Why Know The Sex Before Delivery
When you find out that youre pregnant, your top priority is of course to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. However, many people want to know their babys sex from the moment they get a positive pregnancy test!
Maybe youve been thinking about unisex baby names, or maybe discovering your babys sex could help you decide on a name and prepare for their arrival. Many parents use their childs biological sex to decide what color clothing and nursery decorations to buy.
Cramping And Spotting During Early Pregnancy
From weeks 1 to4, everything is still happening on a cellular level. The fertilized egg creates a blastocyst that will develop into the fetuss organs and body parts.
About 10 to 14 days after conception, the blastocyst will implant in the endometrium, which is the lining of the uterus. This can cause implantation bleeding, which may be mistaken for a light period. It does not occur for everyone. If it does occur, it will usually happen around the time you expect your period.
Here are some signs of implantation bleeding:
- Color. The color of each episode may be pink, red, or brown.
- Bleeding. Implantation bleeding is usually much less than your usual period. Its often described as light bleeding that never turns into a flow or enough to need a tampon.
- Pain. Pain is usually milder than your usual menstrual pain. It may involve some cramping. It can be moderate or severe, but its most often mild.
- Episodes. Implantation bleeding is likely to last less than 3 days and does not require treatment. It can sometimes last only a few hours.
What Happens During Week 1
These are the first 2 weeks of your menstrual cycle. You have your period. About 2 weeks later, the egg thats most mature is released from your ovary this is called ovulation. Ovulation may happen earlier or later, depending on the length of your menstrual cycle. The average menstrual cycle is 28 days.
After its released, your egg travels down your fallopian tube toward your uterus. If the egg meets up with a sperm, they combine. This is called fertilization. Fertilization is most likely to occur when you have unprotected vaginal sex during the 6 days leading up to and including the day of ovulation.
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When Can I Take A Home Pregnancy Test
Although you may start to feel early pregnancy symptoms before your period, most women have to wait for an average of two weeks from the time they ovulate for a positive home pregnancy test result. Home pregnancy tests measure levels of human chorionic gonadotropin in your urine.
This placenta-produced hormone makes its way into your urine almost immediately after an embryo begins implanting in your uterus, between six to 12 days after fertilization. You can start using most home pregnancy tests as soon as hCG can be detected in your urine and hCG levels usually arent high enough to be picked up by a home pregnancy test until your periods expected.
Cant wait until then? Some HPTs promise 60 to 75 percent accuracy four to five days before you expect your period. Wait until your period and the rate jumps to 90 percent wait another week and the results are 99 percent accurate.
Know that false negatives are much more common than false positives, so if the time for your period comes and goes without your monthly flow, check in with your health care provider. Either way, youll want to get a blood test to confirm your pregnancy status.
No matter what symptoms you’re having, the only way to know for sure that you’re pregnant is to make an appointment with your OB/GYN.
How Soon You Can Take A Pregnancy Test
Step back from the supermarket shelves you should wait until the first day of a missed period before you do a pregnancy test . This is usually about two weeks after you think you conceived. So get your diary out and start counting.
Too keen to wait? Some tests are more sensitive than others and can be taken earlier . This might be four or five days before your period is due .
If you can though, its most reliable to wait for the first day of your missed period. And that way you wont get any upset from an inaccurate result.
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Wondering If You’ve Got A Bun In The Oven Here Are Some Telltale Ways To Determine Whether You’re Expecting A Baby From Very Early Symptoms To Home Pregnancy Tests
The first signs of pregnancy are different for every woman. While some have telltale symptoms , others don’t know they’re expecting until they receive a positive pregnancy test. If you’re wondering, “How do I know if I’m pregnant?” read on to learn three ways to determine if a baby is in your future..
Having Severe Morning Sickness
Because the girl produces more hormones, her mother will suffer from much terrible morning sickness.
Yes, severe morning sickness is a sign of carrying a baby girl. The truth is that the women can determine the sex of an unborn child based on her illness during pregnancy. According to the 2017 research case, those who get pregnant to a girl experience more inflammation as their immune systems were exposed to bacteria.
If you carry a girl, you may feel extremely unwell comparing to women conceiving a boy.
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Youre Revolted By Formerly Favorite Foods
Got food aversions even to ones that were favorites? Researchers say that the more disgust toward foods a pregnant woman feels, the likelier it is shes pregnant with a boy.
