For many parents who are expecting, the gender remains a mystery all through the pregnancy, which makes it normal and exciting to seek ways of knowing the gender of the baby even before birth. Whether such anticipation is driven by practicality or pure excitement, it is a common practice to come up with several ideas on biting the bullet and determining whether one is expecting a boy or a girl.
The same circumstances trigger different reactions, with some individuals opting to seek solutions from age-old fairy tales, while others embrace civilization and look for answers through science. In this article I intend to delve deeper into the steps of formation of the new gender, pointing out the most constant and empirically false myths regarding the birth of girls and testing them on journalistic research of science.
Myth or IRS: What Science Says About Signs You Are Having a Girl
Along with the pregnancy, a number of signs emerge, and among them, the desire to know the sex of the newborn child in advance is practically not passed over. They are interesting to learn about but a notable number of these myths are not correct. However, some of them seem to have been accepted and believed in gimmicks which in the last century or so have been disproved.
The fact however happened to be, the basic principles of so-called sex selection in order to know up to use genetic analysis and ultrasound to know the gender of the baby. This will be seen especially when we outline the myths and the associated ‘illusions’ on the scientific basis.
Common Myths: What Popular Beliefs Say
More often than not, the myths about pregnancy and predicting the gender of one’s child are ever so common and are influenced by one’s culture. Most of these are learned by word of mouth over many years and may differ from one place to the other.
They are amusing, but common sense should prevail, as there is no foundation in science. Following are some of the widely believed assumptions about one of the most notoriously hard situations to guess.
You’re Carrying High
One of the many social myths out there is that when a woman is said to be carrying a baby high she must be waiting for a girl baby. There are some beliefs as to the shape and position of the tummy in relation to the baby – pregnancy resting a little bit lower is believed to be carrying a male.
In the other hand burial shape is related to the external factors such as namely the body shape and muscles tone of the women’s body, and most importantly, the baby’s position. This is not related to baby’s gender, but many still follow this myth.
Nausea in Pregnancy
The most prevalent rage syndrome is these days tends to occur mostly among late pregnancy women. It is often said that the greater the chances of having a girl in one’s womb, the greater the chances of having a woman suffer from hyperemesis gravidarum. This belief might be a remnant of the concept that women have higher female hormone levels in girl pregnancies, thus having greater nausea.
There are anthropological studies that point to the possibility of prenatal galactorrhea being greater among mothers that have a higher the content of these hormones but the gender and nausea aspect has never been proven or disproven scientifically. Despite popular perception, vomit can be induced quite differently if the sex of the child is even taken into consideration, often gender is not a factor at all in how pregnancy and birth affects the mother.
You’re Obsessed with Chocolate
Hoping for a somewhat universal belief regarding using sweetness, existing ladies say that both sweet and salty are equally bad, and that is true as well. In fact, there is a popular belief, which indicates that it is a definitive indication that if cravings for sweet foods such as chocolate, ice cream, fruit and pastries extend, then a woman is pregnant, and moreover it is a girl. Thirst for salty and savory food is considered as oriented toward a male baby.
However, all these the forecasting does not reflect much on generalizing pregnancy weight gain – these cravings depend largely on postpartum factors rather than precession, stimulation, carrying a boy or girl.
Your Partner is Experiencing a Weight Gain
A few people claim that your partner’s growing belly, when you’re pregnant, is related to having a baby girl. This is often referred to as “sympathy weight” or human couvade syndrome which tries to depict man’s gain of weight, in this case, additional weight, within that period.
This has no scientific reason at all, most overweight expectant women will support their husbands for there is a quick weight gain in the pregnant women which has nothing to do with the sex of the fetus.
Oily Skin and Pregnancy Acne
One of the generation-old popular beliefs which states that daughters “suck the beauty out of their mothers” is arguably the most horrible myth available. Most women believe that when pregnant with a girl, one is bound to have oily skin and much more pimple breakouts and if pregnant with a boy the face will be whiter without pimples.
In actual sense, it is the hormonal during pregnancy such yank estrogen and progesterone that gives rise to the change in skin texture and appearance of pimples. These hormonal changes can occur regardless of the fetus being a boy or a girl.
