Am I Having a Boy or Girl?? – Happiest Baby
By
Happiest Baby Staff
On This Page
- Age-Old Gender Prediction Traditions
- Gender Prediction Tests From Around the World
- Scientific-Sounding Gender Prediction Methods
- Final Thoughts on Gender Prediction
One of the most exciting parts of pregnancy is trying to figure out if you’re having a girl or a boy. Typically, expecting parents can find out of the gender of their child by week 20 of pregnancy during the anatomy scan—or sometimes during a blood test around week 10 or week 12. (Learn more about prenatal genetic testing.)
But in those weeks leading up a baby’s gender is anyone’s guess. And it turns out, making those guesses can be quite fun! We’ve rounded up a few entertaining and interesting gender prediction tests and traditions parents have used around the world. (But it should go without saying that these are for fun, and your doctor will be able to provide the official word on whether you’re expecting a boy or girl.)
Age-Old Gender Prediction Traditions
Morning Sickness and Gender
Although there’s not substantial science to back this gender prediction method, some believe that the amount of morning sickness a pregnant person has will determine gender. If you’re sick and turning green at every whiff, then you’re having a girl. If morning sickness blessedly passes you by or you have few problems in the puke department, then you’re having a boy. (Feeling nauseated? Here are a few ways to ease morning sickness.)
Sweet or Salty Pregnancy Cravings
Brace yourself for comments if you reach for those pickles. According to some, your pregnancy cravings are directly related to gender. Some say that craving salty or savory foods means that a baby boy is on the way. If you’re craving sweets then you’ve got a girl on the way.
The Pendulum Gender Prediction Test
Expecting parents have been trying this gender prediction test for centuries—though there is some question about where the tradition originates from. The parent-to-be is asked to lay on their back while someone takes a wedding ring and hangs it from a string. Then the string is dangled over the pregnant belly. The movements of the ring-weighted string will determine the gender of the baby, in a tradition known as dowsing. If the ring swings in a circular motion then it’s a girl and if the ring swing is a straight line then it’s a boy.
Chinese Gender Prediction
Chinese mothers have long used a gender prediction chart to figure out if they’re having a baby boy or girl. Invented 700 years ago for the imperial family in the Qing dynasty, the Chinese gender prediction chart is incredibly simple and fun to use (even if it’s not supported by science!). By lining up the mother’s lunar age at conception against the Chinese lunar month at conception a parent can see if they are having a boy or a girl…in theory! You can try it yourself to see if it was accurate for you:
Mayan Gender Prediction
Similar to the Chinese gender prediction chart, the Mayans also had their own calendar-based logic to figuring out a baby’s gender. This baby gender prediction method is based on the month of conception and the mom’s age at conception. If both numbers are either even or odd then it’s a girl. But if one of the conception numbers is odd and one is even, then the baby is a boy. For example, if you are 33 and conceived in March (the third month), this method says you’re having a girl (both 33 and 3 are odd). If you’re 33 and conceived in December (the 12th month) you’re supposedly expecting a boy (odd age + an even-numbered month). Easy-peasy!
More Gender Prediction Tests From Around the World
Moroccan Gender Prediction
If a pregnant person lays on their back and someone drops an insect on their belly, they can figure out the gender of the unborn child based on how the insect lands. If it lands on its feet, then congratulations, it’s a boy! If the bug lands on its back, then it looks like there’s pink in your future. (The question is…would you be willing to let someone drop a creepy-crawly on your pregnant belly?)
Hungarian Gender Prediction
Speaking of creepy crawlies, this method says if a parent-to-be gently pokes their finger into the center of a spider web and then pulls their finger out to reveal a hole, they can predict the gender of their child based on what the spider does. According to Traditions and Superstitions in Obstetrics and the Care of the New-Born in Hungary by Rudolf Temesvary, if the spider does nothing then a girl is on the way, but if the spider repairs the hole, then you can expect a boy.
Brazilian Gender Prediction
Brazilian folklore says that if an expecting mother cooks up a chicken’s heart then she can be certain to know if she’s having a boy or a girl based on how the heart reacts to heat. If it opens or splits or expands during cooking, she’s having a girl. If the heart doesn’t open or split or expand, she’s probably having a boy.
