Yes, ladies, when we get pregnant we already want to know the baby’s sex right away! Throw the first stone if you haven’t been at least a bit curious to know your baby’s sex straight away, immediately!! Lol I myself was super, super, super curious during my 3 pregnancies and couldn’t wait to pick the baby’s name. As soon as I got pregnant with my oldest, I was going crazy wanting to start shopping for the layette, but I couldn’t because I had to wait to find out if it was a boy or a girl. Tell the truth, the temptation is huge! Lol

Well, but diagnostic medicine keeps evolving as always and has brought moms and dads today some ways to satisfy their curiosity before 16 weeks of pregnancy. That deadline of 16 weeks is if the baby cooperates, if the doctor is really good, if they’re in a favorable position, etc1.

The fact is that these tests to find out the sex are becoming more and more accessible. Not to mention the countless old wives’ tales to guess the baby’s sex, which friends, mothers-in-law, moms, grandmas, and aunts suggest we do. Who hasn’t heard about the pillow trick with a fork and spoon, or the ring test? Well, but let’s dive deeper into these, let’s say, “scientific” tests (I’ll talk more about the superstitions sometime). So how can you tell if it’s a boy or a girl?

Intelligender

It’s a pharmacy test, yes, just like those home pregnancy tests! But this one is reactive to the Y chromosome, which is the male chromosome. If it detects the Y chromosome, it turns greenish; if not, it turns orange. This test is imported, and in Brazil it usually costs between R$100.00 and R$150.00. If you buy it on Amazon, it’s about US$21.00. However… it’s not so reliable. Yes, friend, as I’ve seen in several videos and testimonials, it can be wrong and the margin of error is relatively high2. Sure, it’s fun as a pastime or a family game, but relying on it and buying a whole layette based on it is uncertain. For it to be effective, the mom should be at the 12th week of pregnancy.

Fetal Sexing

Now this one! This one is reliable! Fetal sexing has the same purpose as Intelligender. The lab uses methods to look for the Y chromosome in the mother’s bloodstream. If they find it, it’s certain that the mom is expecting a boy. If not, then it’s assumed to be a girl. When I was pregnant with my youngest daughter, it was already accessible, about R$400.00, but nowadays at Lavoisier, it’s around R$295.00 on the popular rate and the result comes out in 5 days! This fetal sexing test requires a doctor’s order and a minimum gestational age of 8 weeks. It’s a bigger investment than Intelligender but, of course, much more reliable.

In short: Is it worth paying for fetal sexing and Intelligender? Yes, if you just can’t wait and can spend that amount, I think it’s worth doing. So here’s my tip for all you curious moms like me, who have had thousands of ultrasounds to find out the baby’s sex before 16 weeks. LOL

Kisses and see you next time!

See also: Fetal Tubercle, uncovering the baby’s sex

Photo: Alexandra Abreu