How To Know Baby Gender

The sonograms, which allow you to see your kid before he is born, are one of the most thrilling aspects of pregnancy. However, a rising number of expectant mothers are using these photos in a novel way: to try to predict the gender of their baby before it is born. Sure, by approximately 20 weeks, the fetus has matured to the point where a sonogram professional can confidently tell you the sex (assuming the baby is positioned the right way). However, some mothers claim that sonograms can reveal a baby’s gender as early as six weeks!

This discovery has spurred a slew of expectant parents to examine their early ultrasound photos and post them online for feedback. According to a survey conducted by the British parenting website Netmums, one-third of parents have posted early ultrasound images on social media sites such as Facebook, asking friends to guess whether the baby is a boy or a girl; meanwhile, sites such as In-gender host entire discussion boards on how to guess correctly.

Granted, the medical establishment is dubious about this method’s efficacy.

“The only way to detect sex during an ultrasound is to visualize the penis or vagina,” says Fahimeh Sasan, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science. And until late in pregnancy, these private areas don’t exist. Even still, many people may believe there’s something to it because the chances of guessing correctly are rather high. “Sex is 50/50,” Dr. Sasan explains, “therefore any old wives tale or gimmick will be correct 50% of the time.”

Even though early sonograms aren’t a reliable way to determine gender, we doubt this would deter parents from doing it since, well, it’s fun! Just don’t use the results to decorate your nursery.

If you want to give it a shot, here are the most common methods moms claim to be able to discern a baby’s gender from an early sonogram:

1. Placenta on right side of the uterus (also called the Ramzi theory) = boy
2. Placenta on the left side of uterus = girl
3. Private parts nub pointing up less than 30 percent = girl
4. Private parts nub point up more than 30 percent = boy
5. Square skull and jaw = boy
6. Round skull = girl