The reason? Aversions are tied to the way a woman’s immune system functions as she tries to protect her growing fetus. Squeamishness, say researchers, is designed to protect the especially vulnerable male fetus by causing the expectant mom to stay away from potentially sketchy substances.
Morning Sickness Nausea And Vomiting During Early Pregnancy
Nausea and morning sickness usually develop around weeks 4 to 6 and peak around week 9.
Although its called morning sickness, it can occur anytime during the day or night. Its unclear exactly what causes nausea and morning sickness, but hormones may play a role.
During the first trimester of pregnancy, many women experience mild to severe morning sickness. It may become more intense toward the end of the first trimester, but often becomes less severe as you enter the second trimester.
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Top 5 Signs Youre Conceiving A Baby Girl
What are the signs telling you are carrying a girl?
There are numerous popular beliefs and myths claimed to be able to predict early boy or girl signs. Some think that they can completely determine the gender of a baby through those myths, but medical research has debunked many of them.
Here are 5 potential symptoms of baby girl revealing you may get pregnant with a cute little girl:
Craving Or Avoiding Certain Foods
Most women dont actually want that mythical pickles-and-ice cream combo, but food cravings do regularly occur, as does disliking a formerly favorite food.
A review of cravings in pregnancy published in Frontiers in Psychology lamented how little research exists for such a common symptom, which Ross says occurs in more than half of pregnancies. Cravings typically start in the first trimester. In one study the reviewers cited, three-quarters of women reported craving at least one food item by the thirteenth week of pregnancy.
What do women most want in early pregnancy? Mostly sweets, including fruits, juices, dairy, desserts, and, frequently, chocolate. But a small number of women prefer savory or salty fare, the review authors noted.
Its not clear why these cravings happen. Some speculate its due to fluctuating hormones, which can change the sense of taste or smell, but others say it fills specific nutritional needs of the fetus or are brought on by cultural norms or other factors.
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What Precautions Should You Take During Early Pregnancy
Even if you havenât spotted any signs of pregnancy very early on, youâll want to do everything you can to stay healthy and safe. In fact, itâs always wise to take some precautions as soon as you start trying to conceive or learn that youâre pregnant.Even simple adjustments can help support you as you start your pregnancy! Though youâll want to consult your healthcare provider to determine whatâs best for you, some worthwhile lifestyle changes and precautions include
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taking folic acid.
When you start trying for a baby or learn that youâre pregnant, folic acid is essential, as itâs a B vitamin that helps reduce the risk of certain birth defects that affect the babyâs brain and spine. Your healthcare provider can recommend a prenatal vitamin that contains at least 400 micrograms of folic acid. Pre-pregnancy is also a great time to eliminate some less healthy habits, including
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exposure to secondhand smoke
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drinking alcohol.
In addition, your provider may recommend limiting your daily consumption of caffeine. Talk with your healthcare provider about the best ways to stay healthy and safe when youâre pregnant. For more general advice, download our pregnancy guide!
Being A Supportive Partner
Research has shown that when a pregnant person has a supportive partner, they are more likely to have a healthy pregnancy. Partner support is also good for babies. Infants who are born to people who have the support of a partner are less likely to be born preterm.
There are many ways that you can be a supportive partner. You can encourage your partner to make and keep prenatal appointments and, if possible and desired, go to these appointments with them. You also can help your partner make healthy choices throughout their pregnancy, such as avoiding alcohol or quitting smoking.
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Where Does An Ectopic Pregnancy Happen
Its considered an ectopic pregnancy whenever the fertilized egg implants outside of your uterus. The egg is meant to travel down the fallopian tubes and imbed itself into the wall of your uterus, where it can begin to develop. In an ectopic pregnancy, the egg implants in one of the structures along the way. The most common place this can happen is within the fallopian tubes. The majority of ectopic pregnancies happen herecalled a tubal ectopic pregnancy. A fertilized egg can also implant on other organs in your abdominal cavity. This is a rarer form of ectopic pregnancy than one that happens in a fallopian tube.
When Should I Have Sex To Conceive
Conception can happen after unprotected sex as early as five days before ovulation. This is because some sperm can live that long inside female reproductive organs.
