I knew the sex of my baby weeks before I conceived. My husband and I did IVF and completed genetic testing of our embryos during the process. When I got pregnant, I already knew my baby would be a girl.
Many moms in the What to Expect Community wish they could also glimpse into a crystal ball when they conceive without medical intervention. They’re eager to crack the gender surprise early, searching for clues wherever they can.
One popular theory is that the position of your placenta might reveal your baby’s sex. It claims that an anterior placenta (attached to the front of the uterus) means you’re having a girl, while a posterior placenta (attached to the back) suggests a boy.
But does this theory hold true? Some moms say yes: “I’m having a boy and have an anterior placenta,” one WTE mom shared in her birth month club. Others aren’t convinced it’s more than a coincidence: “My last two babies [had] anterior placentas, and I have one of each, so definitely a myth,” wrote another.
With the WTE Community buzzing about this theory, let’s dive into what science has to say.
Can an anterior placenta actually indicate you're having a girl?
No, the position of your placenta can’t officially tell you whether you’re going to have a boy or a girl. “There is no real scientific evidence supporting placental position as a predictor of fetal sex,” says Noa Sterling, M.D., an OB/GYN in San Diego.
“Both an anterior and a posterior placenta are completely normal variations of placental positioning that can occur in any pregnancy," she adds, but where your placenta lives in your uterus doesn't have any bearing on the sex of your baby.
So why does this theory continue to make the rounds? Well, one 2014 study found some correlation between an anterior placenta and female fetuses.[1] However, the research was too limited to prove that this was anything more than a coincidence.
Meanwhile, an earlier peer-reviewed study published in the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that there is no link between a placenta’s location and fetal sex.[2]
“Most research in this area has limitations in terms of sample size, control variables and methodology,” explains Kecia Gaither, M.D., an OB/GYN and maternal-fetal medicine specialist in New York City. “The findings do not provide strong enough evidence to support the theory consistently.”
The position of your placenta, whether at the front or back of your uterus, is unlikely to reveal your baby's gender.
Your placenta’s location can alert your doctor to potential health complications during pregnancy.
If you want to know your baby's gender before birth, prenatal bloodwork and anatomy scans are proven methods.
Does your placenta's location impact your pregnancy?
While the location of your placenta can’t determine fetal sex, it still provides helpful information about you and your baby.
Your placenta shuttles nutrients from you to your baby. Doctors use ultrasounds to monitor your placenta’s position and size to determine how well your baby is growing.
The location of your placenta can alert your providers to potential pregnancy complications. For example, if it implants low in the uterus and covers part or all of your cervix, you’ll be diagnosed with placenta previa, which can cause bleeding.
While an anterior placenta will not impact your health, it may influence how strongly you feel fetal movements. Having your placenta at the front of your uterus could cushion kicks. If you have any concerns about your baby’s movement patterns, reach out to your care provider.
Better ways to find out your baby's sex
If you want to know whether you're having a boy or girl before your baby’s arrival, you'll want to use a more science-backed test or scan to find out during pregnancy. Proven methods include:
Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT): This simple blood test can be done nine weeks into your pregnancy. The NIPT accurately predicts a baby's sex more than 99% of the time, and it also provides information on your baby's risk of chromosomal abnormalities, including trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome).
Anatomy scan: Done between 18 and 20 weeks, this second-trimester ultrasound takes an in-depth look at your baby's anatomy. At this point, your baby's genitals are more readily visible, so your care team can likely confirm your baby's sex.
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis: These diagnostic tests primarily screen for chromosomal abnormalities, but they can also reveal a baby's sex. Since they're more invasive than the NIPT, your provider might recommend one if your pregnancy is at higher risk, and you need additional testing. CVS is performed between 10 to 13 weeks and involves taking a sample of tissue from the placenta. Amniocentesis, on the other hand, happens between 15 to 18 weeks, and your doctor will take a sample of amniotic fluid.
Ultimately, your placenta's location is not a dependable way to determine your baby’s sex Sticking to the gold standard tests at your provider's office is much more foolproof. You’ll be holding your little baby boy or girl in your arms before you know it.
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