Tips to Find Your Baby Gender in the Scan Report

The ultrasound or sonogram uses energy waves to scan the fetus. The process sends high-frequency low-power waves to the uterus in the woman's stomach and these waves bounce back when they hit the surface of the fetus and detect changes. A computer is used that generates an image from the signals bounced back.

The size of the baby can be measured and the ultrasound helps assess the growth and development of the fetus. These scans can help detect any abnormalities with the fetus development such as Down Syndrome, spina bifida, cleft palate, cardiac anomalies and a wide range of other physical malformations. But how can it help determine the gender of the baby?

Ultrasound Timing

The most accurate readings to determine the gender of the fetus is done between 18 and 20 weeks. Some mothers can find out earlier at 16 weeks if the fetus is positioned right and the technician is highly skilled, but most often these readings are not as accurate because the fetus is too small and the baby may still be going through transformations.

Baby's Position

How to find baby gender in scan report relies a lot on the position of the baby. Some babies just do not want to cooperate to give a clear look at the gender. Some remain tightly curled in a ball or happen to move just as the technician is trying to get a clear view, which often means you just have to wait until the following appointment.

Number of Fetus

Expecting twins or more? It can be more difficult to determine the sex of the babies since each of the babies can obstruct the view of their brothers or sisters from the view of the technician.

Weight

Women who are overweight or obese may have a more difficult time seeing the gender of their baby. The additional body mass can result in an unclear image and while the technician can make a prediction of the sex, it might not be correct. So women who are overweight or obese are often advised to expect the unexpected and have another name picked out just in case.

Genitals

Determining the sex of a baby by viewing the genitals can be a challenge since the umbilical cord can get in the way of a clear view. Most often the technician will look for a 'turtle sign' or 'hamburger sign' in predicting the sex. If the baby is a boy, the genitalia will resemble a turtle; if it is a girl, the genitalia will resemble a hamburger which consists of the labia and the clitoris nestled in the middle.

Position of Placenta

The Ramzi methods can be used at six weeks that may be able to give a clue of whether the fetus will be a boy or a girl. While this method has been controversial, it can prepare parents for what to expect. This method looks at where the placenta is attached to the uterus. Most boys will have placenta that is attached on the right and most girls turn out to have placenta on the left of the uterus.

Chorionic Villi Sampling

This type of testing is done between 11-14 weeks during the pregnancy and is an invasive testing. The samples retrieved look at the chromosomes of the fetus to determine the sex of the baby. It involves a needle being inserted through the vagina or uterus to collect cells from the placenta. This testing is typically done more to detect chromosomal abnormalities if the women have a history of genetic or chromosomal abnormalities in her family or if she is over 35. There are some serious risks that come with this type of testing, but it yields almost a 100% accuracy rate.

Amniocentesis

Women who are over 35 and have a high risk of chromosomal abnormalities are encouraged to have the amnio fluid around the baby tests in the second trimester around 15 weeks. While the risks of this testing are rare, they can be quite severe. Miscarriages, fetal injury, amniotic fluid leaking, infection and even the needle harming the baby can occur. Finding baby gender in a scan test may not be as accurate as this invasive test, but is a lot safer for mother and child.

Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing

Non-invasive parental testing is one of the safest ways to determine the gender of the fetus and can be done at around 10 weeks. It yields a 98-99% accuracy rate and women of any age can have it done whether they are high risk or not. This testing extracts the fetal DNA from the mother's blood and if a Y chromosome is present, the baby is a boy.