Gender prediction tests range from folklore-based concepts to medical methods like CVS, amniocentesis, and ultrasound. The BaGender Mentor® is a non-invasive household gender prediction test, but there are concerns about accuracy and the potential for gender selection.
A gender prediction test is a test performed on or by pregnant women to determine the sex of their children. Traditional medical methods of determining gender in the past and present include chorionic villus sampling (CVS), amniocentesis, and ultrasound. Before these methods evolved, a number of folklore-based concepts sought to serve accurately as gender prediction tests.
An older gender predictive test could encompass any number of factors. If a woman was carrying a “short” baby, she was usually pregnant with a boy. Craving sweet things was said to mean you were carrying a girl. Acne also indicates a girl, and having bumpy breasts means a boy. These kinds of gender prediction tests are obviously inaccurate. But with only a 50 percent chance of being wrong, enough women curious about the sex of their unborn child were willing to try a few to guess the baby’s gender.
The introduction of CVS, amniocentesis and ultrasound have brought greater accuracy to the gender prediction test. Yet there were still possibilities to be wrong. The CVS is one of the first tests performed and carries risk factors for miscarriage. Most women get CVS if they are at high risk of having children with serious medical problems or genetic abnormalities, not because they want to use sampling as a gender prediction test.
In CVS, a small amount of placental material is carefully removed from the uterus. Placenta sampling is usually done during the later part of the first trimester of pregnancy and. Because chromosomes are analyzed, CVS can accurately predict a baby’s gender by detecting the presence of Y chromosomes. When these are absent, it is likely that you have a girl.
Amniocentesis is not used as a gender prediction test but to detect possible problems with the baby. This is normally done between the 16th and 20th week of pregnancy and analyzes a small amount of amniotic fluid to look for chromosomal problems. It can detect the presence of Y chromosomes.
A less invasive gender prediction test is ultrasound or ultrasound. Ultrasounds will more reliably predict sex after the 18th week. These don’t always work. Some babies are “shy” and don’t want to turn around to give the sonographers a full view. Sometimes, an ultrasound is inaccurate. Lip folds can sometimes look like a penis, or the penis can be difficult to visualize.
One of the latest trends is for moms to use a non-invasive household gender prediction test. The most popular is The BaGender Mentor® from Acu-Gen. Use a small blood sample taken from your finger to test for the presence of the y chromosome. The mother performs the test, usually after the eighth week of pregnancy, and sends the result to the Acu-Gen laboratory. The company claims an 8% accuracy rate and will refund your money, about $99.9 US dollars (USD), if the test turns out to be wrong. There is some concern about accuracy, with some women now coming forward to claim that Acu-Gen hasn’t worked. Acu-Gen has not published on their specific test methods pending patent status for their test.
Additionally, there is concern that such a gender prediction test will lead to gender selection. In other words, women could abort babies who weren’t the sex they wanted. This is considered less likely in the United States, but more likely in countries where a gender is preferred. Regardless of position on abortion, many bioethicists believe that gender selection disrupts the natural order of gender distribution and could lead to gender imbalance if practiced on a large scale.
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