Pregnant? How to Guess if You’re having a Boy or a Girl

Long gone are the days of waiting 40 weeks to find out the sex of your baby. Did you know that—even before science found a way to know earlier—women have been coming up with their own methods for centuries? Some are scientific, some trace back to traditional lore, and some are downright myths! 

Here are a few fun things you can try!

Genetic Blood Test

This one is purely scientific. Blood tests predicting your baby’s sex as early as seven weeks have been around for years—but they haven’t been very popular because it wasn’t super clear whether or not they worked. 

However, an analysis of 57 studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that these tests can be between 95–99% accurate. These tests look for the presence of the male Y chromosome in a few drops of blood taken through a finger prick. If it’s there, you’re having a boy! If it’s absent, you’re having a girl! 

These tests are more accurate at predicting boys, since the lack of a Y chromosome could mean that that chromosome just wasn’t present in the blood sample taken. 

Amniocentesis

This one will definitely work, but it’s much more invasive than the blood test. Because it presents a small risk of miscarriage, your doctor probably won’t do it for curiosity’s sake alone. A needle is inserted into the fluid surrounding your baby, and then the chromosomal makeup of your baby is analyzed. This can also reveal any chromosomal abnormalities your baby might have. The only way this test is inaccurate is if someone mislabels your results!

Fetal Heart Rate Predictor

This one is not a guarantee, but women have sworn by this method for generations. It’s said that a quick fetal heart rate, (140 beats per minute or higher) means a girl. This is mainly based on the theory that baby girls are smaller, meaning they’d have a quicker heartbeat.

Doctors are quick to debunk this one, but hey plenty of people have been right!

Wedding Ring on a String

This one’s fun to try, but certainly not scientifically accurate. 

Slip off your wedding ring, and tie it to the end of a string. Lie down, and hold the string over your belly. If it swings in a circular motion, it’s a girl. If it swings in a pendulum-like motion, it’s a boy!

Baby Sex Prediction Kits

In terms of how effective this one is, it’s pretty in the middle—not exactly surefire, but not exactly an old wives’ tale either. This is a urine-based test that mixes your pee with crystals that contain certain hormones. According to these tests, you can find out the sex of your baby as early as 10 weeks.

Morning Sickness

According to generations of gossip, if you can’t keep anything down during your first trimester, you’re having a girl! A lack of morning sickness altogether usually points to a boy!

Sweet and Savory

Girls are supposed to be sugar, spice, and everything nice, right? It’s believed by many that moms who crave sweets while pregnant are having a girl. Are you craving salty french fries instead? It’s a boy!

Chinese Gender Chart

This one dates back a long time—700 years at least. This chart was supposedly buried in a royal tomb over 700 years ago, but was recently discovered. Simply find your age at the time of conception, then follow across to the month your baby was conceived to find the predicted gender.

Mayan Gender Prediction

Are you sensing a theme? People have been trying to find out the sex of the baby as early as possible for years and years! Look at the year of conception and your age at conception, like the last chart. If both numbers are even or odd it’s a girl. If one number is even and the other is odd, it’s a boy.

The Key Test

This one’s easy to try, but don’t think too hard about it! Simply pick up a key like you normally would. If you grab it at the top round part, it’s a girl. If you grab at the narrow part, it’s a boy! Did you grab it in the middle? Twins! 

Breast Changes

It’s no secret that pregnancy involves a lot of breast changes. So it’s no surprise that there’s an old wives’ tale to accompany those changes! If your left breast feels bigger, that’s supposed to mean it’s a boy. If your right breast feels bigger, a girl!

Sleep Habits

Next time you wake up in the morning, pay attention to how you’re positioned. As the myth goes, if you naturally sleep on your left side, you’re having a boy. If you naturally sleep on your right side, you’re having a girl. 
For more pregnancy information (we promise, it’s all scientifically accurate) check out the rest of our blogs.