At What Week and Month Can the Gender of the Fetus Be Known?

“When can I find out the gender of my baby?” is one of the most exciting questions for parents while pregnant. Scientifically, the earliest time to determine the sex of the fetus is through the NIPT blood test in the 10th week of pregnancy (the third month) with an accuracy of more than 99%. Determining the sex before the 10th week is usually unreliable, and traditional methods such as the Chinese calendar or checking the fetal heartbeat have no scientific basis. In the rest of this article, we will look at each of these methods in full and comparatively, in terms of timing, accuracy, cost, and risk, so that you can make an informed decision about which is the best option for you. For specialized consultation and coordination of genetic tests in the most reputable centers, you can contact Raadina Health Medical Tourism Company.

Determining Gender at Home in the First Few Months: Reality or Myth?

Many cultures have traditional ways to predict the sex of an unborn baby. For example, some people believe that a craving for sweets means a female fetus and a craving for sour things means a male fetus. There are also some others who believe that the shape of the mother’s belly in pregnancy indicates the gender. For instance, if the mother’s belly is wide and spread out, the fetus is a girl, and if it is sharp and protruding, the fetus is a boy. However, none of these old methods reflect reality, as they are based on outdated beliefs rather than evidence from respectable scientific sources. Therefore, they should not be relied upon.

The Earliest Possible Time to Determine Fetal Gender Based on Week and Month

The earliest time for gender determination in terms of science is the NIPT blood test in the 10th week of pregnancy (third month) with an accuracy of more than 99%. According to reputable site, ACOG (link at the end), the genetic tests such as NIPT can be done with very high accuracy from the tenth week of pregnancy, i.e. before the third month.

From the 12th to 14th week of pregnancy (i.e. from the third month of pregnancy) the fetal sex can be guessed by ultrasound. At this point the internal organs of the fetus are not yet fully developed. Naturally the chance of error is high.

Determining Gender by Week of Pregnancy

The determination of gender is generally classified by the months of pregnancy. The fetal gender cannot be determined by ultrasound before the sixth week of pregnancy, generally.

Fetal gender determination by ultrasound is very difficult from the sixth week of pregnancy and most doctors consider it impossible. This is because the fetus’s genital organs are not yet developed at this time. What is more, genetic testing during this time will be highly inaccurate.

Doctors usually recommend determining the gender by ultrasound from the 13th week. By now, the fetus’s genital organs have grown considerably from the previous weeks and will be visible in the ultrasound image. According to research, the accuracy of diagnosis between the 12th and 13th week of pregnancy is between 70 and 90 percent and depends on various factors such as the accuracy of the device and the position of the fetus.

How to Tell the Sex of the Baby by Month of Pregnancy

The determination of the gender of a fetus by month of pregnancy would be as follows:

• Month 1 and 2: It is impossible to determine the sex of the fetus during the first and second month of pregnancy.
• Month 3: Genetic and screening tests may offer preliminary information in the third month of pregnancy. Ultrasound can also give a first guess without 100% certainty.
• Month 4: The best time for determining the gender is in the fourth month and the ultrasound will be highly accurate.
• Month 5: The gender of the fetus can be diagnosed with more than 97 percent accuracy from the fifth month onwards depending upon the position of the fetus in the womb.

Table of Gender Signs in Different Months of Pregnancy

There is no scientific reference to the symptoms of pregnancy based on sex and the sex of the fetus can only be diagnosed by means of ultrasounds or medical tests. Below is the table of gender signs in different months of pregnancy, but remember that these are only traditional and outdated beliefs about determining gender in pregnancy.

What is the Best Week and Month for Gender Prediction?

If you mean the time when the gender determination has the highest accuracy, the best time is the 16th to 20th week of pregnancy, because at this stage the genital organs of the fetus are completely developed and the chances of error are greatly diminished.

Diagnosis in the Clinic vs. Home

Home methods are generally guesses and personal experience and there is no certainty at all in them. In a clinic, however, medical equipment is used and a specialist doctor determines the gender. If the time of the gender diagnosis is right (from the 16th week onwards), the diagnostic accuracy will be better than 97 percent.

Somayeh, mother of a three-year-old girl, says that in the first weeks of pregnancy, she had intense cravings for eating sour foods and her belly was pointing forward. She thought, from these signs, that the fetus was a boy and started buying clothes. At the 16-week ultrasound, they found it was a female fetus, so the diagnosis they had made from the symptoms was all wrong.

Conclusion

Ultrasound can be used to identify the sex of the fetus inside the womb. Some of the genetic tests can tell you the gender as early as the tenth week. Ultrasound can also be used for a first diagnosis with an accuracy of about 70 percent between the 12th and 14th weeks. The most accurate time for the gender diagnosis using ultrasound is from the 16th week of pregnancy onwards, when the sexual organs of the fetus are fully formed.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it really possible to diagnose gender in the first week or first month?

At present, there is no medical way of ascertaining the gender of a fetus in the first week and the early months of pregnancy.

When will I know the gender?

Ultrasound fetal gender determination is most accurate and optimal from the 16th to 20th week of pregnancy.

How is the first screening different from a regular ultrasound?

The first screening is mainly done to evaluate the health of the fetus and the possibility of chromosomal abnormalities. But a routine ultrasound will tell you the sex of the baby.

Are there maternal or fetal factors that influence the accuracy of diagnosis of sex?

Yes, it depends on various factors like the position of the fetus in the mother's womb, the amount of amniotic fluid, the thickness of the mother's abdominal wall and other factors that affect the accuracy of gender diagnosis.

Can the gender diagnosis be done before 12 weeks?

In most cases, it is a high probability of errors and mistakes in the gender diagnosis before week 12 because the fetal genital organs have not yet fully formed. Therefore, it is generally not recommended before week 12.

How possible is gender determination at 1 month?

To do so is almost impossible and will not give a reliable result.

Why is fetal gender diagnosis usually wrong in the first weeks?

Because the fetal genital organs are not yet developed enough to tell the difference between female and male organs.

What is the accuracy of the 1st screening for gender determination?

Its accuracy depends on a number of factors such as gestational age, quality of imaging, doctor's experience, device accuracy and fetal position. The initial screening for gender determination is usually less accurate than later ultrasounds.

What can influence the diagnosis of gender in mother or fetus?

If the fetus is in a backward position, the umbilical cord is around the genital area, the mother is overweight or the fetus has turned in the womb, leading to excessive movement during the ultrasound, then diagnosing the fetus is difficult and prone to error.