French Gender Prediction
French women can thank a 15th Century book of folklore called The Distaff Gospels for this one, apparently if a mother’s footsteps tend to start from her right foot, then she’s likely having a boy. If she starts walking with her left, then she’s having a girl.
Scientific-Sounding Gender Prediction Methods
The Ramzi Gender Prediction Method
This method uses an ultrasound photo from a scan as early as 6 weeks to predict a baby’s gender based on the placement of the placenta. This theory was developed by Dr. Saam Ramzi Ismali, who believes that if the placenta is developing on the left, you’re expecting a girl. If it’s growing on the right, a boy’s on the way. This theory was first explained in a research paper published on a website called ObGyn.net. However, while that sounds like it might be legit, it’s important to note that this site is a media website—not a scientific one. And the paper published was not peer-reviewed. What’s more, additional studies have not been able to support these findings—or any gender prediction this early in pregnancy. Of course, if you’d like to give your ultrasound a close look, by all means, go ahead…but hold off on buying that pink or blue gear until you can do a more reliable test.
The Nub Method of Gender Prediction
Here’s another method that involves an ultrasound photo…but this one uses a 12-week scan. Basically, the nub method of gender prediction says that, if you catch a shot of your baby in profile and look at the area between the legs, you’ll see a small nub (the tubercle—a part of a developing baby that eventually becomes a penis or clitoris). If that nub is at a 30-degree angle or higher, it’s a boy. If the nub is horizontal or pointing down, it’s a girl. There’s a little bit of science to back this up. In a small study in 1999, researchers found that the nub theory was 70% accurate at 11 weeks and 98% accurate by 13 weeks (a slightly larger study in 2006 yielded similar results). But an even bigger, more recent study found that the nub theory was not a reliable way to predict gender. You can certainly ask your ultrasound technician and OB/GYN for their thoughts, but at this stage in the game, you’re better off either doing a blood test (which is conducted around this time and is very accurate), or holding tight until your 20-week anatomy scan.
Final Thoughts on Baby Gender Prediction
As you can tell, baby gender prediction traditions have been around for centuries! Trying to predict the gender of your baby can be a lot of fun. Once you find out your baby’s gender for sure you can get serious about choosing a baby name (check out our list of best baby names for some adorable inspo!) or plan a gender reveal (if that’s your thing!). Some fun ideas for sharing your news:
- Gender Reveal Cakes to Share Your Sweet News
- Gender Reveal Games That Will Make Sharing The News Extra Fun
- Unique Gender Reveal Ideas to Celebrate Your News
And while you’re waiting to learn your little one’s gender, you can get busy crafting the perfect baby registry. The Happiest Baby Registry makes it easy to add SNOO—as well as all the things you want from your other favorite shops—and let your loved ones chip in on your most-wanted gifts!
Have questions about a Happiest Baby product? Our consultants would be happy to
help! Connect with us at [email protected].
Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or
condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or
yourself, please contact your health provider.
Try this Chinese Gender Calendar Predictor
Curious if you’re pregnant with a boy or a girl? There are many fun ways to predict your baby’s gender. One of the most popular old wives’ tale ways is using the Chinese Gender Calendar. This method tries to predict your baby’s gender based on an ancient Chinese gender chart and uses your lunar age and the lunar month you got pregnant to determine baby’s gender.
The History of the Chinese Gender Calendar Chart
We’ve heard several stories about the history of the Chinese Gender Calendar Chart. One legend says that the chart is around 700 years old and was found in an ancient royal tomb. Another rumor claims the chart was found in the underground storage room of the Forbidden City of the Ching Dynasty.
The most popular tale is that the chart was created during the Chinese Qing Dynast (1644-1911 A.D.), and it is based on the I Ching, or the “Book of Changes,” and relies upon the Five Elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth), Yin and Yang and the Pa Kua (Eight Trigrams). It’s said that the Chinese Gender Calendar Chart was relied upon by the Qing Dynasty imperial family for the gender selection of sons. It was kept in the palace and was not available to the public. At the end of the Qing dynasty, the military took the chart during the Boxer Rebellion, and the documents were then sent to England. They were given to the King and it was translated into English. The chart later appeared in Austria, and when one Chinese scholar saw it, he copied the content, brought it to Taiwan, and published it in the newspaper in 1972.
