Finding out what the baby is..

KMorgan4710

I am not quite sure when i will find out what the gender of my baby is. I have had friends and family tell me that some women will find out what they are having at 12 weeks, and then others around the normal 18-20 weeks. Why is it that some women find out at 12 weeks instead of 20? Could it just be the doctor they go to, or what? This is my very first pregnancy, unexpected, because i'm only 17. I will be 18 in May and i just want to know as much as possible about everything. So please help me! It would be much appreciated! 

WildRumpus

The women that find out at before 20 weeks have usually had some additional testing for other conditions that is also able to determine gender. Some doctors will take a guess, but external genitals will look nearly identical for quite a while.

MommyAmes2

If you look up information, both genders look the same early. So an early ultrasound is not accurate. The norm is 18 to 20 weeks. This is when you will get your anatomy scan, and they can tell you the gender as a lovely bonus

Mr&MrsMTA

Do not go by the 12wk ultra sound the sex organs are not fully formed at that point. I have had a few friends try to find out and some actually went out and bought things only to have to return everything because it was the wrong sex.

Have to wait until your 18-20wk ultra sound sorry

AlexKate45

If you choose to have a blood test that tests for things like Down Syndrome, I think most of those will also tell you the gender. Those can be done earlier, like 12 weeks I think.

If you don't do those blood tests, you can't tell the gender until 18-20+ weeks on ultrasound.

I won't be finding out until 18+ weeks and the suspense is killing me!

Stewartandmaura

12 weeks is too early to see gender via ultrasound. Boys and girls have very similar looking genitalia at that point. Some people find out the sex that early by looking at the baby's chromosomes. Usually they get these types of tests done because of increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities or advanced maternal age.

A young, healthy woman with no family history of genetic disorders usually doesn't need this type of testing. So you would have to wait until your anatomy scan at 18-20 weeks.

You can opt for the additional testing earlier in the pregnancy, but without a reason to have it, the insurance won't cover it. You would have to pay for it out of pocket. 

Hope that answers your questions. Good luck to you!

kateisgreat

It's pretty much an educated guess at 12 weeks. Male and female genitals look similar at that point. There are some blood tests that can tell, but most women don't need to get those tests done.  

KMorgan4710

Well, at my first appointment they took blood and i had to sign a paper to allow it. But i don't remember exactly what it was for? I think it's normal though to have blood work done at first so they can make sure that we don't have anything going on with us. Right? And i really want to know what it is already too! But tomorrow marks my 12 weeks. I go to the doctor Thursday. I really want it to be a boy and am clueless as what to name it if it is a boy. We already have the girls name picked out.

TurtleMomma

I would be leery of any person who claims to be able to differentiate genders that early.

magdalina.h

We found out at 15w with Lucas due to increased monitoring it. We opted to not do the 1st tri screening around 12w. Some can find out that early, but it's not 100% at that point.

Laurakat81

I've been looking into this as my MFM guessed girl yesterday at our scan at 13w5d. He said not to paint the room just yet but that he was extremely confident and said he'd give us about a 80-90% chance of being a girl as we could clearly see the three lines and there was nothing there, not even the tiniest little bump!

I've found quite a few studies that suggest the right ultrasound tech with up to date equipment should be able to give a pretty accurate guess between 11 and 14 weeks.

71.9% at 11 weeks, 92% at 12 weeks, and 98.3% at 13 weeks

Those are just from one the studies I've found. If anyone is interested you can check this one out here but there were quite a few others with similar results, some of them found on the right side of the page once you click on the link.

fritz799

Those early results are likely coming from MaterniT21 (or similar tests) or CVS.  That sort of testing is very trustworthy.  An ultrasound performed at the same time is not.

MaterniT21 can be performed as early as 10 weeks, and people hear back two weeks later.  The CVS is performed around 12 weeks. 

shootthemoon

The blood they took at your initial appt is most likely for routine test for you and the baby's health. If they had done a special test like MaterNT or CVS they should ask your permission first, as those are not always covered by insurance. And it sounds like the point at which they took blood,  it would be too early to tell even with those tests. 

 Like most of the others are saying, you'll likely have to wait until 18-20 weeks to find out on your ultrasound. I'm dying to know what mine is too, but it can be fun not knowing. I know a lot of people who have done gender betting pools or had a gender reveal party, either as its own occasion or as part of the baby shower. Best of luck! 

kateisgreat

KMorgan4710:

Well, at my first appointment they took blood and i had to sign a paper to allow it. But i don't remember exactly what it was for? I think it's normal though to have blood work done at first so they can make sure that we don't have anything going on with us. Right? And i really want to know what it is already too! But tomorrow marks my 12 weeks. I go to the doctor Thursday. I really want it to be a boy and am clueless as what to name it if it is a boy. We already have the girls name picked out.

Everyone has blood drawn at their first appt, unless thier OB breaks it up into multiple visits, but it is standard in early pregnancy to have blood tests. Those are to check your blood count, and tests for STDs and certain antibodies. The tests that tell gender would only be done if you or someone in your family had a history of certain disorders, and your OB would discuss it with you before ordering the tests. 

Don't stress about a boys name yet, you still have plenty of time to figure it out. 

MommyAmes2

KMorgan4710:

Well, at my first appointment they took blood and i had to sign a paper to allow it. But i don't remember exactly what it was for? I think it's normal though to have blood work done at first so they can make sure that we don't have anything going on with us. Right? And i really want to know what it is already too! But tomorrow marks my 12 weeks. I go to the doctor Thursday. I really want it to be a boy and am clueless as what to name it if it is a boy. We already have the girls name picked out.

All OBs take blood work early on.

You are young, and unless you have a history of disorders in your family, you will not need the further testing. The majority of us wait until 18-20 weeks. Those tests are not designed for gender, that is just a bonus.

Advice, from now on before signing anything make sure you get information first. You need to be sure you fully understand what you are signing permission for. I am not trying to be snarky, I just want you to be fully informed and educated on what is happening during your pregnancy.

livleen3

AlexKate45:

If you choose to have a blood test that tests for things like Down Syndrome, I think most of those will also tell you the gender. Those can be done earlier, like 12 weeks I think.

If you don't do those blood tests, you can't tell the gender until 18-20+ weeks on ultrasound.

I won't be finding out until 18+ weeks and the suspense is killing me!

Well its not a blood test that tells the sex of the baby.. Its either cells they scrape from your placenta(11weeks) or amniotic fluid (15weeks). They recommend doing these test only if your blood test gives results or certain proteins levels being higher than normal for that particular week of gestation. So If you dont need to get those tests done you'll find out in your 20week ultra sound if the positioning of the baby is correct.

tarapike86

With my first I didn't find out until our anatomy scan at 24 weeks. With my second I went to an optional ultrasound at 16 weeks just for gender

RealityJunkie

If you have the 3d/4d ultrasound at 12 weeks and the baby is in the correct position, you can tell the difference. Its correct that the organs look similar at 12 weeks, but you can still tell most of the time. They usually won't confirm, but will give you a percentage and then confirm it at the 16-20 week 3d/4d.