

The determination isn't so much boy-vs-girl as 'visible boy parts'-vs-'lack of visual boy parts'. Although many parents who make this choice will hold out until the birth, you will be able to arrange a gender scan at any point in the pregnancy after 16 weeks if you change your mind.They do happen but it's more common the other way around. If you would prefer not to know then it is a good idea to tell your sonographer so that they can reduce the chances of showing you anything on the screen, especially during later or 4D ultrasound scans. In some cases, the parents prefer to wait to find out when their baby is born. Others will be happy to wait until their first routine scan after 16 weeks, when the gender can be revealed alongside other information about baby’s growth and development. Some parents are keen to find out and will arrange a gender scan as soon as possible. However, it is up to you whether you want to know or not. If you want to know your baby’s sex, it is therefore best to ask the sonographer rather than to try to work it out for yourself from the ultrasound pictures. It is also true that some expectant parents misinterpret what they are looking at and think that they’re having a boy when the baby is actually a girl.

Sometimes it is obvious that your baby is a boy, but in other cases it can be harder to determine. You probably won’t be able to tell for yourself whether the baby is a boy or a girl from the scan pictures.

In some cases they won’t be able to give a definite answer. Sonographers can generally identify your baby’s gender after 16 weeks, but it isn’t always obvious. You can arrange a gender scan to find out after this, but the sonographer will usually be able to tell you the baby’s sex during any ultrasound you have after this date. It is impossible to tell whether your baby is a boy or a girl before 16 weeks. Depending on when you have your scans, this might not be during your first ultrasound. The first opportunity to find out your baby’s gender will usually occur during one of the ultrasound scans that you have during pregnancy.
