Is it a boy or a girl? Upon confirmation that the woman is indeed pregnant, it is very common for parents to eagerly await the discovery of the baby's sex.
There are exceptions, but few couples now prefer to wait for the moment of childbirth to satisfy their curiosity about it.
Confirmation of the baby's gender will determine many important points, such as the name, trousseau details, room décor, and, of course, being linked to parents' plans for the unborn child. !
And today, to the delight of most parents, you no longer have to wait long to know what the sex of the baby will be. Below you know more about the methods available for this.
Clinical methods
1. Ultrasound
This is the most widespread way to know the sex of the baby, besides having more affordable price.
Read also: The importance of morphological ultrasound
Alfonso Massaguer, obstetric gynecology and Clinical Director of the Mother Clinic, explains that ultrasound can be done from 12 weeks. "He seeks to see directly the genital organ, the angles in the fetus," he says.
It sounds simple, but it is noteworthy that the position of the baby inside the womb is essential for the doctor to have clear images. Sometimes the baby may already have the genitalia fully formed, but if his position is not favorable, the doctor may not be able to get a proper angle to assess the pelvic region.
"Ultrasound has greater credibility especially from 16 weeks, depending on the ultrasound and position of the baby," adds gynecologist Massaguer.
2. Fetal sexing (maternal blood test)
This is a maternal blood test that can be done from 8 to 9 weeks, according to Massaguer.
"The blood test looks for male DNA, that is, pieces of the Y chromosome in the mother's blood," explains the doctor.
Read also: Obstetrician clarifies 10 common questions about ultrasound in pregnancy
The disadvantage is that this exam is not done by the public network and not covered by medical insurance, meaning you will have to pay dearly to? Unravel? this curiosity. It can cost between 300 and 500 reais depending on the region where it will be made.
"The maternal blood test has high reliability, especially if done after 9 weeks and if there is a single pregnancy, and some tests also evaluate other chromosomes and diseases such as Down syndrome, Patau, Edward, Tuner, among others," says the gynecologist. Massaguer.
Pharmacy Urine Test
In this case, you can find out at home even if you are pregnant with a boy or girl. It is a relatively new technology in Brazil, but it has been present in other countries for a longer time.
The IntelliGender test promises to tell the baby's gender in 10 minutes with just 10 weeks of gestation. The probability of a hit is 82%, according to the manufacturer.
The disadvantage is the high price and the fact that this type of product is not easily found in pharmacies in all cities.
Read also: How to get pregnant with a girl?
Also, it is noteworthy, the result is not reliable if the woman is using hormones such as progesterone. The effectiveness of the test is also not good for twins or more.
Home Methods and Popular Beliefs
You may have heard, for example, that if the pregnant woman's belly is pointed, it is a sign that the baby is a boy; and if the belly is rounded, it is a sign that it is a girl. This is a popular belief that has been around for a long time and has passed from generation to generation.
Interestingly, despite all the technological advances, many people still resort to home testing and time beliefs of their great-grandparents to try to guess the gender of the baby.
It is also important to point out that, as there are only two sex options, male or female, any test, however absurd? Whatever, it will always have a hit rate of 50%.
Below, out of curiosity, you know the main jokes that promise to unravel the sex of the baby.
Read also: How to get pregnant with a boy?
1. Belly Shape
It is believed that if the pregnant woman's belly is more "pointy", she will have a boy; if the belly is more "rounded", it will have a girl.
Alfonso Massaguer points out, however, that this is a myth. The shape and size of the mother's belly are not related to the sex of the baby, but to the muscle tone of the abdomen, the woman's biotype, the size and weight of the baby, and so on.
2. Chinese table
According to legend, a 700-year-old Chinese table was found buried in the tomb of a royal family and can predict, from the mother's lunar age and month of conception, the baby's 99% safe sex.
To use the Chinese table simply combine the mother's lunar age with the month she became pregnant (conception month). The lunar age is defined as the age of the woman + 1. (However, the number 1 who was born in January or February is not added).
For example, a woman who is 34 years old, born in March, has a lunar age of 34 + 1 = 35. Just combine in the table the 35th month of conception.
However, it is noteworthy that this table is just a belief. In fact, a study was done to prove that it was not 99% effective. From a Swedish survey, which evaluated the pregnancy of 2.8 million women between 1973 and 2006, it was concluded that the Chinese table has a hit rate close to 50%.
3. Cutlery play
Ask the child's parent or other curious person to know the sex of the baby by placing a knife and spoon under each pillow. Then you just have to pick a pillow and sit on it: sat on the pillow with spoon, it's girl; sat on the pillow with knife, it's boy.
Of course this is just a joke and has no scientific proof.
4. Palm of the hand
Is this a joke the pregnant woman should be unaware of? Another person asks her to show her hand: if she shows her palm up, it is a boy; if she shows her palm down, it's a girl.
This is another joke / belief that serves to amuse those who are expecting to know the sex of the baby, but have no proof.
5. Age of parents
Another joke says that adding the mother's age to the father's age and subtracting 1, if the result is even, is boy; if it's odd, it's girl.
It is possible to observe that none of these games are connected with reality, that is, it is not possible to know if a baby will be a boy or a girl through a simple operation of predetermined addition and subtraction, for example. They are just popular beliefs that serve to amuse some people who are expecting to find out the sex of the baby, after all, it costs nothing to do them, right?
Of course, sometimes this kind of joke can work. After all, as there are only two sex options, male or female, any test will always have a 50% hit rate. But there is no denying that they are myths.
To find out the sex of the baby, the most correct way is to use clinical methods, ie ultrasound or maternal blood test.
Baby gender prediction... true or false? Medical Myths (April 2024)
- Pregnancy
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