stop wondering and start looking at gender reveal party ideas.

That way, you don’t have to rely on peeing in cups and mixing it with boiled cabbage. You can know for certain.

FAQs

Can pregnancy symptoms predict whether you’re having a boy or a girl?

Common pregnancy symptoms like nausea, acne, or intense morning sickness are often linked to old wives’ tales about sex prediction. While the pregnancy symptoms you experience week by week are real, they’re caused by pregnancy hormones and individual differences—not the baby’s sex. They can’t reliably predict if you’re having a boy or a girl.

Are sex prediction quizzes or tests online accurate?

Online quizzes, like the Chinese gender predictor test, are entertaining but not reliable. These gender predictor tools are based on old wives’ tales rather than science. They’re a fun way to build anticipation, but they shouldn’t be used to truly determine the sex of your baby.

When can you reliably find out the sex of your baby?

Traditionally, many parents learn the sex of their baby during the 18–20 week ultrasound. However, clinically-proven options like the SneakPeek Early Gender Test allow you to find out much earlier—starting at 6 weeks into pregnancy—with results you can trust as you plan your gender reveal party or next steps.