How to Find Out Your Baby's Sex
Mark your calendar for 18 weeks into your pregnancy., See your OB/GYN for an ultrasound., Pursue non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT)., Discuss more invasive testing with your doctor.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Mark your calendar for 18 weeks into your pregnancy.
You can usually determine the baby’s sex starting between 16-20 weeks into your pregnancy.
It gets easier to tell around 18 weeks, so your best bet is to wait until then.Schedule your second trimester ultrasound for around this time.
You can find out your estimated date of delivery (EDD) when you have your first ultrasound at around 8-14 weeks of pregnancy.
This is the best way to know how far along in your pregnancy you really are. -
Step 2: See your OB/GYN for an ultrasound.
Ultrasounds (also called sonograms) make images of your baby using sound waves in a safe and non-invasive way.See a skilled doctor, nurse, or ultrasound technician.
They can usually tell the baby’s sex by looking at their genitals on the ultrasound.When you schedule your ultrasound, ask your doctor if there are any specific instructions you should follow – you may need to drink a certain amount of fluids or avoid going to the bathroom before your ultrasound.The ultrasound may not help if your baby is in a position that makes it hard to see their genitals.
Ultrasounds are not 100% accurate for predicting the sex, though they’re close.
You may still get the wrong answer due to human error. , If an ultrasound doesn’t tell you what you want to know, talk to your OB/GYN about NIPT.
Non-invasive prenatal testing is done by taking a blood sample from the mother.
It can look for sex chromosomes to determine if the baby is a boy or a girl.This is a relatively common, accurate, and affordable option, and may even be offered as part of your prenatal care.
This may vary, however, so call your health insurance company to ask if it's covered if you're worried about cost.
NIPT also checks for Down syndrome and some other abnormalities, so is a valuable test for several reasons.
It can be done after 10 weeks into your pregnancy. , Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis are tests that look for abnormalities in your baby’s genetics.
They are usually only done if your baby is at risk for having genetic problems.
If you do have one, request to find out your baby’s sex, as well.
Do not pursue these simply to find out the sex – they can be uncomfortable and carry a small risk of miscarriage.CVS is performed between 10-13 weeks of pregnancy, and amniocentesis is done between 16-20 weeks. -
Step 3: Pursue non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT).
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Step 4: Discuss more invasive testing with your doctor.
Detailed Guide
You can usually determine the baby’s sex starting between 16-20 weeks into your pregnancy.
It gets easier to tell around 18 weeks, so your best bet is to wait until then.Schedule your second trimester ultrasound for around this time.
You can find out your estimated date of delivery (EDD) when you have your first ultrasound at around 8-14 weeks of pregnancy.
This is the best way to know how far along in your pregnancy you really are.
Ultrasounds (also called sonograms) make images of your baby using sound waves in a safe and non-invasive way.See a skilled doctor, nurse, or ultrasound technician.
They can usually tell the baby’s sex by looking at their genitals on the ultrasound.When you schedule your ultrasound, ask your doctor if there are any specific instructions you should follow – you may need to drink a certain amount of fluids or avoid going to the bathroom before your ultrasound.The ultrasound may not help if your baby is in a position that makes it hard to see their genitals.
Ultrasounds are not 100% accurate for predicting the sex, though they’re close.
You may still get the wrong answer due to human error. , If an ultrasound doesn’t tell you what you want to know, talk to your OB/GYN about NIPT.
Non-invasive prenatal testing is done by taking a blood sample from the mother.
It can look for sex chromosomes to determine if the baby is a boy or a girl.This is a relatively common, accurate, and affordable option, and may even be offered as part of your prenatal care.
This may vary, however, so call your health insurance company to ask if it's covered if you're worried about cost.
NIPT also checks for Down syndrome and some other abnormalities, so is a valuable test for several reasons.
It can be done after 10 weeks into your pregnancy. , Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis are tests that look for abnormalities in your baby’s genetics.
They are usually only done if your baby is at risk for having genetic problems.
If you do have one, request to find out your baby’s sex, as well.
Do not pursue these simply to find out the sex – they can be uncomfortable and carry a small risk of miscarriage.CVS is performed between 10-13 weeks of pregnancy, and amniocentesis is done between 16-20 weeks.
About the Author
Robert Gordon
Committed to making home improvement accessible and understandable for everyone.
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