Natural Birth and Baby Care.com

Does Baby Positioning in the Womb Indicate Gender?

by Rhonah
(America)

Can you use the baby's position in the womb to determine if a baby is male or female?

Answer:

Hi Rhonah,

Baby position in the womb does not indicate gender, as far as I know. However, studies have shown that the position of the placenta in the womb is a very reliable indicator of sex.

This theory has mostly been studied by Dr. Ramzi of Canada and determines gender based on the placenta being positioned on the left or right of the womb. It's best to find placental position very early in pregnancy, around 6 weeks or so. Boy placentas are normally on the right, and girl placentas are normally on the left.

There are other indicators of baby gender that may be able to help early on, such as the "nub theory" around 12-13 weeks, the typical time for a nuchal scan to be done. This theory looks at the genital "nub" on the baby from a side view to determine the angle - a more angled "nub" is predicted boy, a flatter "nub" is predicted girl. At this point in gestation both boys and girls have a clear nub that will later become the penis or clitoris. The nub theory is not as accurate as gender determination via ultrasound later in gestation.

In the end a later ultrasound with a good look at the genital area is the best gender prediction via ultrasound. The best method of determining baby gender is, of course, checking once the baby is born ;)

But other theories are fun to look at!

You can read more about Dr. Ramzi's method here.