Anatomy Ultrasound Results vs. Blood Work Results

moviedorkmom · July 2020

Hey everyone! I have been debating putting this up, but I decided that I wanted some peoples opinions and views. So, this whole things is happening because I am damn stubborn. So, I know that they follow the 'already pregnant 2 weeks before you even got pregnant' things which I detest personally. Anyways, I am going by the baby's conception date, which was March 11. I am suppose to be due December 18th, but they have me as due Dec. 3rd instead. Fine. But, they want me to have my c-section (which I need for my back disability/issues), and they want to do it the last week of November-basically on Thanksgiving. I am nervous about that because that is about 3 weeks before my true due date. I am currently trying to have them do the c-section on the 3rd, instead of the week before. Anyways, I was about 9 weeks when they took my blood for tests, including the one where they can tell the sex of the baby. Well, they never told me the results, I had to ask. And she said that through blood work, the sex of the baby was a girl This is my third and (sadly) last pregnancy, and I already have two girls. I really want a boy. But I also know that it is what it is and cannot be controlled. This baby will be loved regardless of gender. As long as baby is perfectly healthy, I am happy. But, still the question lies there. I have read that the gender results from the blood work is best done after 10 weeks of being pregnant. I was only 9, hell, like 8 weeks and 5/6 days. I have also read that a lot of women have been told girl in the blood work, but the anatomy ultrasound said boy. So, I want to ask, which do you guys trust more? My mom is old school, which I love. She said don't trust anything until the baby is born. Only because she was told my older sister was a boy from the second trimester on, and when she was born, my mother asked the doctor if he was sure she was a girl lol. So, she doesn't have much faith in this stuff anymore. It says that the blood work results are very high up there, and that the results being wrong is rare, but I have seen that it being wrong is really quite common. So... blood work, or anatomy? What is your point of view? Oh, also... I go for my anatomy ultrasound tomorrow, and I am praying that this baby isn't born with the dame back issues I was born with. Thanks guys!!!

coldlife2 · July 2020

moviedorkmom said:

Hey everyone! I have been debating putting this up, but I decided that I wanted some peoples opinions and views. So, this whole things is happening because I am damn stubborn. So, I know that they follow the 'already pregnant 2 weeks before you even got pregnant' things which I detest personally. Anyways, I am going by the baby's conception date, which was March 11. I am suppose to be due December 18th, but they have me as due Dec. 3rd instead. Fine. But, they want me to have my c-section (which I need for my back disability/issues), and they want to do it the last week of November-basically on Thanksgiving. I am nervous about that because that is about 3 weeks before my true due date. I am currently trying to have them do the c-section on the 3rd, instead of the week before. Anyways, I was about 9 weeks when they took my blood for tests, including the one where they can tell the sex of the baby. Well, they never told me the results, I had to ask. And she said that through blood work, the sex of the baby was a girl This is my third and (sadly) last pregnancy, and I already have two girls. I really want a boy. But I also know that it is what it is and cannot be controlled. This baby will be loved regardless of gender. As long as baby is perfectly healthy, I am happy. But, still the question lies there. I have read that the gender results from the blood work is best done after 10 weeks of being pregnant. I was only 9, hell, like 8 weeks and 5/6 days. I have also read that a lot of women have been told girl in the blood work, but the anatomy ultrasound said boy. So, I want to ask, which do you guys trust more? My mom is old school, which I love. She said don't trust anything until the baby is born. Only because she was told my older sister was a boy from the second trimester on, and when she was born, my mother asked the doctor if he was sure she was a girl lol. So, she doesn't have much faith in this stuff anymore. It says that the blood work results are very high up there, and that the results being wrong is rare, but I have seen that it being wrong is really quite common. So... blood work, or anatomy? What is your point of view? Oh, also... I go for my anatomy ultrasound tomorrow, and I am praying that this baby isn't born with the dame back issues I was born with. Thanks guys!!!

