When Do You Find Out the Gender of a Baby?

Significant research behind gender prediction testing in recent years has shrunk the timeline of when expectant parents can learn if they’re having a boy or girl.

Today, there are various ways to perform a baby gender prediction test,—each available at different times along the pregnancy, and each coming with its own set of pros and cons. The established methods that pregnant women can use are:

• Ultrasounds at 20 weeks
• Amniocentesis at 16 weeks
• Non-Invasive Prenatal Tests (NIPTs) at 10 weeks
• Early Gender DNA Tests at 7 weeks

Discovering the gender of your baby is a magical moment along the pregnancy journey. So if you’re wondering how soon can you find out the gender of a baby, we have the full rundown of each of these gender prediction methods and when you can take them.

1. Ultrasounds

In the United States medical system, an anatomy ultrasound is normally scheduled between 18 and 22 weeks of pregnancy. While the purpose of the imaging is to check for the proper development of the fetus, this ultrasound also has the ability to reveal the gender of your baby.

During an ultrasound scan, the provider will look for anatomical defects, including:

• Heart and lung defects
• Spinal cord abnormalities
• Diaphragm abnormalities
• Brain defects
• Limb deformities

How Do Ultrasounds Work?

For an ultrasound procedure, women are seen in a clinic setting, where a technician or your provider spreads a conductive gel on the exposed abdomen. The ultrasound machine sends out high-frequency signals through a probe which reverberate through her body. The sound waves then move through and reflect off different organs and fluid. The same probe picks up the reflected signal and digitizes it into an image, where the physician can then analyze the growing baby.

Ultrasounds as a Gender Predictor Test

Because the baby’s sex organs are well-developed by 20 weeks, this creates the perfect opportunity to learn about the baby’s gender. However, not all ultrasound sessions are successful at this. Here are a few reasons the provider may be unable to determine the gender:

• Fetal position – If the growing baby has his or her legs closed or blocked from view, the sex organs can’t be properly determined.
• Quality of picture – There are a number of reasons the quality of the picture could prevent gender prediction—full bladder, BMI of the mother, odd angle, to name a few.
• Wiggling baby – Sometimes the baby is camera shy and won’t stop wiggling during the ultrasound. This will prevent an accurate reading.

It should also be noted that technicians and providers can make mistakes. Some mothers have reported that their ultrasound gender reading was incorrect and only found out with later ultrasounds (which not everyone gets) or at delivery. If you’re unsure about the gender determination, or if they were unable to determine the baby’s gender, a follow-up ultrasound must be scheduled one or two weeks later to try again.

Accuracy: Ultrasound’s accuracy ranges from around 97 to 99 percent for most pregnant women. This is dependent on the skill of the sonographer and, of course, the fetal position. Abnormal fetal positions increase the chances of getting the fetal gender wrong.

2. Amniocentesis

Amniocentesis is an invasive procedure performed at the physicians office that extracts amniotic fluid through the abdominal wall of the mother and analyzes it for information about the baby’s health. While efficient as a baby gender test, amniocentesis is generally reserved for when other non-invasive tests reveal major chromosomal anomalies, such as Down Syndrome, Patau Syndrome, or Edwards Syndrome.

This test is typically done around 15-20 weeks of pregnancy and will offer direct access to the baby’s DNA and gender.

Downsides of Amniocentesis as a Gender Test

While it would never be a provider’s first choice to offer amniocentesis as a baby gender test, it will provide these results. Because it is an invasive procedure, the risks must be understood.

• Miscarriage – During the second trimester, the risk of miscarriage from amniocentesis is between 0.1% and 0.3%. While the percentage is small, that’s still 2 for every 1,000 procedures.
• Uterine infection – Invasive procedures always carry the risk of infection. Uterine infection can harm the placenta and the baby’s development.
• Needle injury – If the baby moves an arm or leg during the procedure, there is a risk of needle injury. Serious injury is rare but is still possible.

Again, these tests follow NIPT when a high risk for a birth defect was detected.

Accuracy: With nearly 100 percent accuracy, this method is extremely invasive and more painful than the other methods. It has a larger risk of infection or bleeding within the pregnancy sac. This is not the preferred way to determine the sex of your baby.

3. Chorionic Villus Sampling

Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is another invasive prenatal test. This involves your doctor pulling a sample of chorionic villi from the placenta and examining the genetic information about your baby. A CVS is mostly advised if you’re over the age of 35 or if your family has a history of chromosome abnormality. So, although it is also an accurate method to find out your baby’s sex, there are serious risks involved.

Doctors can perform CVS as early as week ten or twelve weeks of your pregnancy.

Downsides of Chorionic villus sampling as a Gender Test

Like amniocentesis, CVS should only be done if your prenatal screenings come back positive. It is not primarily used for sex determination, but rather to uncover chromosomal disorders, such as down syndrome.

