Fact or Fiction: Heart Beat Indicates Gender?

First, for all of you want to be medical geeks out there... here is some new pre-screening thats only been around for about 4 years. So between 11 & 14 weeks, an NT (nuchal translucency) screening test is performed. It is a 2 part screening that involves 2 separate ultrasounds and some blood work. The intent is to determine if there is a risk for down syndrome or other chromosonal abnormalities. I was asked to show up to the office with a full bladder so the baby would be forced into a position where the nurse could measure the amount of fluid behind the baby's neck. Babies which are prone to abnormalities, have more fluid. The only problem.... I just thought my bladder was full!! Unlike last time when we watched the baby perform some form of acrobatic dance, this little one was content just moving its arms and kicking a bit. So the nurse was poking and prodding me for what seemed liked forever to get this babe in the right position. Finally... we think we got the measurements needed. We will not have any results back until the blood work is complete and the next ultrasound is taken.



Now on to the fun stuff. Fact or Fiction: Does a baby's heart beat indicate whether its a girl or boy? There is an old wives tale out there that says when a fetus heart beat is on the high range of 120 - 200 bpm its a girl.... and less than say 150 bpm, its a boy. Well, at the time of this ultrasound, Baby Gerty measured in at 170 bpm. Science claims the heart beat gender prediction is just a wive's tale, and one should expect the heart rate to come down as the fetus ages. So, we'll just all have to keep guessing if its a boy or a girl until we get further along!


~ Maureen