Pregnancy 101: How to Tell the Gender of Your Baby Early

As an expectant parent you may be especially curious about what your baby will be. With today’s technology, there are many ways to find out your baby’s gender early so you don’t have to wait until the 20th week of pregnancy for an ultrasound. A prenatal blood test (NIPT), for example, can predict the gender of your baby by the 11th week of pregnancy. An ultrasound, on the other hand, can show a baby’s sex organs in the 14th week of pregnancy; although, ultrasound is not considered completely accurate until the 18th week of pregnancy. If you’re on an IVF journey, you can actually learn the gender even before you transfer the embryos.

How to Know the Sex of Your Baby with Testing

There are several testing options to determine your baby’s gender early. The first option is a non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT). This is a blood test that looks at the baby’s physical condition and whether there are any chromosomal abnormalities. Test results may show Down Syndrome, trisomy 13, or trisomy 18. The NIPT analyzes a blood sample for small fetal DNA fragments that enter the bloodstream from the placenta. Since the test also looks at fetal DNA, it also offers expectant parents the opportunity to find out the sex of the baby. Ultimately, the main purpose of NIPT is to screen for chromosomal abnormalities.

Another test used to detect chromosomal abnormalities is the Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS). The CVS test can be performed by inserting a thin tube through your cervix or a needle through the abdomen to reach the placenta.

A final option is an at home early gender test like Peekaboo Test. With this test, you take a blood sample at home and send it to the lab. This test detects the presence or absence of the Y chromosome. In as early as 72 hours, you can receive the test results and know your baby’s gender. When you use Peekaboo™, you can determine your baby’s gender as early as six weeks gestation! The Peekaboo™ At-Home Early Gender Test is easy, affordable, and accurate. That’s why it’s the only early baby gender reveal test endorsed by the American Pregnancy Association.

Finding out your baby’s gender is an exciting moment. Ultimately, you or your doctor can decide together which test is the best and most reliable for your situation.