At what week can you find out the gender of your baby by ultrasound? Methods to determine the sex of a child with maximum accuracy Ultrasound at 18 weeks sex determination

As soon as a woman finds out about pregnancy, she begins to be interested in the question - who will be born, a boy or a girl?

Parents come up with a name for the baby in advance, and closer to the birth they buy the necessary things: a stroller, diapers, baby vests and rompers in the appropriate colors.

I wonder if there are reliable methods to determine the sex of a baby at the beginning of pregnancy?

Scientific methods for determining the sex of an unborn child

There are several medical methods that allow you to accurately determine the sex of a child. But not all are recommended without sufficient evidence.

The main medical methods for determining the sex of an unborn child include: ultrasound, genetic blood test,.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound diagnostics is currently performed for every pregnant woman. The technique is absolutely safe and has no side effects. The indication for examination is not only the mother’s curiosity.

Ultrasound helps identify possible abnormalities throughout pregnancy.

At what age can you determine the sex of a baby using ultrasound?

The accuracy of the result increases starting from 21 weeks, when the child’s genitals are already fully formed. At week 12, the forecast accuracy is 50%.

However, the possibility of error exists even in later stages, since the baby may close its legs, covering the genitals.

During multiple pregnancies, children may also cover each other, preventing the gender from being seen. The likelihood of error is significantly reduced if the clinic is equipped.

Chorionic villus biopsy

This method also allows you to determine the sex of the child at an early stage. This method is used only in cases of a high risk of chromosomal abnormalities, late births, or the birth of children in this couple with pathologies caused by other reasons.

During diagnosis, a special catheter is inserted through the abdominal wall or vagina into the space of the amniotic sac and part of the amniotic fluid with chorionic villi is taken.

However, this procedure is carried out only according to strict indications. It has a number of disadvantages.

Outside interference can cause a miscarriage or infect the fetus. Therefore, to satisfy curiosity, chorionic villus biopsy is not used.

Amniocentesis

During the manipulation, it is necessary to pierce the amniotic sac and take a small volume of fluid for examination.

Amniocentesis is recommended at 16-18 weeks to detect genetic disorders, such as Down or Hunter syndrome, in cases where the mother is diagnosed with hemophilia, if the parents have Tay-Sachs disease.

It is considered quite dangerous, since, despite ultrasound control, an insufficiently qualified doctor can touch vital areas of the fetus with a needle and negatively affect the development of the child.

In addition, there is a high risk of infection of the fertilized egg.

During the study, you can find out the gender of the baby with 100% accuracy.

Cordocentesis

Unlike the previous method, blood is taken from the fetal umbilical cord for analysis by piercing the walls of the abdomen and uterus with a special needle.

The information content is very high and makes it possible to identify genetic disorders in the development of the fetus, as well as its gender.

Complications of the analysis may include hematomas, short-term bleeding in the puncture area, and a slight risk of infection of the embryo and spontaneous abortion.

In private, in the absence of the necessary indications, the analysis can be performed for a fee. Its cost is approximately 1.5 times lower than amniocentesis.

Determining sex by maternal blood test

The method is based on detecting the concentration of fetal DNA and gives a positive result in 90-95% of cases.

In the future, the accuracy of the forecast increases, since as the fetus develops, the level of DNA containing the Y chromosome increases if a boy is expected.

Since the maternal and fetal circulatory systems are connected, Y chromosomes will be detected by routinely collecting and further testing a sample of the mother's blood. At what week can you determine the sex of a baby using this method?

However, you can donate blood earlier - at 7 or 8 weeks of pregnancy. However, in this case the results may be questionable.

The method of genetically determining the sex of a child is absolutely safe and has no side effects.

The analysis of a maternal blood sample has been used since 2007 and has already proven its effectiveness in practice.

Despite the possibility of determining the sex of a child using medical diagnostic methods, many parents continue to use pseudo-scientific methods, arguing that in most cases the predictions are justified.

Pseudo-scientific methods

Official medicine refutes the reliability of such methods. However, they are popular among the people because they allow you to determine the sex of the child without an ultrasound.

Chinese calendar

It is believed to have existed for several thousand years. Knowing the age of the mother and the month in which conception occurred, you can use the table to determine the sex of the baby. In addition, the method allows you to plan the birth of a child of the desired gender.

Japanese table

This method became known relatively recently. They say that Japanese scientists had a hand in its creation. To do this, you need to know in what months the parents were born.

Using the first table, find out the number at the intersection of these months. By substituting the number in the second table, you can find out in which months there is a high chance of conceiving a boy or a girl. Knowing the month of conception, it is easy to determine what gender the baby will be born.

Women who have used the Japanese table claim that its effectiveness is about 80%.

