A baby gender predictor is any tool, tale or test that can help identify the gender of your baby, and can range from whacky old wives’ tales to professional and proven pregnancy testing and diagnoses.
Discovering that you are pregnant is an incredible moment and one that is often followed by a myriad of different emotions. Knowing that there is the beginning of a new life growing inside you is an indescribable sensation and marks the beginning of the long and very special journey that is motherhood. Many questions will present themselves along this path, and one of the earliest and most prominent is the ineffable, “Is it a boy or girl?” Thus begins the search for a baby gender predictor.
In the early days and weeks of your pregnancy you will be come across several different options for identifying your baby’s gender. Old wives’ tales and Chinese lunar calendars will have to compete with formal obstetric scans and pregnancy procedures. As a prenatal test incorporating chromosomal analysis, amniocentesis testing fits firmly into the second category. With an accuracy of identifying baby gender at over 99%, it is understandable why the amniocentesis test attracts attention from parents seeking a baby gender predictor. Nevertheless it is of significant importance that parents considering undergoing an amniocentesis fully understand the purpose of the test as well as the procedure, risks and implications.
The word ‘centesis’ means a puncture or perforation, and medically refers to the act of puncturing a body cavity or organ with a hollow needle in order to draw out fluid. An amniocentesis is therefore the extraction of amniotic fluid; the surrounding liquid that nourishes and protects your baby during pregnancy. Although not as intrusive as it might sound, it is clear that this is certainly not a non-invasive procedure. Let us therefore consider the process steps, the risks involved and the circumstances where an amniocentesis may be a prudent option. The test is usually conducted at around 15 to 22 weeks into a pregnancy when there is a desire to check for chromosome abnormalities that indicate a condition such as Down syndrome, Edward syndrome or Turner syndrome, or neural defects that may reside within either parent’s genetic history. Under ultrasound guidance, a thin needle is inserted through the mother’s abdominal wall to extract approximately 20ml of amniotic fluid from around the baby. The amniotic fluid naturally contains some foetal cells containing the same genetic blueprint as your baby. A chromosomal analysis of these cells will test for abnormalities indicating known conditions such as Down syndrome, Edward syndrome or Turner syndrome. The chromosomal analysis will also confirm baby gender.
The vast majority of amniocentesis tests are completed without complication, approximately 1 in 200 results in a miscarriage.
The use of ultrasound guidance and the competency of medical practitioner are key factors in minimizing this risk. There is also a secondary risk of a uterine infection in the days following the test which may also cause a miscarriage, although the occurrence rate is less than 1 in 1000.
Amniocentesis is normally only offered as an option in one or more of the following circumstances:
• The mother is to be 35 years old or older at delivery
• The parents have already had a child with a chromosomal disorder
• The parents themselves have a genetic or chromosomal disorder
• A previous ultrasound suggested possible abnormalities
• A maternal screening revealed the baby would be at a higher risk
Parents in these circumstances will have to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of choosing to proceed with an amniocentesis test, and any decision is recommended to be taken in consultation with your medical professional.
Although without doubt an extremely accurate baby gender predictor, identifying baby gender should not be the primary incentive for taking an amniocentesis. There are other less-invasive baby gender predictor options that can be used very early into your pregnancy.
May Hammond is a medical professional and mother of two who has dedicated her life to supporting mothers and families. Her internet resource Baby Gender Predictor is a wealth of essential information and a must-see for any mother keen to find an early baby gender predictor and to take the right steps during early pregnancy.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Baby Gender Predictor Progression
So what is a baby gender predictor? Well, a baby gender predictor can be any tool, test or tale that can help a pregnant mother and her partner identify the gender of their baby. ‘Am I having a boy or girl?’ remains the one burning question for all newly appointed mothers and therefore finding a baby gender predictor suddenly becomes a real quest. Any mother will tell you that the moment you can cease to refer to your baby as ‘it’ and proudly say ‘he’ or ‘she’ instead, marks the true bond and the beginning of the relationship between you and your baby.
