How Soon is too Soon to Determine Baby’s Gender?
My children are six and three, but when I look back at pictures of myself in my maternity clothes and compare them to my sister’s current maternity wardrobe, it’s like I was pregnant back in the 70’s. Maternity clothes have come a long, long way in just the last couple of years!
The other thing that surprises me is how much more sophisticated the prenatal testing is getting. Now, as early as 11 weeks into the pregnancy, doctors are offering a First Trimester Prenatal Screening and Ultrasound Exam. This “Early Screen” is a blood test combined with an 11-13 week ultrasound exam to determine if you have an increased chance of having a baby with Down Syndrome or Trisomy 18 or 13.
If you are pregnant, you need to get all the details on these tests from your doctor. I’m only going to tell you about the little bonus that goes with having an ultrasound so early in the pregnancy.
And the bonus is. . .you can usually find out, with 80% accuracy, the gender of your child. At only 11 weeks into the pregnancy! I had to wait until I was in the 18-22 week range when I was expecting.
But, how soon is too soon to really determine gender? Do we want to know what we might be having if it’s only with 80% accuracy? I mean you go into it with a 50/50 chance to begin with.
Let us know if you’ve had the “Early Screen” and whether or not you found out what you were having. And, most importantly, if you did find out at such an early stage of pregnancy, was the prediction correct?
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About SharpMom
Hi, I'm Katie. I’ve been successfully working at home and homeschooling my kids for the past 14 years, so I figured it’s time to get out there and start sharing what I’ve learned along the way. I'm glad you're here to join in the fun!