Freiman-Dobrotin method

The technique is based on the use of 12 tables compiled by M. Freiman. The method was tested in practice. Professor S. Dobrotin, who checked the tables, claimed that the forecasts come true in 99% of cases.

Unlike other methods, it has not gained wide popularity, as it seems quite complicated.

To obtain the result, it is necessary to determine the day of conception with maximum accuracy and then work to determine the sex of the child using several tables.

Currently, many websites use simplified schemes that allow you to determine the gender of a child based on the age of the parents. But these schemes are based on the Freiman-Dobrotin method.

Although the technique is considered pseudo-scientific, before the advent of ultrasound, it was this method that obstetricians resorted to when determining the sex of the baby.

It has been established that at 12-14 weeks the heartbeat of a boy and a girl differ slightly in frequency. In boys, the number of heartbeats does not exceed 140 per minute, in girls the figure is higher.

Blood renewal technique

You can determine the sex of the child. The method is based on the theory that every 4 years in men and 3 years in women, the blood is completely renewed. To determine who will be born, it is enough to divide the age of the mother by 3 and the age of the father by 4.

If the mother gets a smaller number when dividing, we should expect the birth of a girl, if the father is likely to have a boy.

How to determine the sex of a child by the last menstruation

This method was especially popular in past centuries, when there was no ultrasound diagnostics. First you need to determine in which month conception occurred (for example, January - 1, June - 6, etc.).

Then add this number with age, not the moment of conception. Add one to the resulting amount. If the resulting number is even, then you should expect a girl, if not, then a boy.

Blood group compatibility

The theory, based on, states that the blood types of parents have a significant impact on the gender of the unborn baby. For example, if both parents have blood of the first group, a girl will be born. If mom has type 3 blood and dad has type 2, you should expect a boy. The Rh factor also has an effect.

Doubts are raised by the fact that a couple will always have children of the same sex, since the blood type does not change throughout life.

In practice, the method of determining the sex of a child based on the blood type of the parents does not work well, since the same parents have children of different sexes.

Budyansky method

is a calendar and is based on the developments of Johns Hopkins University. It turns out that eggs are capable of secreting chemicals whose aroma attracts sperm.

Moreover, their “taste preferences” are different depending on the presence of X or Y chromosomes. Accordingly, it is possible to reproduce the aroma and ensure the birth of a baby of the desired gender.

Unfortunately, American scientists were unable to bring the development to its logical conclusion. However, the Budyansky couple took advantage of their idea, creating a calendar by which a woman with a regular menstrual cycle can determine when the substances produced by the egg attract sperm with X chromosomes, and when with Y.

If a woman has her own even-numbered menstrual cycle, then she can conceive a girl only in even-numbered cycles, and a boy only in odd-numbered cycles. And vice versa.

Even and odd cycles are determined from the table.

What if all the methods used to determine the sex of a baby show different results? In this case, it is worth holding off on choosing a name, as well as purchasing the necessary things. And don’t be upset that it’s impossible to determine in advance whether to expect a boy or a girl. Let this be a pleasant surprise!

What you were waiting for has happened, or vice versa, this event came as a complete surprise, but you have a pregnancy test in your hands, and 2 stripes are clearly visible on it. We still hope that the pregnancy is desired and now you are happy, because in the near future a baby will be born.

There are exciting months of waiting ahead that will bring a lot of new things into your life: the first ultrasound, the first nausea in the morning, the first timid tremors. And with them the questions: is everything okay with the child, and who will be born a son or a daughter? Is it possible for parents to determine the gender of a child without an ultrasound?

Ancestors' experience

People have always sought to unravel the secrets of nature and find out what gender the child will be born. Nowadays, this can be done using ultrasound. How was the sex of the unborn baby determined without this miracle of modern times? In the old days, everything was simple: people carefully observed pregnant women, analyzed them, and as a result, these signs appeared:

The woman becomes prettier - a boy will be born. There are acne on the face, the skin is oily or, on the contrary, dry, and the expectant mother looks bad - it will be a girl.
The expectant mother eats meat, fish or poultry, but cannot look at sweets - it will be a boy. If you start eating a lot of sweets, you will have a girl. The sign is more effective if the woman did not have such addictions before pregnancy.
A pregnant woman with a round belly will give birth to a girl, and a pregnant woman with a sharp belly will give birth to a boy.
For a woman in this position, the stomach is located at the top - expect a girl, at the bottom - there will be a boy.
If a pregnant woman has hair on the pigment stripe, she will have a boy; if she doesn’t have hair, she will have a girl.
The expectant mother behaves more calmly than before pregnancy - there will be a boy, on the contrary, she has become irritable and whiny - expect a girl.

People also determine the sex of the unborn child without an ultrasound in a very simple way. All you need is a gold ring, a glass of water and frost outside. We take a glass of water, put a ring in it and expose it to the cold (As you already understand, this method can only be used in the cold season). In the morning we carefully examine the frozen surface: there are visible bumps on it - for the birth of a son, depressions - wait for a daughter.

