How to Tell if It Is a Boy or a Girl
Parents who are expecting a child often want to know if they will be having a boy or a girl. However, this knowledge should not be pursued frivolously or used to eliminate an undesired gender, but be part of a woman's comprehensive obstetric health. Any gender determination should be made under the care of qualified health-care practitioners, such as obstetric doctors and ultrasound technologists. Parents should not rely on superstitious folklore that can give erroneous and misleading ideas about their child's gender.
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Instructions
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Avoid store-front ultrasound stores. These stores are not usually connected to the services of a qualified health-care practitioner who will be able to interpret results if there are medical anomalies. Ultrasound is a clinical diagnostic tool, not a toy, and should be used within a medical context. There is also some evidence that ultrasound that is used in a non-clinical setting is not safe for the fetus. According to Pasko Rakic, M.D., of the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, ultrasound can alter neuron integrity in the brain if used too often. However, its use to diagnose fetal problems is often necessary and it is safe in a clinical setting.
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Talk to your health-care practitioner about the advisability of having an ultrasound. There are valid reasons to have ultrasounds, such as determining fetal age, fetal health and whether or not the fetus is growing at an age-appropriate rate. Women who are over 35 and pregnant are encouraged to have ultrasounds to determine fetal health. An ultrasound is either done transabdominally, with the probe on the abdomen, or transvaginally, with the probe in the vagina. Translabial probes are used at the opening of the vagina.
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Make an appointment with the ultrasound technician through your midwife or obstetrician. Drink 1 1/2 liters of water early in the morning if you are less than 18 weeks pregnant, or two glasses if you are more than 18 weeks pregnant, so that the probe can find your uterus. Do not evacuate your bladder until the end of the ultrasound. The technician will place gel on your abdomen, if she is using an abdominal probe, and will run the probe along your abdomen. A vaginal or labial probe will be placed in your vagina. If the technician does not see major difficulties with the fetus, she will ask you if want to know the gender. Any problems with the fetus will be referred to a doctor.
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Use amniocentesis as an alternative to find a child's gender. This procedure, which should not be done simply for the sake of gender determination, is advised to find genetic problems with a fetus. A needle is placed through the abdominal wall and through the amniotic sac to gather fetal cells for genetic examination. Do this procedure under the guidance of qualified health-care providers.
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Make an appointment to meet with your health-care provider to discuss the ultrasound or amniocentesis results. Remember that the primary reasons for these tests are for maternal and fetal health, not for gender identification.
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Tips & Warnings
Using gender identification for abortion has led to a skewed ratio of girls and boys in many countries. In China, for example, where gender abortion is widespread, there will be 40 million more men than women by 2020. This gender imbalance could lead to destabilizing societal ills such as rape, prostitution and mercenary marriages.
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