• Miscarriage – The risk of miscarriage after chorionic villus sampling is estimated to be 0.22%. Not a huge number, but the risk is certainly there.
• Uterine Infection – Identical reasoning to amniocentesis: invasive tests carry more dangers
• General Discomfort – This could be in the form of cramping, bleeding, or leaking amniotic fluid.

Accuracy: CVS is essentially as precise as the amniocentesis method, with almost 99% accuracy at predicting babys’ sex. This test is not that common anymore, especially with advancements in non-invasive prenatal testing, which we will cover next. As such, this is not typically recommended anymore.

4. Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing

NIPT is a screening test for chromosomal abnormalities that can occur around the 10-12 week mark of a woman’s pregnancy. A provider or phlebotomist will take a blood sample from the mum and use it to screen for potential disorders that may affect the life of the child.

The reason this is possible is because when a woman is pregnant, both her DNA and the DNA of her growing baby are present in her bloodstream. Testing this combined DNA can shed light on the chromosomes of the baby, revealing anomalies and gender.

What Are Chromosomes?

At the most basic level, a chromosome is a thread-like structure made up of DNA that holds information about the entire organism. Within every nucleus of every cell in your body, there are 46 chromosomes (or 23 pairs of chromosomes), each holding a different piece of the story.

One pair amongst the 23 is known as the sex chromosomes, and it identifies the gender of a baby.

What Are Chromosomal Abnormalities?

Because cells are constantly dying off, scratched off, etc., they go through a large amount of division and replication. This is one of the most significant duties of chromosomes: to aid in proper cell division. When there’s something wrong with one of the chromosomes, this abnormality is copied and replicated.

In adults, a chromosomal abnormality may lead to a nonfunctional cell, or cancer cell. If this abnormality continues to replicate without being repaired, the cancer will spread.

For growing babies, chromosomal abnormalities represent even greater risks. Because in early development they have so few cells compared to an adult, these abnormalities can have drastic effects throughout their entire body.

Example Chromosomal Abnormalities

An NIPT screens for abnormalities, such as:

• Down Syndrome – Trisomy 21 (an extra chromosome 21) – Individuals with Down syndrome experience moderate intellectual disability and cognitive delays.
• Edwards Syndrome – Trisomy 18 (an extra chromosome 18) – This syndrome often results in a slow growth rate. Edwards can cause heart defects and other birth complications.
• Patau Syndrome – Trisomy 13 (an extra chromosome 13) – Patau Syndrome results in severe intellectual disability and many growth defects, affecting the heart, spinal cord, and eyes. Only 5% to 10% of children with Patau live past their first year.

Because both mother and baby DNA is included in the screening, false positives can occur. The screening could pick up genetic abnormalities present in the blood that 1) aren’t present in the fetus and 2) haven’t affected the mother’s health.

NIPT as a Gender Predictor Test

Because there are sex chromosomes, an NIPT acts as the perfect gender prediction test. The benefits of using an NIPT to determine gender include:

• It’s non-invasive by definition – Because a small amount of mum’s blood is used, there’s no potential for harm to the baby.
• It’s often covered for “high-risk” pregnancies – A pregnancy is considered high risk when the mother is over the age of 35, has certain preexisting conditions or a strong family history of genetic conditions.
• It identifies common chromosomal abnormalities – While NIPT does not accurately predict all abnormalities, it is considered highly accurate for the three most common syndromes.

Non-invasive prenatal testing does not come without its drawbacks. Here are some of the cons of NIPTs:

• Tests are only ordered by medical practitioners – This chromosomal test can’t be done at home and must be performed through a medical facility.
• It is expensive – Out of pocket, these tests can cost upwards of $1,200. Even with insurance, people can still pay up to $200.
  • Your insurance might not cover it – For women under 35, this test is considered “optional,” so they might not cover it. Prenatal testing has led to serious bills in the thousands of dollars with insurance companies claiming that they have no obligation to compensate the policyholder. Although this is not a common occurrence, it’s a potential factor worth your consideration.
• It isn’t performed until around 10 weeks of pregnancy – Because both mum and baby’s DNA are in the sample, a larger amount of baby’s DNA must be present for accurate statistical analysis of chromosomal disorders. This requires waiting until the 10th week, when the fetal fraction is high enough to return correct results.

Accuracy: NIPT is an accurate and non-harmful gender prediction test. However it’s often only covered for “high-risk” pregnancies, so be prepared to pay out of pocket. This method is proven to be 95 to 97 percent accurate.

