Fast and accurate determination of the sex of the child by heartbeat

Author Ольга Кияница

2018-09-26

During pregnancy, many questions arise, including how to quickly and accurately determine the sex of the child. There are various methods for determining the sex of the child, some more reliable than others. In particular, determine the heart rate of the fetus and then on the obtained indicators make a conjectural conclusion.

Determining the sex of a child is connected with the desired desire of parents even before his birth to find out who will be, a boy or a girl. Today, there are many ways to predict, while some are based on the use of modern research methods (ultrasound), while others are considered fiction.

At different periods of development in the fetus is determined by a different heart rate. For example, at 6-8 weeks, the heart rate is in the range of 110-130 beats / min, at 9-10 weeks - 170-190 beats / min. After the 11th week of intrauterine development, the heart rate is 140-160 beats / min.

Determining the sex of a child by heartbeat is a well-known method, which is based on finding out the heart rate of the fetus and then interpreting the results. The method does not apply to reliable and guaranteeing a 100% result, but is quite widely known among fans of folk belief.

Video: Gender Detection

Fetal heart rate detection

The most common way of listening to the fetal heart rate is manual dopplerometry performed with a doppler. This device for listening to heart rate is based on the ultrasound study of sound waves that are projected through the speakers. This means that everyone will be able to hear the heartbeats of the child. Doppler is usually used from ten to twelve weeks of gestation and before the onset of labor. The device can also be used to monitor the fetus during labor.

The fetal heart begins to beat between the fifth and sixth weeks of pregnancy. The best way to hear the baby’s heartbeat at this time is with ultrasound.

Ultrasound can be carried out by vaginal or transabdominal, depending on the duration of pregnancy, the size of the woman, the amount of subcutaneous fat and the location of the fetus. If you can not hear the heart rhythm, it has its own reasons and they are not always associated with miscarriage or missed abortion.

It is worth noting that the heart rate fluctuates at different stages of life. If the child is actively moving, his heart rate rises, just as the heartbeat in an adult increases during work or jogging. Thus, several indicators of heart rate are taken, taken over a period of time, and the average value is derived.

Differences between boys and girls

Determining the sex of a child by heartbeat is not possible without an answer to the question: are there differences between the heart rhythms of boys and girls in the womb? This can be answered briefly - no, because there is no evidence of the existing difference between the heartbeats of the fruits of different sexes during pregnancy. Moreover, studies have been conducted that confirm that such differences are clearly absent. Therefore, there are no reliable ways to establish the sex of the baby, based only on the heart rhythm.

This statement applies to all periods of pregnancy. It does not matter whether the fetus uses ultrasound or heartbeat monitoring - there is no relationship between the sex of the child and the normal heart rhythm of the fetus.

Formation of sex in a child

From a genetic point of view, it is important to know when the sex of the child is determined and how the process goes.The child receives a set of DNA from the mother and father. A woman carrying two X (XX) can transfer only one X to a child’s DNA. A man is a carrier of X and Y (XY), so he can contribute either X or Y. That is what determines which sperm is found with the egg, X or Y. At the same time, the external sexual differences in the fetus are not noticeable until the end of the first trimester of pregnancy.

The value of genetic testing in determining the sex of the fetus

Mere curiosity is not always the reason why parents want to know whether they will have a boy or a girl. In some cases, if the family has a gender-related genetic disorder, figuring out the child’s gender can eliminate the family’s fears or let them know what the chances are that their child needs help.

Since science has improved genetic testing in the form of amniocentesis and a sample of chorionic villi (CVS), modern parents can find out the gender of their child and better understand the risk of developing genetic diseases. The problem is that these tests are invasive, which is a potential danger to the life of the fetus. Thus, they are intended for families that are at high risk of genetic abnormalities.

It is important to know that although these tests are more reliable methods for determining sex, unlike the myth about the determination of sex in a fetus by heartbeat, they are not done for the sake of simple interest. Such information is a bonus, and the main thing is the probability of the development of a hereditary disease.

The emergence of the myth about determining the sex of the child by heartbeat

First, it is important to note that from the very beginning, people tried to determine the sex of the unborn baby before it appeared in this world, tracking differences between the pregnant women themselves, and then their views turned to fetal evaluation. This is where many folklore versions began and spread. Although these ideas are not based on concrete facts and are not confirmed in the scientific literature, there are many of them. In practice, there are very different, from the use of the ring to the application of the ancient Chinese gender diagram.

Although there is no definitive answer as to where the myth of the heart rhythm began, some stories may be helpful in giving an initial idea. To begin with, a British study conducted in 1998 notes that “there is a widespread, but erroneous view among laymen that there is a difference in the heart rate of the male and female fetuses.” Scientists who conducted the study suggested that this concept originated in folklore, but scanning the medical literature over the past thirty years suggests otherwise.

For example, a similar study conducted eighteen years earlier relates to the “hypothesis” that the sex of a fetus can be determined by its heart rate. This indicates that by that time the idea had already gained some confidence in the medical community itself. In fact, references to the hypothesis can be found in scientific research relating to 1969.

