Myths about predicting your baby's sex
Expectant parents have wondered the ultimate question, “boy or girl?” about their growing baby since the dawn of the winky and hoo-hah. Although developments in ultrasound technology have made sex detection far more accurate and accessible in the past fifty years, some women still swear by age-old tricks and heuristics for determining baby’s sex, whether scientifically-verified, or not.
Other methods of predicting sex
- Dry hands: Legends say that if you notice dry hands during pregnancy, you’ll be having a girl. However, other legends say that if you notice dry hands, it means you’re having a boy! Our take? Don’t put your eggs in the dry hands basket.
- Stealing your beauty: Some stories say that if you notice acne and other skin blemishes while you’re pregnant, it’s a girl! Our take? It’s probably just hormones, not a jealous baby girl.
- Carrying low: Lots of people believe that if you’re carrying low, it means you’re having a boy, and if you’re carrying high, you’ve got a girl. Our take? Don’t go ahead and buy baby’s monogrammed bathrobe just yet.
- The wedding ring: Some women swear that tying their wedding rings to a string, and then hanging it over their belly can predict boy or girl - if the ring swings in a circle, you’ll be having a baby boy, and if it goes back and forth then you’ve got a gorgeous girl on the way! Our take? It could be a fun game, but don’t bet on its accuracy.
- Chinese sex chart: Allegedly discovered in an ancient royal tomb, the Chinese Sex Chart purports to predict baby’s sex based on your age and the month of conception and claims to be 90% accurate. Our take? Show us the evidence, then we’ll believe you.
The bottom line
Although alternative forms of sex prediction exist besides ultrasounds, the accuracy of each method is unproven, so we recommend relying on the ultrasound, or a non-invasive prenatal blood test, if you’re going to be investing heavily in pink or blue before baby is born.
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Sources
- Roger W. Harms, M.D. "Is there any way to influence a baby's sex?" Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 2/7/2014. Web.
