How does ultrasound determine gender

Questionnaires were administered to these women before and after the scan and the women were told the sex of the fetuses and their feelings on the determined sex recorded. The sex at birth was confirmed and compared to the scan determined gender by their case note and telephone. Relevant discussions during the scan and later on were recorded on the questionnaires. The statistical package used was SPSS version 17 and binary classification tests were performed.

The sensitivity Two males were misdiagnosed as females. Most of the women were happy even when the sex differed from that which they desired. Prenatal sonographic sex determination has a high sensitivity index.

Consequently we advocate its use prior to more invasive sex tests. Ultrasound is used in most parts of the world for prenatal sex determination. Indication for prenatal sex determination can be medical or nonmedical.

The medical indication for its use include in families at risk of x-linked disorders, testicular feminization syndrome, pseudo-hermaphroditism, genital anomalies, ambiguous genitalia, and determination of zygosity in multiple pregnancy. In the early publications on sonographic prenatal gender assignment male sex was identified by the presence of the penis and scrotum while females were by the absence of both scrotum and penis.

Visualization of the internal pelvic structures of the fetus such as the uterus and ovaries also assists in assigning appropriate sex to the fetus. Unfortunately first trimester ultrasound sex determination has significant false negative rate. Improvement in the sensitivity value increases with high proficiency and experience as well as high-quality machine. Incorrectly determined sex can have some psychological effects on the family.

Thus we undertook this study to determine the prenatal sonographic accuracy and sensitivity pattern in our environment. This is a prospective study conducted at a private hospital in Benin from August to Oct Approval for the study was sought and granted from the radiology department and the management which acts as the ethical board of the private institution where the study was conducted.

In the study consecutive consenting pregnant women with pregnancies in the second or third trimester that were referred for obstetric ultrasound had the procedure explained to them and questionnaires administered after signing the informed consent section. Sonographic prenatal sex determination was conducted in these consenting women and the determined sex communicated to them.

They were then asked how they felt about the determined sex and their feelings recorded. Data such as phone numbers, gestational age at scan time, estimated date of delivery, case note number, and other relevant data were entered into the questionnaires. Their case notes were retrieved about 3 weeks after the expected date of delivery and the sex of the baby at birth entered into their questionnaires.

The patients were also contacted by telephone and the sex at birth confirmed with relevant comments entered into the questionnaires. The sex at birth was then compared with the prenatal sonographic determined sex. The scan was performed by one of the researchers. Identification of the vulva, clitoris, and labia was used to assign female sex to the fetus [ Figure 1 ].

For male fetuses visualization of the scrotum, testicles, and penile shaft was utilized [ Figure 2 ]. After the scan the women were asked how they felt after knowing the fetal sex. Their responses were then entered into the questionnaires. Relevant oral communications were also recorded in the questionnaires as other findings. The data were analyzed using SPSS version Binary classification test such as sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were performed for either fetal sex and the results tabulated.

Ultrasound accuracy was Compared to Hsiao's study, the ultrasound identification accuracy obtained in the present study was significantly higher in the 11 th week of pregnancy. In , Whitlow and Efrat published the very first articles about fetal gender identification in the first trimester of pregnancy. The results obtained by Whitlow et al. The accuracy obtained on the 12 th week of pregnancy was Overall, various factors can affect the correct identification of fetal gender in the first trimester of pregnancy.

First, the operator's skills, which depends on his or her training; second, the ultrasound imaging device's resolution a transvaginal ultrasound provides a better resolution than a transabdominal ultrasound ; third, certain maternal factors can affect the results, such as bowel gas induced shadowing of the fetus or maternal obesity; and fourth, the fetal position in the womb, which can be in different forms, including the fetal legs being crossed, umbilical cord being between the fetus' legs, fetal hyperactivity, and an unfavorable fetal position.

National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. J Family Med Prim Care. Farideh Gharekhanloo 1. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Address for correspondence: Dr. E-mail: moc. This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.

Abstract Introduction: The early prenatal identification of fetal gender is of great importance. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on women in their 11 th and 12 th weeks of pregnancy in Hamadan in Results: Of the total of women, the gender was identified as female in 32 Conclusion: The present study had a much higher gender identification accuracy compared to other studies. Keywords: Fetal gender, pregnancy, ultrasound.

Introduction The early prenatal identification of fetal gender is of great importance in the management of pregnancy in families at risk for certain inherited diseases.

Materials and Methods The present cross-sectional study was conducted progressively on women in their 11 th and 12 th weeks of pregnancy visiting private clinics in Hamadan for ultrasound fetal gender identification in Table 1 Fetal gender identification in relation to gestational age. Open in a separate window. They do so for several reasons: to know how to paint the nursery, pick a name or satisfy their curiosities about the family composition.

However, "more and more people are telling us they want to wait until the baby arrives to find out the sex," Carr said. Increasingly, Carr said, couples have asked him to write down the baby's sex and place the answer in a sealed envelope.

This is because some parents-to-be want to host a gender-reveal party for family and friends to share the news. Beyond ending the guessing game, there are medical reasons why mothers and fathers may want to learn the sex of their baby from an ultrasound.

Sometimes knowing the gender can help parents make informed decisions about the pregnancy itself, such as in the case of sex-specific diseases, Carr told Live Science. One example of this is congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a genetic condition in which baby girls may have genitals that appear more masculine than feminine, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Lately, as more couples turn to in-vitro fertilization procedures to conceive a child, the issue of selecting the sex of a baby for purposes of "family balancing" rather than for medical reasons is controversial and raises ethical concerns. Here six important facts about ultrasound screenings and sex determination, according to Carr, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. But the common prenatal scan wasn't intended as an exam to find out the baby's gender; it was meant to image the developing fetus for other medical reasons, he said.

Although the test can be done at any point during pregnancy, women typically get one during the first trimester. This early ultrasound is often done to confirm a pregnancy, detect the fetal heartbeat and determine the due date, according to the March of Dimes.

A second ultrasound is usually done between the 18th and 22nd weeks of pregnancy to make sure that the baby is growing and developing properly. It's typically during the second ultrasound that parents can learn the sex of the baby. The scan is also done to see if a woman is having more than one baby, as well as to determine the location of the placenta and umbilical cord. In addition, ultrasound can identify certain birth defects, such as Down syndrome and spinal abnormalities, and investigate pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, according to the March of Dimes.

We spoke with experts to break down your most pressing questions. While you're reclining on an exam table, the ultrasound technician will slather gel on your belly, then she'll glide over it with a plastic transducer that emits high-frequency sound waves.

These waves bounce off of your little one's body to produce an image of her soft tissues, organs, and other anatomy—including reproductive parts. The image will be displayed on a monitor for you and your partner to see. Ultrasounds are considered safe , and they don't involve X-rays or radiation. The exam also doesn't hurt, although the gel may feel cold and be messy.

As it turns out, gender ultrasounds are pretty accurate. One recent study found that the ultrasound technician correctly predicted a baby's gender 98 percent of the time. Still, the results of your individual exam will depend on a number of factors, including timing, your baby's position , your body size, and whether you're carrying multiples.