Practicing nurses and nurses in caring for pregnant women also shared information and told women preparing for childbirth that the fast heart rate of the fetus indicates a girl, and a slower heartbeat - a boy. They based it only on their experience and observations, but scientific evidence of this is lacking to date.

What distinguishes the fetal sex myth by heart rhythm is that it sounds like it can be based on medical facts. In fact, he was perpetuated by experienced nurses who had no scientific evidence to confirm their assumptions.

Other known methods for determining the sex of the fetus

Chinese table of determining the sex of the fetus

Legend has it that the Chinese tables for determining the sex of the fetus were compiled more than 700 years ago and, if used correctly, give a guaranteed result of 90%. The sex of the child is predicted on the basis of the month of conception and the birth of the mother - both figures are presented as dates in the Chinese lunar calendar. It is enough to find the necessary numbers in the necessary columns in order to find the corresponding letter at the intersection of the values: “D” - girl, “M” - boy.

Wedding ring

This test is based on the use of a wedding ring that is strung on a thread or a piece of hair. A drooped ring is held over the belly of the future mother, who should lie still. If the ring swings back and forth like a pendulum, then assume a boy.If the ring makes circular movements, then they talk about the girl. No modern science confirms this test, except wishful thinking!

Severe discomfort

Morning nausea may also prove to be helpful in determining the sex of the fetus. It is believed that with severe morning sickness, a woman expects a girl. The “scientific evidence” to this is that when a woman is pregnant with a girl, she has to experience a bust of female hormones. This makes her feel sick due to the fact that she is undergoing the process of adaptation to such a state.

Belly height

Some people think that they can tell who will be born just by looking at a pregnant belly. To do this, they evaluate the so-called standing belly. If the belly is high, then it is a girl; and if low, then boy. Unfortunately, not everything is as simple as we would like. The standing of the abdomen is much more dependent on the physiological parameters of the woman, her weight and the position of the child.

More reliable methods for determining the sex of the child

Ultrasound diagnostics

Ultrasound examination in mid-pregnancy is currently the most common way to determine the sex of a baby. In addition, the heart rate of the fetus is additionally determined, but not for the sake of gender identification.

Instead of focusing on the heart rate, ultrasound is used to study the anatomy and physical health of a child undergoing the difficult stages of intrauterine development. Of course, the assessment of external genitalia falls into this category.Ultrasound examination is performed in the later part of the first trimester and at the early stage of the second trimester.Even before the external genitalia of boys and girls are very clearly visible, there are clear ways to talk about the field of the child, depending on the direction of the genital hillocks and several other indicators. And although ultrasound is a modern diagnostic method, errors can be made while conducting it.

There is also a very early determination of the sex of the fetus by ultrasound between 6 and 10 weeks using the placement of the placenta. This is Ramsay’s method and, although it has some scientific basis, it is not currently accepted as an evidence-based study. It is not widely distributed among practitioners and refers to the “free” traditional methods for determining the sex of a child.

Fetal DNA

In recent years, cell-free DNA tests, known as non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), have become very accurate in terms of predicting the sex of a baby without the risk of invasive prenatal testing. These tests use maternal blood serum, on the basis of which fetal DNA is searched.

Such a prediction, although not potentially harmful to the child, is still quite expensive (about 500-580 dollars).

The determination of fetal DNA is also conducted in order to screen for susceptibility to genetic diseases. In such cases, the opportunity to find out the sex of the child is an additional bonus, and not the main purpose of these tests.

There are tests like Harmony and MaterniT21 Plus. A doctor or obstetrician can give more information about which test is more useful and what is needed in a particular case of a pregnant woman. Again, fetal DNA testing is carried out in the form of screening, while amniocentesis and chorionic biopsy are diagnostic studies. In the latter case, the increased risk to the health of the fetus is more important, and not that the child has a genetic disease.

Key points

  • Figuring out who will be born, a girl or a boy, is a very exciting part of pregnancy, but it is worth being very careful not to fall prey to unconventional methods for determining the sex of the child.
  • Determining the sex of the fetus by heart rhythm is one of the popular methods of guessing, which has no scientific basis.
  • It is better to use more reliable methods, such as ultrasound, to determine the expectations of a girl or a boy.
  • A doctor or obstetrician can help figure out which test will help determine the sex of the baby at the earliest possible stage of pregnancy, with the highest degree of accuracy. For this purpose, the test that is most suitable for a particular pregnant woman and her child will be used.

Video: HOW TO DETERMINE THE FLOOR OF A CHILD WITHOUT USE. 3 MOST EFFECTIVE METHODS


Source 1. Gender-related differences in fetal heart rate during first trimester. McKenna DS1, Ventolini G, Neiger R, Downing C. Fetal Diagn Ther. 2006;21(1):144-7. 2. Pregnancy Myths and Tales. Larissa Hirsch, MD. October 2016 https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/myths-tales.html 3. Can a baby's heartbeat predict their sex? Amanda Barrell. 29 August 2018 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322914.php 4. Ultrasound exams. (2017, June). Retrieved from https://www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Ultrasound-Exams

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