If youre trying to conceive, the best times to have sex are:
- In the three days before ovulation: In this scenario, sperm will be waiting for the egg to come down the fallopian tube.
- At ovulation or within 24 hours of ovulating: Your egg lives for only 24 hours, so if you have unprotected sex during this time, your egg may end up waiting for sperm to reach it, or they may run into each other in your fallopian tubes.
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When Should I Call My Doctor About A New Pregnancy
If youve missed your period and gotten a positive pregnancy test, your next step will be to call your healthcare provider for your first appointment. While scheduling, your provider may ask if you have already started taking a prenatal vitamin containing folic acid. Prenatal vitamins are important in early pregnancy because they help in the development of your babys neural tube. The neural tube will become your babys brain and spine. Many healthcare providers recommend that anyone who could become pregnant take folic acid at all times.
If youre planning a pregnancy, a preconception appointment with your healthcare provider is a good place to start. A preconception appointment is especially important if you take medication for a chronic illness or have other medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or lupus.
During this appointment, your provider will discuss any current medical conditions, as well as your general health before pregnancy. This appointment is meant to get you into the best place for a new pregnancy.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 07/26/2022.
References
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I Have To Go To The Toilet More Often Is That A Sign
Oh yes, dashing to the loo more than often can be early sign that youre pregnant. During pregnancy your body increases the amount of blood it pumps around the body. That means the kidneys process more fluid than usual which leads to more fluid in your bladder . For more information on early pregnancy signs and symptoms.
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When Does The Fetus Develop Their Biological Sex
The process through which sex is determined is called human sexual differentiation. You probably wont find out your babys sex until a few months into your pregnancy, but it was set in stone at the moment of conception.
The babys genes determine sex. All eggs contain an X chromosome, while sperm can have an X or a Y chromosome. If the egg is fertilized by a sperm cell carrying an X chromosome, the resulting XX embryo will be female. However, if the sperm cell has a Y chromosome, the embryo will have male XY chromosomes.
At first, all embryos look the same regardless of sex. At the fifth week of your pregnancy, your baby will have a structure called a gonadal ridge . Until week seven, they will develop the precursors of the sex organs. Then, over the next five weeks, your embryo starts producing hormones that stimulate the development of their sex organs.
The Cupping Hands Test
This is a test recently demonstrated on ITV by This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby . She reckons you can tell if you’re having a boy or a girl by the position of your hands when you use them to cup the sides of your bump.
If your hands curve round the side of your baby belly , it’s a girl if they go slightly inwards , it’s a boy. We’re not entirely sure we can see the difference from Holly’s demo, to be honest, and again, there’s no scientific basis for this test but, well, you’ve a 50/50 chance of being right!
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Can I Prevent An Ectopic Pregnancy
An ectopic pregnancy cannot be prevented. But you can try to reduce your risk factors by following good lifestyle habits. These can include not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight and diet, and preventing any sexually transmitted infections . Talk to your healthcare provider about any risk factors you may have before trying to become pregnant.
Increasing Your Sperm Count
Tip: In addition to cutting out unhealthy snacks like chips and sweets, especially avoid processed meats like bacon. Processed meats may lower your sperm count more than other unhealthy foods.
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What Are The Signs Of Pregnancy
For a lot of people, the first sign of pregnancy is a missed period. Most pregnancy tests will be positive by the time youve missed your period. Other early pregnancy symptoms include feeling tired, feeling bloated, peeing more than usual, mood swings, nausea, and tender or swollen breasts. Not everyone has all of these symptoms, but its common to have at least 1 of them.
How Long After Conception Will My Pregnancy Test Be Positive
It can take between 11 and 14 days after conception to get a positive pregnancy test. At-home pregnancy tests check for human chorionic gonadotropin , a hormone released by the placenta. Your pee must have enough hCG to get a positive pregnancy test. However, your healthcare provider can check for hCG in your blood sooner around 10 days after conception.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Conception is when sperm fertilizes an egg. Its one of the many critical steps in getting pregnant. Conceiving a child is a complex process dependent on lots of factors. Being unable to conceive is a common problem, and there are lots of resources available to help you. Contact your healthcare provider if youre struggling with conceiving. They can explain the process and identify any issues preventing conception and pregnancy.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 09/06/2022.
References
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