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- Reality: Mass doesn't know of any medical reason why a Drano-urine mixture could predict a baby's sex. "There's no change in the acidity or alkalinity of a boy or girl chromosome," she says. The few studies that have been done on the subject also refute the claim.
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Feb 23, 2002 · Hand Position of the Baby: If the ultrasound shows the baby's hands are raised, the child is a girl; if they are down, the child is a boy. Baby's Boots: If the unborn kicks on the right side of...
- Overview
- Where do these tales come from?
- Your baby’s heart rate
- How you’re carrying
- Your bump shape
- Sweet vs. salty cravings
- Severity of morning sickness
- Heartburn frequency
- Your complexion
- Your hair and nails
After you share the good news with your friends and family, you’re bound to start getting the question: “Do you know what you’re having?”
These days, a simple blood test can tell you the sex of your baby as early as 10 weeks into your pregnancy. And even if you wait a bit longer, you can find out sometime around week 20 with your anatomy ultrasound.
Before the time of writing or print, people shared stories in what’s called the oral tradition.
Tales about anything from pregnancy to child-rearing to illness and beyond were shared as a way for people to impart wisdom. In some cases, these tales helped give people a feeling of control in situations where they felt otherwise powerless.
Pregnancy myths originated from all over the world and have been passed down from generation to generation. And you’ve likely heard many throughout your lifetime (whether you realize it or not).
Yes — these tales are still around today, despite scientific evidence dispelling many of their messages.
Truth time: While some people swear by so-called “old wives’ tales” for “gender prediction” — both of these terms are outdated, by the way — you have around a 50/50 chance of guessing your baby’s sex correctly no matter what method you use. That’s because the ratio of boys to girls born across the globe is 107:100.
Related: Signs you’re having a baby boy
One of the more popular myths surrounds baby’s heart rate in the womb. As the story goes, if it’s over 140 beats per minute (BPM), you’re having a girl. If it’s slower than 140 BPM, you’re having a boy.
Verdict: A 2006 study showed that there’s no significant difference between the heart rate of female and male babies in the first trimester.
More specifically, heart rate was measured for both sexes at approximately 9 weeks. Male babies had heart rates averaging at 154.9 BPM. Females had heart rates averaging at 151.7 BPM. And what’s particularly important is that there was a plus or minus range with both males and females that was just under 23 BPM.
Related: Baby heart rate and gender: Predicting the sex
Is your bump sitting up high near your rib rage? You might be having a girl. If your belly hangs down low, you might be having a boy.
Verdict: Unfortunately, how you carry your pregnancy has nothing to do with the sex of your baby. It’s more about things like:
•how many pregnancies you have had
•your height, weight, and age
Does your belly stick out straight like a torpedo? Some may say you’re sure to have a baby girl. If you’re looking thicker around the edges or carrying wide, you may have a baby boy in there.
Verdict: Again, your belly’s shape has more to do with your body type and shape pre-pregnancy than it does with your baby’s sex. People who have short torsos may tend to see their bump stick out because there’s nowhere else for baby to go. And if your bump is wide-set, it might just mean your baby is lying sideways in there.
You may notice as the weeks tick on that you absolutely must have certain foods — like, now! Yes, those are your pregnancy cravings. Can’t get enough of the sweet stuff? You might be having a girl. If salty snacks are what you’re always after, you might be having a boy.
Verdict: Research hasn’t determined if there’s a link to food cravings and the sex of a child. There are have several hypotheses about cravings, however. They include that cravings may
•be in response to hormonal changes
•address nutritional deficiencies
•be due to certain compounds in foods
Scientists also note that cravings tend to be different depending on where you live in the world, so there are cultural factors at play as well.
Maybe food is the last thing on your mind these days. One of the earliest signs of pregnancy is morning sickness, but not everyone will experience the nausea and vomiting. If you’re feeling quite ill, the tales say you’re having a girl. If you’re feeling fine, you may be having a boy.
Verdict: Morning sickness impacts the majority of pregnancies to some degree. What’s interesting is that very recent research shows there may be something to this tale.
Using an international web-based survey, scientists collected self-reported data regarding morning sickness and the sex of the baby. Those carrying girls tended to report “significantly” higher levels of sickness in the first trimester.
More research is needed to establish exactly why the two things are linked.
You may have heard that lots of heartburn during pregnancy may indicate your little one has a full head of hair. Well, it may also mean you’re having a girl, or so the legends say.
Verdict: Heartburn is a relatively common pregnancy symptom, especially in the weeks leading up to delivery.
Baby girls supposedly “steal their mothers’ beauty.” Baby boys, on the other hand, may give you the best skin you’ve seen in ages. Yes, that’s the pregnancy glow you hear all about.
Verdict: There doesn’t appear to be research on this matter. Anecdotal evidence online isn’t much help either. Some people reported better skin when pregnant with boys. Others said the same of their pregnancies with girls. And the opposite also rang true for others.
Along the same lines, if your hair and nails are thin and brittle, a girl may be to blame. But if you have luscious locks and long nails you may soon have a baby boy in your arms.
Verdict: Hormone levels during pregnancy don’t differ enough between people carrying girls and boys to make a difference in your appearance. The condition of your hair, skin, and nails may be influenced by the hormones circulating your system, but it also has to do with other factors, like your age.
- Ashley Marcin
Jun 30, 2020 · Myth: Mixing drano with urine can detect my baby's gender. Fact: This is not only wrong, but it's also dangerous! Supposedly, there is something in a pregnant woman's urine that changes the color of Drano to indicate the sex of her baby.
- How are you carrying? Perhaps the most popular of all “boy” methods is the “high or low” determination. It typically goes: If the woman is carrying high, it’s a girl; if she’s carrying low, it’s a boy.
- Swing a ring. If, when you suspend and swing a gold ring over a pregnant belly, it moves side to side, it’s a boy. If it moves in a circle, it’s a girl.
- Fetal heart rate. If the fetal heart rate is above 140 beats per minute (bpm), it’s a girl. If it’s below 140 bpm, it’s a boy. (Actually, the baby’s heart rate fluctuates throughout the pregnancy, and the rate is unrelated to gender.)
- Pouring Drano in your urine. While a pregnant woman should not handle Drano at all, if someone else wants to, the myth goes: If you pour Drano into a pregnant woman’s urine and it turns green, brown, black or blue, it’s a boy; if it turns red or yellow or there’s no color change, it’s a girl.
Mar 1, 2024 · The Drano Test. You know that stuff you pour down the drain to clear out clogs? Well, a lot of people believe you can use it to discover your bub’s gender. Simply add about a tablespoon of Drano to your urine. It will cause a chemical reaction. If the mixture turns brown, it’s a boy!
Nov 10, 2022 · The Drano test: For this urban legend, a woman combines some of her first morning urine with the liquid drain cleaner. If the color turns green, the baby is said to be a girl; if it's blue, a...