And another popular method is using a wedding ring. Sitting comfortably on the sofa, concentrate your attention on your stomach and imagine who might be in it. Then take the ring to which your hair is tied (if the pregnant woman has short hair, you can take a regular thread) and hold it over your stomach. Does the ring swing from side to side? So, you will have a son. Describes circles? Wait for your daughter. Those who have used this method of determining the sex of a child without an ultrasound claim that it is very accurate.

Ancient Chinese method of determining the sex of a child

Can you imagine? this method is already 700 years old! And this means that it works. It's quite simple to use. In the table below, look vertically for your age at the time of conception, horizontally for the month in which you were conceived
child. At the point of their intersection is the result. (M – boy, D – girl). To make sure the method is accurate, you can check it using your date of conception. To do this, you need to remember how old your mother was when she and your dad conceived you and in what month the conception occurred (do not confuse it with the date of birth). And as a result? Coincidence?

Ancient Chinese table for determining the sex of the unborn child

This table is one of the most accurate methods for determining the sex of a child, judging by the reviews that can be read on forums for pregnant women. So we look carefully and figure out who will be born.

Age

Month in which the child is conceived

Jan.

Feb.

March

Apr.

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

What can the Rh factor tell you?

Let's talk about another simple method for determining the sex of an unborn child. Finding out who will have a son or daughter is as easy as shelling pears if you know the Rh factor of your partners. For example, if a woman’s Rh factor is negative and a man’s is positive, then most likely they will have a girl. The table below will help you draw your conclusions.

Rh factor	father
mothers	+	—
—	girl
+		girl

Determining the gender of the child by ovulation

The method is suitable for couples who know exactly when ovulation and sexual intercourse took place. Doctors say:

if intimacy occurred several days before ovulation, then the birth of a daughter should be expected;
sex happened during ovulation or immediately after it - a son will be born.

This method of determining the sex of a child without ultrasound is considered the most accurate. Matches up to 80%. As you can see, there are many ways to find out whether a boy or a girl will be born: some study ancient Chinese tables, others calculate the date of ovulation or check with folk signs. And there are parents who say: “Whoever God gives will be born,” and are happy that their baby will soon be born.

The 18th week of pregnancy is a time of relative calm. The painful attacks of toxicosis have subsided, the feeling of heaviness has not yet appeared. The expectant mother is in excellent spirits. It is during this period that she can receive a referral for an ultrasound scan. What diagnostics will show at this time and what to prepare for, we will tell you in this article.

Survey objectives

The concept of “screening” is already familiar to the expectant mother, because in the first trimester she already underwent an ultrasound scan and donated blood for laboratory biochemical testing. At 18 weeks she will have another screening, the second in a row. The Ministry of Health recommends it be carried out between 18 and 21 weeks, so now is the right time to take a second look at the long-awaited baby.

Screening ultrasound is supported by data obtained from the laboratory. Based on the results of both studies, one can judge possible pathological conditions and some malformations of the fetus.

Ultrasound examination at week 18 has an important goal - identify problems in the baby's development. But this is not the only reason for scanning. At this stage, ultrasound helps to navigate the timing of pregnancy, if they are not fully clarified, and also to set the expected date of birth.

During this period already you can try to discern the gender of the baby, because the external genitalia are fully formed.

If the baby is not modest and shows the doctor his gender, the woman will be able to find out who she is expecting - a son or a daughter.

The questions that are resolved during screening do not imply gender determination, therefore this service is paid, while all other diagnostic measures within the framework of prenatal diagnosis are completely free for all women in an “interesting position”.

An unscheduled ultrasound at 18 weeks can be done according to indications - sudden pain, discharge that cannot be considered normal for pregnant women, discrepancy between the height of the uterine fundus and the obstetric period.

Preparation for the procedure and features of the procedure

Ultrasound at week 18 can be performed in two ways - internal or external. The internal one, called transvaginal, gives a good view through the vaginal wall if it is difficult through the peritoneum. It may be difficult for a doctor to examine the child if the expectant mother has extra pounds and fatty folds on the abdomen.

A vaginal sensor is also indispensable if there is a threat of miscarriage, since it allows you to more clearly see the cervix and cervical canal at 18 weeks.

If a woman has a normal or thin build, a transabdominal examination can be performed this week of pregnancy - through the abdomen. No preparation is required for an ultrasound, no matter how it is performed. No need to drink water or tea to fill your bladder, there is no need to follow a diet that reduces gas formation in the intestines.

What can be seen on an ultrasound?