We looked for facts to find the true history of the Chinese Gender Calendar Chart, and we couldn’t find any hard evidence to support any of these stories. We see this chart as a fun and unfactual way to guess your baby’s gender.
How Accurate is the Chinese Gender Calendar Chart?
The accuracy of the Chinese Gender Calendar Chart is questionable. Some say its accuracy is higher than other gender prediction tools. We’ve read that about 70% accurate. Others say it’s 90% accurate. There is no scientific basis for the Chinese Gender Calendar Chart, so the most we can guarantee is 50%. We caution anyone relying on this method to conceive a specific gender. Take this prediction with a grain of salt and know it’s a 50/50 chance you are carrying either a boy or a girl.
For a more accurate answer, we recommend having an ultrasound or a blood test to determine the baby’s gender.
How Does the Chinese Gender Calendar Chart Work?
This chart predicts your baby’s gender by gathering the mother’s lunar age and the lunar month of conception. Many people think that these charts go by Gregorian or Western calendar dates. However, it’s the lunar dates that make the prediction. If you don’t know your lunar dates, not to worry! We’ve made this Chinese Gender Calendar Chart easy for you. All you have to do is:
- Enter your actual date of birth.
- Enter your month of conception.
- Click “Predict Baby’s Gender.”
With your information, our calculator will convert your dates into lunar dates for you with a final gender prediction. Let’s see what it will be!
I’ve Seen Multiple Gender Charts – Are They All Accurate?
There is only one Chinese Gender Calendar Chart, and it never changes. If you find others elsewhere with different predictions, those predictions are incorrect and must not be using the original Chinese Gender Chart.
Boy or girl? | Articles of EMC clinic doctors about diseases, diagnostics and treatment
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While expecting a baby, future parents like to dream about what it will be like. Will he inherit his mother’s blue eyes, his father’s height and posture, his grandmother’s smile? But the main question, of course, is whether it will be a girl or a boy? Different peoples have a lot of signs and amazing theories on this subject. Olga Loginova, an EMC obstetrician-gynecologist, Candidate of Medical Sciences, tells whether it is possible to determine the sex of a future baby without ultrasound.
Determination of gender by the shape of the abdomen
In some expectant mothers, the belly becomes noticeable almost from the 10th week of pregnancy, in others it may not be visible until the middle of the second trimester. These features could not be ignored.
People say: “The belly grows forward – to the boy.” One of the popular folk signs says: if a woman’s tummy is small and neat, located high, sharp (“cucumber”), and you can’t even see it from the back, then it will be a boy. If the belly is large, set low, protrudes on the sides, and the fact that the woman is pregnant is clearly visible even from the back, this is a sure sign of the birth of a girl.
Doctors say that the shape of the belly of a pregnant woman is influenced by a large number of factors. These, in particular, include: gestational age (gestational age, fetal size), the position of the fetus in the uterus, as well as what the figure of the expectant mother was before pregnancy. The belly of a thin and tall woman will always be different from the belly of a full woman of short stature. Thus, from a medical point of view, the relationship between the shape of the abdomen and the sex of the unborn child is very doubtful.
According to taste preferences
Herring with jam, chocolate bar with roach, chips with yogurt or milk with pickles – expectant mothers often want to eat something unusual, and their desires are unpredictable. Why not think about the connection of your taste preferences with the gender of the expected baby?
People say that a mother who is expecting a daughter, in the early stages of pregnancy, experiences an irresistible craving for sweets. And if a passionate admirer of chocolates is suddenly drawn to smoked meat and pickles – wait for the boy.
Doctors say that Oriental medicine gives its own explanation for the change in taste preferences during pregnancy: each human organ corresponds to a certain taste: for example, the liver “loves” sour, the spleen and stomach – sweet, the kidneys “are greedy” for salty, the gallbladder – for tart and bitter. In accordance with this theory, it should be assumed that all pregnant boys have some kind of kidney problems, which, you see, is strange.