To the first half of your post. I think you're unclear on how a due date works. The standard due date is calculated by adding 280 days to the first day of your last menstrual period. What that means is if you are calculating your due date based on conception date, you have to remove 14 days, on average, from that calculation. You do NOT calculate your due date by adding 280 days to the date of conception/ovulation/IUI/transfer/whatever. That's just ... not how it works! I don't care if you disagree with it. Personally, I think it's silly, too. But if the ACOG or whoever decided they were going to change how they calculate due dates and calculate them by when you should have conceived, they would change it to "add 266 days to the date that is two weeks after the first day of your LMP" NOT "add 280 days to the date that is two weeks after the first day of your LMP."

Dec. 18 is NOT your "true due date."

Go to this link, change it to calculate by conception date and put in March 11. That gives me Dec. 2 as your due date. https://www.whattoexpect.com/due-date-calculator/

That said, you can always tell them, no, you don't want your CS when they want to schedule it. No one can give you surgery without your consent. You do run the risk of going into labor before you have your CS, though.

To the second half, I would trust the anatomy scan over blood work if I had conflicting results. It's unlikely, though, because the blood work is quite accurate.

harpseal135 · July 2020

100% what @coldlife2 said!

moviedorkmom · July 2020

I understand it, I just think it's dumb. And the dr. I was seeing tried to make it out to be like I was being ignorant, when I was simply asking questions. And she basically told me I was wrong about when I conceived. I was shocked, and told her that I know when I had sex, and it was on the day of my ovulation, and that I was just asking general questions. She basically said I was being an airhead. I requested a new doctor, and she has been very nice. And said that as my ultrasounds go, they will see more and more on a better date for my C-section, because she actually understood my concerns and thought my questions were actually good. I just wanted to explain a bit as to why I was asking the question I was asking. I just didn't want anyone to think that I was completely clueless. This is my 3rd little one, and I know how this works. It just with the extra two week cushion, so to speak, I am afraid of a too early c-section. This new doctor completely agreed and has decided to take it visit by visit.

And thank you for your answer. I just wanted to know more than anything, what people trusted more for knowing genders between the two options.

Thanks!!

coldlife2 · July 2020

moviedorkmom said:

I understand it, I just think it's dumb. And the dr. I was seeing tried to make it out to be like I was being ignorant, when I was simply asking questions. And she basically told me I was wrong about when I conceived. I was shocked, and told her that I know when I had sex, and it was on the day of my ovulation, and that I was just asking general questions. She basically said I was being an airhead. I requested a new doctor, and she has been very nice. And said that as my ultrasounds go, they will see more and more on a better date for my C-section, because she actually understood my concerns and thought my questions were actually good. I just wanted to explain a bit as to why I was asking the question I was asking. I just didn't want anyone to think that I was completely clueless. This is my 3rd little one, and I know how this works. It just with the extra two week cushion, so to speak, I am afraid of a too early c-section. This new doctor completely agreed and has decided to take it visit by visit.
And thank you for your answer. I just wanted to know more than anything, what people trusted more for knowing genders between the two options.

Thanks!!

I'm not sure you do get it. No doctor should make you feel stupid. But your due date is NOT Dec. 18th. You say your conception date is March 11. If you calculate your due date based on what you yourself say is your conception date with the calculation that every human on earth uses, you will get a due date of Dec. 2. I don't know how to explain it any clearer.

Did you try the calculator I linked to? It also explains clearly below that calculator that "Most pregnancies last around 40 weeks (or 38 weeks from conception), ..." 40 (weeks) x 7 (days in a week) = 280 (days.) 38 (weeks) x 7 (days in a week) = 266 (days). If you are calculating your due date from conception, you should be only adding 38 weeks or 266 days to that conception date. You should NOT be adding 280 days to your date of conception. The only way you get Dec. 18th as a due date is if you are adding 280 days to your conception date, which is wrong.