At week 18, the baby looks like a small person, but his head is still disproportionately large. The baby's height from heels to crown is almost 20 centimeters, and its weight is close to 200-240 grams. Such dimensions allow him to freely somersault, swim, push off the walls of the uterus, and make a variety of movements with his arms and legs. It is at this stage that some pregnant women begin to feel the first movements. Basically, these are women expecting twins or triplets, as well as multiparous women.

Even if the woman does not feel any movements yet, you can enjoy the baby’s movements during the ultrasound procedure. The baby's skin is still very thin; blood vessels can be seen through it. The brain is developing rapidly, and the endocrine system begins to work this week. Ultrasound scanning, of course, will not show this.

But the mother will be able to see the small heart, listen to how it beats; if the level of equipment allows, you can see how the baby clenches and unclenches his fists, spreads his fingers.

The baby can already distinguish sounds. He is already accustomed to the beating of his mother’s heart, the noise of blood in her vessels, but everything new, what comes from outside, interests and frightens him at the same time. Therefore, the baby may perk up at the unfamiliar voice of the health worker who is conducting the examination, or, on the contrary, he may become frightened and become quiet.

The genitals are clearly visible at this stage if the baby is positioned conveniently for examination. It is possible that the umbilical cord will be caught between the legs. And then the girl can be confused with a boy. Shy boys can hide their “dignity” between their legs and can easily be mistaken for a girl. The percentage of error, however, at this time is small - no more than 2-4%.

Norms and decoding

The description is compiled in three main areas - the size of the fetus (fetometric indicators), the anatomy of the fetus (the presence and correct formation of internal organs), as well as a description of the auxiliary organs and media - the placenta, umbilical cord, amniotic fluid surrounding the toddler. In addition, the doctor assesses the health status of the woman herself - is everything okay with her reproductive organs, is there a threat of termination of pregnancy.

Fetal fetometry

You can draw conclusions about how a child’s head is developed based on two parameters; diagnosticians measure them first. These are longitudinal (LZR) and transverse dimensions (BPR). The head circumference completes the picture. The size is also considered important. baby's abdominal circumference. At this time, measurements are also taken of paired bones - the femur, shin bone, shoulder and forearm. At week 18, the nasal bones are also measured.

Child's head dimensions:

Dimensions of paired bones and nose bones:

Anatomical features

The baby in the mother's womb is already large enough for the doctor to examine its internal organs. During the study, the heart is examined, excluding possible defects of this organ and large vessels. The doctor is also interested in the child’s kidneys, bladder, intestines, stomach, lungs, gallbladder, brain structures and cerebellum.

In the absence of defects and visible problems, the doctor indicates that the internal organs of the toddler do not have any special features.

Placenta, umbilical cord, amniotic fluid

Standards and deviations are compared with this table:

The diagnostician must note where the placenta is located. In most pregnant women, this temporary organ, responsible for supplying the baby with everything necessary for 9 months, is located along the posterior uterine wall, however, the anterior location should not be surprising. This is a variant of the norm, but requires more careful management of pregnancy by the attending physician.

Possible problems

During an ultrasound scan at week 18, some pathological conditions may become apparent. Let's talk about the most common ones in more detail:

The child’s size is behind or ahead of the norm

Any discrepancies with the standards that are characteristic of fetuses at a certain period require careful study by doctors. Small delays or advances can be caused by completely harmless reasons - heredity, peculiarities of the baby’s body constitution. Thin parents usually give birth to the same children.

Situations where the dimensions deviate in one direction or another for 2 weeks or more deserve additional examination.

In this case, you should pay attention to exactly which sizes exceed the norm, whether the process is symmetrical (when all sizes are increased), or whether there is asymmetry (only one part of the body or one size is increased).

Enlargement and shrinkage of a baby's head may be a sign of genetic malformations, hydrocephalus or microcephaly. If the sizes are increased symmetrically, then there is a possibility that the woman is carrying a fetus with a tendency to large weight (more than 4 kilograms) or gigantic weight (more than 5 kilograms).

A symmetrical decrease may indicate trouble, which the baby experiences, up to intrauterine growth retardation.

However, there is no need to rush to conclusions - children grow “in leaps and bounds” in the womb, and it is possible that at a control ultrasound in a couple of weeks the baby will “even out” in parameters.

The nasal bones lag behind the norm

The length of the nose bones acts as a marker of chromosomal disorders. In children with Down syndrome, Patau syndrome, Turner syndrome and other incurable diseases, the facial profile is flattened, the nose is much smaller than that of healthy peers. This fact is taken as the basis for measuring this parameter. A slight lag in the length of the nasal bones should also not be of much concern.

Rather, this is a reason to carefully look in the mirror to the mother herself and study the appearance of her relatives. Maybe small noses are a hereditary trait in the family.

From the same point of view, moderate increases in the size of a baby’s nose should not cause panic.

When measuring this parameter, errors and inaccuracies very often occur, which are a consequence of the fact that the equipment used for diagnostics is outdated and has low resolution.