5. Early Gender DNA Test

Although technically a form of NIPT because it uses information from the baby’s DNA that’s found in mum’s blood, this test’s sole job is to determine the gender of the baby. The early gender test looks for male chromosomes in mum’s blood. If any are found, you can be sure they aren’t coming from the mother. In other words, it’s a boy! If no male chromosomes are found, it’s a girl! Simple enough, right?

At-Home Baby Gender Test

Because this test is only looking for the presence of male chromosomes, it is accurate with a much smaller fetal fraction than the typical NIPT, which is screening for overall chromosomal abnormalities and needs to tease out the difference between mum’s chromosomes and baby’s. This means the DNA-based gender test can be taken as early as 7 weeks into pregnancy with a simple blood sample.

SneakPeek offers two ways for sample collection, a clinic collection option or an at-home gender blood test that is clinically-proven. In published studies, researchers found that the test is over 99% accurate¹ at 7 weeks into pregnancy.

Additionally, with SneakPeek, you can have your results within 24-72 hours. That way, you don’t have to wait any extra time before knowing your baby’s gender. And prices are significantly cheaper than an NIPT ordered by a physician—starting at only $79.99.

Accuracy: SneakPeek early gender blood test accuracy is over 99% as early as 7 weeks into pregnancy.¹

6. Can I find out my baby’s sex during IVF?

If you have chosen in vitro fertilization (IVF) as your method to get pregnant, then more than likely you will undergo preimplantation genetic testing. During this stage, embryos are tested for genetic or chromosomal abnormalities, and of course, the sex of the baby.

Accuracy: These tests are almost 100% accurate in their predictions.

7. Old Wives’ Tales & Folklore Superstitions

You might have heard some of the pregnancy old wives’ tales told that supposedly predict a baby’s sex.

If you’re having a baby girl old wives’ tales:

• Carrying high
• Ance
• A higher fetal heartbeat rate over 140
• Forgetful
• Sweet cravings
• Hot & sweaty
• Morning sickness

If you’re having a baby boy old wives’ tales:

• Glowing & flawless
• Extra hungry during pregnancy (testosterone of the male fetus increases appetite)
• Salty & sour cravings
• Cold & icy

Accuracy: Now, there is no scientific evidence to prove the accuracy of these methods, but they are fun!

Don’t Ditch Your Routine Prenatal Care

It’s important to reiterate that the point of going to your provider during your pregnancy goes beyond discovering your baby’s gender. While this might be one of the more exciting pieces of information you receive, there are serious risks that come with not having adequate prenatal care for a developing baby and yourself.

Early gender DNA tests are not meant to replace the screening efforts of NIPTs, nor should they replace ultrasound appointments. Instead, use the baby gender test to get to know your baby before you normally would at your office visits. That way, the planning for your boy or girl can begin immediately.

Ready to Know Your Baby’s Gender?

As any expecting parent can attest to, finding out the gender of the baby is one of the most exciting parts. It allows them to plan the gender reveal party, decorate the nursery, and know what clothes to buy as they wait for the arrival of their baby.

Never before have parents had the power to discover their baby’s gender so early in a pregnancy. And with only a few drops of blood from the mother and no risk to the baby, it’s no wonder parents are raving about the early gender DNA test.

If you’re excited to throw a baby gender reveal party and don’t want to wait, SneakPeek has you covered with early gender determination.

This post has been reviewed for accuracy by the following medical professional:

Katie Smith, MSN, APRN, CNM

Katie Smith is a seasoned Certified Nurse Midwife and a nurturing mother to six children, offering a unique blend of professional expertise and personal experience. She is the founder of Birth Your Way Midwifery and Women’s Wellness Center in Bay County, Florida. Katie's comprehensive approach to care is informed by her hands-on experience in motherhood and her passion for empowering women through their birthing journey. Her dedication extends beyond her center as she actively engages in community wellness and family health education.

Sources:

NIH. Chromosomes Fact Sheet. https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Chromosomes-Fact-Sheet

Mater. Testing for Down syndrome and other chromosome abnormalities. http://brochures.mater.org.au/brochures/mater-mothers-private-redland/testing-for-down-syndrome-and-other-chromosome-abn

NIH. What is a high-risk pregnancy? https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pregnancy/conditioninfo/high-risk

CBS. Prenatal Testing Leads To Unexpected, Staggering Bills For Some Parents. https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/08/15/prenatal-testing-leads-to-unexpected-staggering-bills-for-some-parents/

Mayo Clinic. Amniocentesis. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/amniocentesis/about/pac-20392914

International Journal of Pregnancy & Child Birth. Large scale follow-up research study: SneakPeek® Early Gender DNA Test over 99% accurate¹ for fetal sex by live-birth confirmation. https://sneakpeektest.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Large-scale-follow-up-research-study-SneakPeek-Early-Gender-DNA-Test-99.9-Accurate.pdf