Would you trust the American Prenancy Association more? Their calculator also gives Dec. 2 based on your conception date. https://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-calculator/

harpseal135 · July 2020

@moviedorkmom, coldlife2, is correct. Any math shows that the Due date is Dec 2.........also remember due dates are estimated they are not an exact science, hence the formula they use to have a general idea of full term for baby. But there is a huge difference between what you are saying of Dec 18, and the professionals that have been doing this for ages of Dec 2 in the 3rd tri.

meggyme · July 2020

There’s a lot to unpack here. I won’t touch on the due date thing because PP’s covered it pretty well, but I will add that unless you had IVF you don’t know when you conceived. You know when you had sex, but you have no idea when sperm met egg and implanted in your uterus. You might have a couple days range depending on when you got your bfp, but the exact date is very hard to know. And doctors use first day of your last period because it’s a date most people know and not everyone tracks ovulation or does it accurately. That’s why that extra 2 weeks is in there.

For sex determination: blood work through the doctor is pretty accurate. The diy kits are less so because people accidentally contaminate them. Ultrasound technology is still pretty accurate and has gotten considerably better since your mom had one (presumably) but ultimately birth is the only 100% accurate way to know the sex (but not gender). If you feel that you would be disappointed if it is another girl I would try to prepare yourself for that. Some disappointment is ok, but at some point you need to get over it before the baby gets here.

bows22 · July 2020

Just to clarify, the thing that makes using LMP not make sense is that using LMP assumes that you ovulated 2 weeks after your period started. That’s the inaccurate part, not that it changes your due date by 2 weeks or gives a cushion or anything. Your “true due date” would only be 2 weeks later if you conceived 4 weeks after your period started.

As far as the sex, if your ultrasound tech thinks it’s a boy and you tell them the NIPT said girl and they still think it’s a boy, they’re probably pretty sure.

I hope your scan went well!

coldlife2 · July 2020

@meggyme and @bows22, I thought about getting into that, but OP was already confused, so I didn't want to get into that and make it even more confusing, lol!

Honestly, considering most women don't know exactly when they ovulated, counting a prenancy as 38 weeks from when you probably conceived if you're average or counting it as 40 weeks from LMP would be equally as accurate!

ashaislurking · July 2020

Also not going to get into the due date thing because PPs covered it pretty well. As far as the blood work to determine sex is concerned you need to know what labs and ultrasounds can tell you. Blood work can tell you (with some room for error) what the baby's genotype is- what their chromosomes say the sex is. Ultrasound can tell you (with some room for error) what the baby's phenotype is- what sex characteristic body parts do they have. Until the baby is born there's no way to know for sure what the baby's sex characteristic presentation will be, and even then you need to understand that genotype and phenotype don't always match (as is the case for some intersex babies) AND that sex and gender are not the same thing so even when they're born you still don't know what their long term gender presentation will be.

babyodo · July 2020

ashaislurking said:

Also not going to get into the due date thing because PPs covered it pretty well. As far as the blood work to determine sex is concerned you need to know what labs and ultrasounds can tell you. Blood work can tell you (with some room for error) what the baby's genotype is- what their chromosomes say the sex is. Ultrasound can tell you (with some room for error) what the baby's phenotype is- what sex characteristic body parts do they have. Until the baby is born there's no way to know for sure what the baby's sex characteristic presentation will be, and even then you need to understand that genotype and phenotype don't always match (as is the case for some intersex babies) AND that sex and gender are not the same thing so even when they're born you still don't know what their long term gender presentation will be.

YES!!

Andplusalso, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to see your baby's genitals at your anatomy scan, as well. I know that at mine they couldn't because her legs were crossed and her umbilical cord was between her legs. Thankfully, I had a NIPT drawn at 10 weeks and they were able to tell me her sex before I went in for my anatomy scan.

And while we're on the topic of the NIPT - yes, there is some margin of error, but the results are pretty reliable, especially if you had it done in the 9-10 week range. Not only is the NIPT able to tell you the baby's sex, it also screens for other genetic disorders such as T21/T18/T13. Now, if your doc says that your baby's test results ruled out those disorders, would you trust it? Or would you doubt it as much as you're doubting the results of your baby's sex? Think about it.

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