How accurate are gender scans UK?
There’s no doubt that having an ultrasound of your baby is a special moment, and it can be incredibly reassuring to know how well things are progressing. But some families are wondering if gender scans are as reliable as they seem.
Gender scans aren’t always accurate
There are some cases where an ultrasound technician will incorrectly guess the gender of your baby – for example, when they mislabel a specimen or when there’s a rare genetic condition that affects boys only. But these factors are not familiar, says Jonathan Schaffer, MD, an obstetrician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.
Whether a gender scan is accurate depends on the time of your pregnancy, the position of your baby, and your body size. It’s also important to consider your health Early pregnancy scans Belfast and the potential risks of having an ultrasound before deciding on whether or not to have one.
Some hospitals will refuse to identify the sex of your baby
A recent survey in Scotland found that some hospitals have started to refuse to disclose the sex of unborn babies if they’re not the expected sex. This is in part because of the legal risk, but also because it could affect your child’s health and wellbeing.
If you want to find out the sex of your baby as soon as possible, you might choose to have an early gender scan. This is typically offered between 12 weeks and 16 weeks, but some fetal medicine specialists will be able to offer a scan up to 4 weeks earlier than this.