Before advances in science and technology there was no crystal clear way for a mother to know whether her growing bump was to be a gleeful girl or a bold and boisterous boy. Many cultures and traditions nevertheless filled this gap and nurtured a number of different beliefs and old wives’ tales to predict the baby’s gender. Lunar calendars and wedding rings on a string all have to compete with many more weird and wonderful ways to decide whether it is time to shop for pink or blue.
The arrival of ultrasound during the late 1950s literally created waves. Suddenly there was a ‘magic torch’ that could be shone straight into the womb, in fact directly into the private parts! As early as four months in to their nine month marathon, mothers were suddenly able to know their baby’s gender. Ultrasound was probably the first commonly used scientific baby gender predictor. Ground-breaking indeed, but still suffering from one major flaw. Ultrasound is subjective. It does not give a clear as day, yes or no outcome. The doctor has to search for the presence or absence of male or female genital organs, and then make judgements on what is seen or not seen. Throw in an occassional obstructing umbilical cord or placenta and this baby gendor predictor endeavor suddenly becomes a little more taxing and a little less scientific.
Enter chromosomal analysis. Your baby growing inside of you has actually been a girl or a boy since its very first day as an embryo in your fallopean tube. Think back to those high school biology classes and you will recall that the X sperm makes a girl and the Y sperm makes a boy. Whoever got to the egg first was the real baby gender predictor. Tucked away in the DNA of your baby within the 23rd chromosomal pairing is the clearest indicator of whether you are carrying a boy or a girl. An electron microscope will give a clear depiction of whether your child is XX for a girl or XY for a boy with over a 99% level of accuracy. But one question remains; how can we safely see a baby’s DNA?
The solution to this conundrum is that your baby’s DNA is not only present within your baby’s body itself. Identical foetal DNA is also present within the amniotic fluid surrounding your baby, and also within the placenta. Furthermore, the latest baby gender predictor methods attempt to isolate baby DNA that is present within the mother’s blood or urine. This now means that it is possible for some baby gender predictor products to identify the gender of your baby as early as six weeks into your pregnancy.
Before advances in science and technology there was no crystal clear way for a mother to know whether her growing bump was to be a gleeful girl or a bold and boisterous boy. Many cultures and traditions nevertheless filled this gap and nurtured a number of different beliefs and old wives’ tales to predict the baby’s gender. Lunar calendars and wedding rings on a string all have to compete with many more weird and wonderful ways to decide whether it is time to shop for pink or blue.
The arrival of ultrasound during the late 1950s literally created waves. Suddenly there was a ‘magic torch’ that could be shone straight into the womb, in fact directly into the private parts! As early as four months in to their nine month marathon, mothers were suddenly able to know their baby’s gender. Ultrasound was probably the first commonly used scientific baby gender predictor. Ground-breaking indeed, but still suffering from one major flaw. Ultrasound is subjective. It does not give a clear as day, yes or no outcome. The doctor has to search for the presence or absence of male or female genital organs, and then make judgements on what is seen or not seen. Throw in an occassional obstructing umbilical cord or placenta and this baby gendor predictor endeavor suddenly becomes a little more taxing and a little less scientific.
Enter chromosomal analysis. Your baby growing inside of you has actually been a girl or a boy since its very first day as an embryo in your fallopean tube. Think back to those high school biology classes and you will recall that the X sperm makes a girl and the Y sperm makes a boy. Whoever got to the egg first was the real baby gender predictor. Tucked away in the DNA of your baby within the 23rd chromosomal pairing is the clearest indicator of whether you are carrying a boy or a girl. An electron microscope will give a clear depiction of whether your child is XX for a girl or XY for a boy with over a 99% level of accuracy. But one question remains; how can we safely see a baby’s DNA?
The solution to this conundrum is that your baby’s DNA is not only present within your baby’s body itself. Identical foetal DNA is also present within the amniotic fluid surrounding your baby, and also within the placenta. Furthermore, the latest baby gender predictor methods attempt to isolate baby DNA that is present within the mother’s blood or urine. This now means that it is possible for some baby gender predictor products to identify the gender of your baby as early as six weeks into your pregnancy.
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