By changes in appearance
Pregnancy, as they say, colors some women: smooth skin, wonderful complexion, thick hair, shining eyes. Other expectant mothers, on the contrary, notice that their appearance has changed for the worse: inflammation, pimples appear on the face, the skin becomes more oily, sometimes a lot of hair appears on the face, abdomen, and other parts of the body. All this is the work of hormones. The strongest hormonal changes during pregnancy affect each expectant mother in different ways.
People say that if a woman becomes prettier with pregnancy, then she is expecting a boy. The girl “takes away” the beauty from her mother. However, the active growth of “unnecessary” hairs is associated precisely with the fact that a woman is carrying a male baby.
Some doctors say that the male hormone testosterone affects hair growth, so if a mother has a boy in her stomach, she may develop unwanted body hairs. In fact, studies show that this is not the case: the testosterone content in the blood of the fetus is not enough to affect the mother’s body and, accordingly, change the rate of hair growth.
According to the strength of toxicosis
Toxicosis often overshadows the expectation of a child: the body of the expectant mother experiences hormonal stress and at first tries to fight the “foreign body” – the embryo. Until the body gets used to the new life emerging in it, it rejects it. At the same time, some women experience only mild nausea, while others are literally “turned inside out” during the first months of pregnancy.
People say that if a pregnant woman has severe toxicosis in the first trimester, this is a sure sign that a girl will be born. With boys, mothers practically do not suffer.
According to doctors, scientists do not reject this omen either. They believe that morning sickness is a consequence of elevated levels of the hormone HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which indicates that the fetus is female.
Physician sex determination
In fact, only special tests and medical examinations can help a couple determine the sex of their unborn child.
These include:
Fetal ultrasound. As a rule, the sex of the child is determined at the 16th week of pregnancy. The accuracy of the method is 80-90%.
Amniocentesis. In this case, the amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus is examined. Usually the method is used to diagnose various genetic abnormalities of the fetus, but the sex of the unborn child can also be determined with 100% accuracy. It is invasive, that is, penetrating, and entails certain risks, including miscarriage. Therefore, aminocentesis is performed according to strict indications and never – in order to determine the sex of the child.
Very accurate in determining the sex of the baby, but at the same time no less expensive, is the DNA test. It is not widely used: it is carried out in highly specialized laboratories and only for special indications.
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How to determine the sex of the unborn child
Article author:
Yudina Elena Alexandrovna
, obstetrician-gynecologist
1. Determination of the sex of the child using ultrasound diagnostics.
2. Sex determination by Rh factor and blood type of parents. A girl will be born if the mother has I blood type, and the father has I or III (II – II or IV; III – I; IV – II). A boy will be born if the mother has blood group I, and the father has II or IV (II – I or III; III – II, III or IV; IV – I, III or IV).
3. Sex determination by date of conception. It is important to know when a woman ovulates. For a more accurate determination of the time period, you need to purchase an ovulation test. If the child was conceived a few days before ovulation, then a girl will be born. This is because the sperm contains XY chromosomes, and the egg contains XX. Y chromosomes are very active, but they die faster, so only a set of XX remains before ovulation begins. The result is a girl.
Conception that occurred on the day of ovulation or after it is more likely for a boy, since the Y chromosomes get to the egg faster, a male XY set is formed.
4. According to the shape of the abdomen. This is not the most reliable way, one can only assume. When the belly grows enough (not earlier than 5-6 months of pregnancy), then the sex of the child is determined by its shape. If it is round, looks like a ball that reaches the sides, then it will be a girl. If the belly is sharp and sticks out forward, then it’s a boy.
5. According to the location of the abdomen. If the belly is lowered, then the woman is expecting a boy. If it is raised high and is located directly under the breast, then a girl is expected.
It should be noted that none of the above methods can give a 100% accurate result. Specialists in ultrasound diagnostics can also make mistakes: for example, the fetus may turn so that it will be impossible to determine the sex of the child, and in the early stages of pregnancy, the male and female genital organs are very similar, even an experienced doctor can confuse them.