Your Baby’s Heart Rate is Too High
One of the common beliefs that seem to be very deep-rooted is that a fetal heart rate of more than 140 beats per minute safe to say ‘BPM’ is in more cases indicative of a girl than a boy with a lower heart rate. There is a possibility that this theory originated from the studies on variation of heart rates during gestation.
Nevertheless, no difference has been observed between the fetal heart rate of a male and that of a female in various studies. It is more the baby’s activity level that influences heart rate variations than gender does.
Scientific Signs
Unlike prenatal myths, so many and so lack in logic and reason, more reliable, more ‘scientific’ methods of sex determination of an infant during the in utero stage are available. These methods are supported by research and tests and thus yield factual results that myths do not.
Genetic Testing (NIPT, Amniocentesis, CVS)
Genetic testing is one of the reliable techniques that can help a person tell the sex of the baby before it is born. NIPT can be performed as early as 10 weeks gestation, and is done by examining maternal blood for particles of fetal DNA. This test is safe and many mothers prefer using it since it does not only check for trisomy but can also tell the sex of the unborn infant accurately.
CVS and Amniocentesis carried out separately in late pregnancy can also identify the sex of the fetus by testing the placental or the amniotic fluid for chromosomal abnormalities.
Ultrasound Accuracy
Another method used to determine the sex of one’s baby is the mid pregnancy ultrasound carried out approximately at 18 to 20 weeks. If the technician carries out the test at this period, seeing the baby’s genitals is possible thus explaining whether it is a boy or a girl.
If these tests are done at the right time in the pregnancy period, they are very accurate that such factors may be considered among the rare circumstances limiting the clarity.
Fetal Heart Rate: Evolutionary Perspectives
Despite the widespread belief that heartbeats aid in the prediction of gender, there is scientific research that has found no correlation between fetal heart rate and the sex of the baby. This can vary depending on the activity of the baby and the week of pregnancy, but is certainly not a factor that can help determine gender.
Medical health professionals are against the use of heartbeat for sex determination of the fetus, stating that it is necessary to look out for health of the baby only which is more essential.
Hyperemesis Gravidarum: Extreme Morning Sickness
“Hyperemesis gravidarum” is a technical term used in reference to nausea and vomiting in excess most especially during pregnancy. It has been shown that this condition is most prevalent in women with chg. (human chorionic gonadotropin) with clinical data suggesting that women who are pregnant with female fetuses have a higher level of this hormone.
Of course, not every girl embryo is destined to languish every time, yet women suffering from strong nausea during pregnancy will probably carry girls.
Sugar Craving and Sugar Sensitivity
The craving for sweet confectionaries is much stronger among females who are pregnant with a female fetus than with a male one. This could perhaps be attributed to differences in hormones which affect the liking of a taste.
As much as this craving leads some people to crave for salty snacks, it will not be definite in predicting the gender of the child.
Stress Levels and Cortisol during Pregnancy
Cortisol is the primary stress hormone in the body and studies have shown that women who have high levels of cortisol appear to have a greater incidence of having daughters. This is because stress is known to change hormone levels, and this may, in turn, determine the chances of one being able to conceive a particular gender.
Although this discovery is great, it will not be seen as a definite way of foretelling the gender of the child and should be done carefully.
Oily skin and Hair texture changes
Skin and hair texture changes are common during pregnancy because of hormones. Others say that these changes occur more often when the baby in the womb is a girl. Admittedly pregnancy hormones have a great impact on the skin or hair texture due to skin and hair care demands.
These signs can also be present in men pregnancies, making it an unreliable method of predicting a child’s gender.
Rapid Fetal Heart Rate: Does it Really Exist?
As noted previously, the belief that doctors are able to tell a woman’s baby is a girl due to a rapid fetal heart rate is not proved factual. Though there typically are fetal heart rate ranges, one cannot standardize those figures for the male or female baby.
This helps in estimating the condition of the baby, but it is not a method for gender prediction.
How Is Your Baby’s Sex Determined by Medical Practitioners?
If it is necessary to specify the baby’s sex, medical testing is the best alternative because it cannot give any doubts. These are the most common ways of sex determination a physician and sick pregnant woman should or could expect.
