Some of them carry significant risks. For most of the tests listed, finding out the sex is a secondary benefit while the test looks for other information. IVF assists with fertility by combining a mature egg with sperm outside of the body. This creates an embryo , which is then implanted in the womb. If you choose, you can have the sex of different embryos identified, and then only transfer the embryos of your desired sex.
Sex selection in conjunction with IVF is about 99 percent accurate. You can have this test starting at 10 weeks of pregnancy. It only screens for the possibility. If your baby has abnormal results, your doctor may order further tests to diagnose Down syndrome and other chromosome disorders. This test can also accurately determine the sex of your baby. Chronic villus sampling CVS is one genetic test used to identify Down syndrome. This test removes a sample of chorionic villus, which is a type of tissue found in the placenta.
It reveals genetic information about your baby. You can have this test as early as your 10th or 12th week of pregnancy. And because it has gene information about your baby, it can also reveal the sex of your baby. This is an accurate test for finding out the sex of the baby, but it does involve some risks. Amniocentesis is a test that helps diagnose detect developmental issues in a fetus. Your doctor collects a small amount of amniotic fluid, which contains cells that indicate abnormalities.
The cells are tested for Down syndrome, spina bifida , and other genetic conditions. You can have this test around 15 to 18 weeks of pregnancy, and it takes about 30 minutes. Risks include cramping, bruising, and spotting. Along with detecting birth defects and other abnormalities with your baby, an amniocentesis also identifies the sex of your child.
Since an ultrasound creates an image of your baby, it can also reveal the sex of your baby. Most doctors schedule an ultrasound at around 18 to 21 weeks, but the sex may be determined by ultrasound as early as 14 weeks. Your baby might be in an awkward position, which makes it difficult to clearly see the genitals.
But mistakes do happen. Some of these tests according to claims can determine the sex as early as 8 weeks, with about 99 percent accuracy.
This is how it works: You take a sample of your blood, and then send this sample to a lab. Lately, as more couples turn to in-vitro fertilization procedures to conceive a child, the issue of selecting the sex of a baby for purposes of "family balancing" rather than for medical reasons is controversial and raises ethical concerns.
Here six important facts about ultrasound screenings and sex determination, according to Carr, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. But the common prenatal scan wasn't intended as an exam to find out the baby's gender; it was meant to image the developing fetus for other medical reasons, he said. Although the test can be done at any point during pregnancy, women typically get one during the first trimester. This early ultrasound is often done to confirm a pregnancy, detect the fetal heartbeat and determine the due date, according to the March of Dimes.
A second ultrasound is usually done between the 18th and 22nd weeks of pregnancy to make sure that the baby is growing and developing properly. It's typically during the second ultrasound that parents can learn the sex of the baby.
The scan is also done to see if a woman is having more than one baby, as well as to determine the location of the placenta and umbilical cord. In addition, ultrasound can identify certain birth defects, such as Down syndrome and spinal abnormalities, and investigate pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, according to the March of Dimes. It uses sound energy and not radiation, such as X-rays, to generate images of the fetus. During a transabdominal ultrasound, a pregnant woman lies on her back while a clear gel is spread on her belly, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Next, a probe called a transducer is moved over the woman's abdomen, which transmits sound waves that can produce images of the fetus as it develops inside the mother's womb. There is no harm to the baby during the procedure, Carr said. And the only risks to the mother may come from lying flat on her back, which might make her feel dizzy, along with the discomfort of having a full bladder, he said.
Women may be asked to drink several glasses of water before an ultrasound because a filled bladder helps give clearer images. Gender predictions made by ultrasound have an accuracy rate "north of 90 percent," Carr said. But mistakes can be made when determining gender because it depends on the clarity of the images and the skills of the person interpreting them.
Until the 14th week of pregnancy, baby boys and girls look exactly the same on ultrasound, Carr said. Beyond this point, noticeable anatomical differences in the genitals can show up on the scan. After 18 weeks of pregnancy and beyond, Carr said that ultrasounds have pretty good reliability for gender prediction if the baby is in a good position in the mother's uterus meaning that it is not in a breech, or feet-down position , and the legs are far enough apart that there is good visibility between them.
When a sonographer looks between the legs, if it's "an outie," it's a boy, he explained. A blood test for pregnant women that's been around for about three years can also determine the sex of the fetus with 98 to 99 percent accuracy, Carr said.
This screening, which is called the cell-free DNA test, is done at the eighth or ninth week of pregnancy. It may be used in women when there is an increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities, such as in older mothers, he said. Carr said that he understands the psychology of expectant parents wanting to see an image of their baby. However, he doesn't endorse so-called "bonding scans," which are also known as recreational or keepsake ultrasounds. These scans are done to produce keepsake pictures or videos, and not for medical reasons.
Ultrasounds should be used as a diagnostic tool when there's a medical reason to do one, Carr said. The procedure is tightly regulated when it occurs in a hospital or medical clinic, he added. That's generally not the case for commercial places doing keepsake images: There is no regulation of ultrasound facilities outside of a medical setting, so their quality can vary wildly, Carr said.
And the technicians may have limited medical training to interpret the scans, he noted. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine issued a joint statement discouraging the use of prenatal ultrasounds for nonmedical reasons.
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