Gender Prediction
Gender Prediction Myths Are Fun, But Is There Any Truth To Them?
The evidence can seem pretty compelling.
Many expecting families opt for finding out what their baby’s sex is prior to having them. It’s understandable to an anxious person like me, considering how I had two separate ideas for baby nursery themes depending on what I was having, and I loved knowing their name already and not just having to call the baby “the fetus” or “it” all the time. While some wait until the 20 week ultrasound, we were able to find out with a blood test when I was 11 weeks along.
Then there are gender prediction myths that are fun to try as well. While not rooted in science, they’re certainly entertaining, and can help pass the time until you can find out for sure. WebMD says that prediction myths persist because they can sometimes appear to be correct — you do have a 50/50 chance of being right after all.
So whether you wait to find out via ultrasound, blood test, or want to try your hand at one of these prediction myths, please for the love of God don’t use fireworks, explosives, balloons, or any other type of aggressive reveal at your gender reveal parties if you choose to have them. The Earth and its inhabitants thank you.
1Belly Shape
“The most common misconception about the baby’s gender revolves around the mother’s belly shape.,” says Dr. Katerina Schkodzik, an OB-GYN from Miracare. “Some say if it is more oval, it is a girl, and a rounder shape resembling a ball is a boy. This does not take much explanation, since the baby moves, the body types are many and varying, so this one falls through immediately.,” she says.
2Breast Size
Another myth has to do with the size of your growing breasts, reported Parents. If your right breast is larger than the left one, it could mean you’re having a girl. But if the left one is larger, you could be having a boy. Your breast size changes due to hormones and preparation for breastfeeding, according to Healthline, and not because of the baby’s gender. Nobody’s two natural breasts are the same size anyway, so it makes sense they’d grow differently as well.
3Time of Conception
A more disputable myth involves the time when the baby is conceived, Schkodik says. ”The only reason it is disputable is actually only because of the belief system of some mothers when it comes to astrology. It is fairly difficult to dispute this one if you firmly believe that the position of the constellations and the planets determine our personality, and, according to this — gender. Scientifically speaking, this method has no legs to stand on, period.”
4Hair Swing & Wedding Ring Test
“Hang your wedding ring from a strand of the father's hair over your belly,” WebMD says. “If the ring swings around in circles, it's a girl. If it sways back and forth, it's a boy.” While there’s no scientific basis for this one, OB-GYN Sharon Mass told WebMD, “People who follow traditional Chinese medicine might explain the dangling ring (or pin) as evidence of the body's natural forces at work.”
5Garlic Test
Per Parents, if you eat garlic and the smell seeps out of your pores when you sweat, you’re having a boy. If there’s no scent, you’re having a girl. There are no scientific studies proving this, however, your body odor does change during pregnancy due to hormones and your body preparing itself to attract your baby to breastfeed. Your sweat glands are more active and the composition of your sweat changes, according to a momlovesbest.com article.
6Sleeping Side
Another one claims that the side on which the future mother sleeps can detect the baby’s gender. This one actually has a base in medicine, but for a different reason. As the bump grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to sleep on the stomach and also on your back. Pediatricians actually recommend sleeping on the side for health reasons, namely inferior vena cava, a large blood vessel that goes along the spine bringing blood to the lower part of the body. If you sleep on your back, the growing baby puts pressure on this vessel and lowers your blood pressure. That is why sleeping on either side of your body reduces that pressure and gets you better quality sleep.
7Heart Beat
WebMD says the myth is if your baby’s heartbeat is faster than 140 beats per minute, you’re having a girl. However, “A 2006 study showed no gender-related differences in fetal heart rate during the first trimester... which is no surprise, considering that babies' hearts beat faster in general during the first 28 to 30 weeks of pregnancy.”
8How Clumsy You Are As A Pregnant Person
Parents says if you’re more off-balance than usual and are a lot more clumsy while pregnant, the myth means you’re having a boy. In reality, onset of clumsiness while pregnant comes from the oddly distributed weight in the front of your body, and the combination of hormones and fatigue, according to What to Expect. Hormones loosen your joints and ligaments during pregnancy and you retain extra fluid.
9Drano Test
This myth is a bit dangerous (and gross) if you ask me. But WebMD says, the “Drano test” is where you stir Drano into your urine, and if the mixture turns green you’re having a boy.
Mass told WebMD, that she didn’t know of any medical reason why a Drano-urine mixture could predict a baby's sex. "There's no change in the acidity or alkalinity of a boy or girl chromosome," she says.
10Cravings
Craving sour foods? You’re having a girl. If you have a sweet tooth, you’re having a boy, WebMD says. However, “If you're craving sweets (or any other food), it's probably because your shifting hormones have intensified your sense of smell,” the article noted.
11Soft or Dry Hands
If you have dry hands during pregnancy, you may be having a boy according to an old wive’s tales, says Parents. Alternatively, if you have soft hands you’re having a girl.
12Acne
If your face is suddenly reminiscent of your preteen and teenage years, Parents says that you could be expecting a girl. But truthfully, if you’re experiencing a lot of acne during pregnancy you can just blame that on the hormonal changes your body is going through — not the baby’s gender.
13Morning Sickness
WebMD says another popular myth is if you’re having morning sickness all day, you’re having a girl. And ironically, this may be the only myth that actually has some truth in it according to the website.
“Studies have found that women with a severe form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum are more likely to give birth to girls,” the website noted.
“The reason? Levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG, which triggers morning sickness, tend to be higher in mothers who are pregnant with female babies.”
While these myths might not get you any real answers, they’re definitely a fun way to pass the time while you’re waiting for your baby’s big reveal.
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