Testing way of Getting the Baby’s Sex Information
NIPT is a blood test performed on a pregnant female that looks for fetal DNA in her blood. This test is capable of identifying a few abnormalities as well as establishing the sex of the child as early as 10 weeks after fertilization.
It has become one of the noninvasive tests that accurately ascertains the gender of the baby without getting the unfavorable consequences of the invasive procedures.
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
Chorionic Villus Sampling is a procedure that is performed during the period between pregnancy weeks 10 and 13. Its goal is to sample and test placental tissues for genetic abnormalities. As NIPT, CVS also has the ability to determine the gender of the child, although it applies mostly for subjects with increased fetal aneuploidy risks.
Cravings can be quite pleasant and helpful after a lot of debate over how this dysfunction can be functional, but one always has to wait for the methylated intervention to calm.
Amniocentesis and Its Role
Amniocentesis is another invasive test that can sex the baby. This is done between the gestation weeks of 15 and 20 in which a sample of the amniotic fluid is withdraw with a needle inserted through the abdomen for laboratory analysis.
Though held with a lot of precision, amniocentesis has its risks, thus it is often offered when deemed essential.
Determining Gender Via Ultrasound in the Midstate of Pregnancy
The mid-pregnancy ultrasound, which is commonly done at around the 20-week mark is the most popular means of sexing the unborn baby. By this time, the genital parts of the baby have grown to a considerable size such that they can be visible on the ultrasound hence making it possible to tell the sex with great accuracy.
Gender Determination through Early Pregnancy Symptoms
Others fall prey to the old wife’s tale and believe that the more severe the early pregnancy signs, such as morning sickness and fatigue, the greater the chance of having a girl. While there is some evidence to suggest a relationship between hormone levels and early pregnancy symptoms, these signs are not definitive indicators of gender.
Morning Sickness Severity
There is a common belief that in first trimester pregnancies if morning sickness is horrible and lasts till the end, the chances of delivery a daughter are high. This is likely because more hormones in pregnancies with girls. More morning sickness can also be classified in different degrees and stages and this is also not a proven gender detection method.
Cravings and Food Aversions
Some women have food preferences whereby sweet tooth women are believed to bear girls. There however is no evidence supporting this and it is accepted that nearly all women have cravings during pregnancy and that they are due hormonal changes.
Skin and Hair Changes
Other less pleasant changes include changes in skin and hair texture during the first trimester. There is a common misconception that oily skin and hair indicates that a female fetus is carried while smooth skin walls are proof of male fetus. These changes however are as a result of hormones and do not make reliable gender prediction methods.
Conclusion
In closing, while there are many myths about predicting your baby’s sex that are enjoyable to look at, they are not to be viewed as a truth. Certain testing procedures like genetic testing and the use of ultrasounds always yield correct results, whereas signs such as morning sickness and craving certain foods as well as skin changes are symptoms caused by hormones not by gender.
In case you want to know if you’ve conceived a boy or a girl as soon as possible, let medical tests determine the sex for you.
FAQs on Baby Gender and Pregnancy
Q: Is it possible to associate the gender of the baby with the various hormonal cravings?
A: Pregnancy cravings are believed to take seasonal variations as they are dependent on hormonal levels and what the body feels it lacks nutritionally. However, there is a scarcity of research linking specific cravings to the baby’s gender, making any conclusions speculative.
Q: What is the right time to know the gender of my baby?
A: You can determine the gender of your baby as early as the 10th week of pregnancy through a non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT). Additionally, an ultrasound performed between 18 and 20 weeks can provide accurate gender results.
Q: Is the heart rate of a baby useful in determining the sex of the baby?
A: The heart rate theory, which suggests that a faster heartbeat indicates a girl and a slower one indicates a boy, lacks scientific support. Gender prediction based on heart rate remains unreliable due to inaccuracies and variability in the method.
Russell F. Jones, holding a Master in psychology from the University of Florida. He writes for Smart Parent Solutions, offering practical advice on parenting and child development. His engaging content helps parents navigate family life with confidence and ease. Russell enjoys sharing his knowledge and spending quality time with his family.