Is it a boy or a girl? 

You have probably heard many old wives’ tales to predict whether you’re having a boy or a girl.  Things like “you’re carrying a boy because you’re carrying high in your belly” or “ Can’t get enough sweets or fruits? It’s a girl!” 

Learning the sex of your baby can be exciting and can help you prepare for your baby‘s arrival. 

But how accurate are all of those stories about sex prediction? 

This article will reveal how to really determine whether you have a baby girl or a baby boy on the way.

Old Wives’ Tales

Let’s have a look at the most fun and common old wives’ tales:

The Height And Shape Of Your Bump:

If your belly is low and round (ball-like baby bump), you are having a boy.

If your belly is high and wider, you are having a girl. 

However, how you are carrying the baby in the womb has nothing to do with the baby’s sex. 

It is your body type, stomach muscles, and how much weight you gain during the pregnancy that play a role in shaping your belly. 

Your Cravings:

If you have cravings for sour, salty or protein-rich foods (french fries and steak), you are having a boy.

If you have cravings for sugar, sweets, and fruits, you are having a girl. 

However, there is no connection between cravings and baby’s sex. 

The cravings can be related to deficiencies in specific minerals. 

Your Facial Skin:

If your skin is glowing and looks clear, you are having a boy. 

If your skin is oily with lots of spots and acne, you are having a girl. 

The belief is that your baby girl is stealing your beauty. How adorable and depressing at the same time huh? 

In reality, you can only blame the state of your skin on hormones and not on the sex of your baby. 

Your Pee Color:

If your urine has a darker neon-like color, you are having a boy.

If your urine has a lighter yellow and is cloudy, you are having a girl. 

However, the color of your pee at this point can only tell you whether or not you need to drink to hydrate. 

Your Mood:

If your mood is stable, you are having a boy.

If you are having intense mood swings, you are having a girl. 

Who are we kidding? Pregnancy mood swings are pretty normal no matter your baby’s sex.

Your Wedding Ring Test:

Take your wedding ring and attach it to a thread and have someone hold the dangling ring over your belly. 

If the ring moves back and forth like a pendulum, you are having a boy.

If the ring swings in a circular motion, you are having a girl. 

The key test:

Have someone place a single key on a table in front of you. 

If you grab for the key at its narrow part, you are having a boy.

If you grab for the key at its top round part, you are having a girl. 

What if you grab the key in the middle? (haha)

The Chinese Calendar:

Use the chinese gender chart to predict the baby’s gender based on your age and the month your baby was conceived. 

However, there’s not much information out there about whether the chart actually works, or how accurate it is. 

If it was accurate, then wouldn’t we all baby dance every time in a specific month to conceive a specific gender according to the chart?  

The Heart Rate Of Your Baby: 

If the baby’s heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute, you are having a boy.

if the baby’s heart rate is more than 140 beats per minute, you are having a girl. 

The heart rate of a baby girl is usually faster than that of a baby boy. 

However, this is only true after labor begins. 

Before that, it’s the age of a fetus that really affects heart rate speed.

Medical Methods

Only a doctor can reliably determine the sex of a baby. Here’s what you need to know about methods used to determine a baby’s sex:

Ultrasound:

An ultrasound creates an image of your baby to check your baby’s development and health. 

Since an ultrasound creates an image of your baby, it can also reveal the sex of your baby as early as 14 weeks of pregnancy. 

If you see a penis (a turtle), you are having a boy.

If you can’t find a penis (three lines), you are having a girl.

However, your baby might be in an awkward position, which makes it difficult to clearly see the genitals and can lead to mistakes.

Genetic Blood Test:

The lab checks your blood sample for fetal DNA linked to chromosome disorders at 10 weeks of pregnancy. It can also determine the presence of the male Y chromosome.

If you have the Y chromosome in your blood, you are having a boy.

If you don’t have the Y chromosome in your blood, you are having a girl. 

At-Home screening kits: 

At-home screening kits like the Pink or blue early DNA Pregnancy Test claim to identify the sex of your baby at 7 weeks of pregnancy. The test looks for the presence of male DNA (the Y chromosome) in your blood. 

If you have the Y chromosome in your blood, you are having a boy.

If you don’t have the Y chromosome in your blood, you are having a girl. 

Take a sample of your blood through a finger prick, then send the sample to a lab. 

Make sure no man is near you when taking the test because a simple cough from a man could get male DNA in the air and contaminate the sample.

Amniocentesis

If your ultrasound detects an abnormality in the baby’s development, your doctor may recommend amniocentesis to test for specific genetic conditions like Down syndrome. 

It involves inserting a needle through your abdomen to collect a small amount of amniotic fluid (the fluid surrounding the baby) to reveal chromosomal anomalies and gender.

In-Vitro Fertilization With Sex Selection 

When undergoing IVF, sperm is injected into the retrieved eggs to form embryos. 

Then there’s an option to choose the sex of your baby through a procedure called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).

PGD is normally used to detect genetic abnormalities in an embryo before transferring it to the mother’s uterus. It can also detect which embryos are XX or XY.

Embryos that are XX are girls.

Embryos that are XY are boys. 

Therefore, you can choose to only transfer the embryos of your desired sex. 

Read our article on The Pros and Cons Of Telling People You Are Doing IVF.

While old wives’ tales are a fun way to predict the sex of a baby, there isn’t any science or research to back up these myths. The only way to know for sure what you’re expecting is to schedule an appointment with your doctor.