Most parents-to-be are looking forward to the moment when they will probably know the gender of the long-awaited baby. After all, I can't wait to find a name for the baby, transform the interior of the children's room and purchase the necessary children's things.
Ultrasound procedure
Currently, most pregnant women undergo several mandatory ultrasound examinations of the fetus throughout the entire period of gestation. The main objective of the study is to identify fetal malformations and general diagnostics of its condition. An additional pleasant bonus during the procedure is the opportunity to see the baby's gender.
Already at the 6th week of embryo development, the genitals are laid, however, they do not have morphological differences at this time. And only by 11 weeks, a barely noticeable tubercle begins to appear in boys at the site of the future penis. At this time, the doctor who diagnoses the ultrasound can already assume the sex of the baby, but the probability of an error is quite high.
It is possible to more reliably discern the sex of the baby only starting from the 15th week of fetal development. But at this time, the embryo is still not large enough, therefore, the umbilical cord wrapped between the legs or fingers of the hand can be mistaken by a specialist for morphological signs characteristic of a future man, and parents will be misled.
At the 18th week of development, the baby's genitals are already sufficiently formed and clearly visible on ultrasound. Therefore, if the baby does not clamp his legs and does not turn his back to the sensor, then there is a high degree of probability that future parents will see who, a boy or a girl, will soon appear in their family.
An interesting fact is that boys are easier to see. During ultrasound, male embryos often spread their legs, demonstrating their belonging to the strong half of humanity. Girls, on the other hand, most often turn away, and in order to see the morphological signs of the female sex, you have to do several studies.
Invasive research
There are methods for determining the sex of the unborn baby through DNA analysis. In this case, experts identify the presence or absence of the Y-chromosome, characteristic of males. The probability of error in this case is minimal.
The material for such an analysis is the amniotic fluid or part of the placenta. In this case, a placenta biopsy is performed at 7-10 weeks of pregnancy, and the analysis of amniotic fluid is performed in the second trimester.
This procedure is carried out in exceptional cases when, for whatever reason, it is necessary to diagnose genetic abnormalities in the fetus. For this, there must be sufficiently serious indications, since a biopsy can provoke a miscarriage. Determining the sex of the baby during research is just an additional option.
