Gone are the days when you had to wait until the birth of your baby to know their gender. You no longer need to rely on old wives' tales and superstitions to learn the sex of your baby. You can now go for an ultrasound exam and find out your baby's gender months before delivery. During an ultrasound exam, your doctor sends high-frequency sound waves in your abdomen and pelvic cavity, which creates a picture of your baby. However, many women ask questions about how accurate ultrasound exams are. They also ask, "When can ultrasound detect gender?" Let's find out more about when you can get accurate results through an ultrasound exam.

When Can Ultrasound Detect the Gender of Your Baby?

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When can ultrasound detect gender? You can use the technology to learn the gender of your baby around 18-20 weeks in pregnancy. You may also go for an ultrasound exam at 16 weeks to get to know of the gender of your baby – but the accuracy in this case depends on the position of your baby at the time of exam and the skill level of the technician. At 20 weeks, the ultrasound exam is 95% to 100% accurate at detecting the sex of your baby.

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The ultrasound technology works by sending high-frequency sound waves through your body to take a picture of your internal organs. These waves enter your body and encounter internal surfaces. This generates an image of the fetus on a computer screen. Your doctor can refer to the ultrasound image to check for any fetal developmental abnormalities – they can also use the image to detect the gender of your baby.

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The good thing is that 3D ultrasound technology is now also in use, which is even more accurate than traditional 2D ultrasound. It can help detect the gender of the baby at an even earlier stage in your pregnancy. The British Journal of Radiology published a study that showed that 150 women had 3D ultrasounds in their first trimester and about 85.3% received correct gender predictions.

Is It a Safe Test for Mother and Baby?

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Researchers are of the view that ultrasound is generally a safe prenatal test, mainly because it uses sound energy and does not rely on radiation, such as X-rays to generate images. During a transabdominal ultrasound, you will be lying on your back with a clear gel on your belly and your lab technician will use a transducer to send sound waves into your body to generate images of your baby.

There is nothing risky involved in the procedure. However, you may feel a bit dizzy when lying flat on your back. You may have to drink several glasses of water before the test, which can make you feel a bit uncomfortable during the scan, especially when lying on your back.

What Kind of Ultrasound Will Be Used for Gender Detection?

There are seven different types of ultrasound exams, but the main process stays the same. Here is more about those types:
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Transvaginal Ultrasound Scans

The procedure involves using probe transducers inside your vagina to generate images. The procedure is most commonly used during early pregnancy.

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Standard Ultrasound

The procedure involves using a transducer over your abdomen to produce 2-dimensional images of your baby.

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Advanced Ultrasound

The procedure is quite similar to the standard ultrasound, but it uses sophisticated equipment to get information about a suspected problem.

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Doppler Ultrasound

The procedure involves measuring the changes in the frequency of ultrasound waves after they interact with moving objects, such as blood cells.

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3D Ultrasound

The procedure involves using high-tech probes and software to produce 3-dimenstional images of your developing baby.

What Could Affect the Results of Ultrasound Detection?

While ultrasound technology is usually quite accurate, so many factors can change the results. For instance:
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The Position of Your Baby

The position of your baby can make it difficult to detect gender accurately. It is hard to predict anything if your baby is curled up at the time of scan. They may change their position in the middle of an exam, and nothing can be done about it other than just waiting until the next ultrasound.

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Womb Conditions

Womb conditions play a role as well. It is important to have more amniotic fluid around your baby or else the images will not be clear. If there is not enough fluid, or your bladder is not full, this would affect the accuracy of the test.

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Timing of Ultrasound

When can ultrasound detect gender accurately? To get an accurate reading, the test must be performed on the right dates. If you can't remember your dates or unsure of how far along you are, the result may not be accurate enough.

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Technician

How experienced the technician is is another factor that can affect the results. Someone who is doing ultrasounds for years is more likely to detect the gender of your baby accurately. A new technician might fail to make right predictions.

Are There Any Other Reliable Methods to Find Out the Sex of Your Baby?

Are you still wondering when can ultrasound detect gender of your baby accurately? Don't worry too much, because you can also make use of some other technologies to learn the gender of your baby. For instance:
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Amniocentesis

The procedure involves taking a sample of the amniotic fluid to check the chromosomes. It is a very accurate way of detecting gender, but can be a bit risk and is only done on pregnant women who are 35 or older.

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Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)

The procedure involves extracting and examining actual cells from the fetus. This provides a lot of information about your growing baby, including sex. There are certain risks associated with this procedure and are usually performed only to get information about serious issues, such as Down's syndrome or cystic fibrosis.

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Ramzi's Method

It is a rather new method used to tell the gender of your baby. The procedure involves using ultrasound to detect the location of the placenta. It is usually performed in early pregnancy.

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