It’s certainly a lot of fun guessing when you’re expecting … and there’s no shortage of people willing to join in (you’re carrying a boy because you're carrying high in your belly, says one friend; you’ve got acne because you’re carrying a girl, says your mom).
But you may be wondering if there’s anything, short of noninvasive prenatal testing and prenatal diagnostic tests like CVS and amnio, that can clue you in to your baby-to-be’s sex. The answer is yes — and no.
- While old wives' tales are fun to try, there's no solid science behind them — most gender clues during pregnancy are just playful guesses with a 50/50 shot.
- Some small studies suggest that things like extreme morning sickness, food cravings, or even where you conceived might be slightly linked to your baby's sex, but nothing is guaranteed.
- If you want a truly accurate answer about your baby's sex, your best bet is to go with genetic testing or wait for the anatomy ultrasound — or just enjoy the surprise at birth!
Is there a difference between pregnancy symptoms with a girl vs. a boy?
In short, not really.
Sure, some studies have shown that certain symptoms are linked to an increased probability of one sex versus the other. But other research has shown mixed results. (And there are plenty of gender prediction old wives' tales that have no science at all to back them up.)
“These studies are generally small and show associations, as opposed to true cause-and-effect,” says Tarun Jain, M.D., a medical director at Northwestern Fertility and Reproductive Medicine in Oak Brook, Illinois, and a member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board. “And the association demonstrated is relatively small.”
So while you shouldn't take the following findings to heart — they're still just for fun, and even the predictions that have been studied often tilt only ever so slightly toward one sex or the other — they may make the game of odds slightly more accurate.
Looking for more ways to guess or learn your baby's sex? Find them on the What to Expect app.
6 signs you might be carrying a girl
1. You’re suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum
Most moms-to-be experience some form of morning sickness when they’re expecting. But some moms have it much worse, suffering from severe nausea and vomiting (called hyperemesis gravidarum).
Studies have found[1] that women who are pregnant with girls may be more likely to experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. These findings were even more strongly linked to women who suffer from severe morning sickness.
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What’s to blame? The pregnancy hormone hCG, say researchers, which female fetuses produce more of than males. (Just don’t tell that to Kate Middleton, who has suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum during all three of her pregnancies with two sons and a daughter.)
2. You’re extra forgetful
For reasons unknown, some research suggests[2] that women who give birth to girls consistently under-perform in tests of memory — specifically in areas of listening, computational exercises, and visualization skills — compared to moms carrying boys.
So the next time you can’t remember where you put the car keys, you may be able to blame your pregnancy brain on the baby girl you’re carrying.
3. You’re under a lot of stress
The more stressed out you were when you conceived, the more likely it is that you’ll have a girl, say researchers. That's because girls may be less vulnerable to unfavorable conditions in the womb than boys are.
One 2021 study, for example,[3] found that moms-to-be who had higher cortisol levels — an indication of stress — were more likely to give birth to daughters.
4. Your baby is breech
Are you past 32 weeks pregnant and your baby is still stubbornly bottom-down, head-up? It may be time to think pink! One study of singleton breech births[4] in Hungary found that breech babies are significantly more likely to be girls than boys.
5. You’re starting to break out
You might have heard the saying that acne during pregnancy means you’re carrying a girl — and, in truth, one very (very) small study of 35 women[5] seems to confirm those findings.
Researchers found that moms who were expecting daughters had more acne in their second and third trimesters than moms who were expecting sons.
While hormones may be to blame, it’s worth taking the findings with a grain of salt — acne is fairly common among the pregnant set in general, regardless of the sex of the baby.
6. You’re giving birth near the equator
Vacationed in the Bahamas? Took a cruise to the Caribbean? You might be more likely to give birth to a girl.
Some research shows[6] that more daughters are born in tropical climates, whereas more boys are born in colder ones. (That said, the researchers pointed out that it’s not clear whether the climate influences gender selection before or after fertilization occurs.)
Other research has also found that more girls are born during periods of high temperatures, possibly because male fetuses are more susceptible to stress, including climate change.
6 signs you might be carrying a boy
1. You ate a high-calorie diet at the time of conception
One study found[7] that eating a high-calorie diet at the time of conception and eating regular breakfasts may slightly increase the chance that you’ll be having a boy.
The researchers found that 56% of women with the highest calorie intake around the time of conception had boys, compared to 45% among women with the lowest caloric intake.
The evolutionary thinking goes that sons require more resources (i.e., more calories) than daughters do, so a higher-calorie diet would favor a baby-boy-to-be.
2. You’re eating more during your pregnancy
Is it a boy or a girl? Your appetite may offer a clue.
One study tracked[8] the diets of moms-to-be and found that women who were pregnant with boys ate about 10% more calories than those who were pregnant with girls.
Why the greater appetite? Researchers suspect testosterone secreted by male fetuses could be sending their mothers a signal to eat more. And that could explain why baby boys tend to be bigger at birth than baby girls.
3. You’re turned off by formerly favorite foods
Got food aversions — even to ones that were favorites? Researchers say that the more disgust toward foods a pregnant woman feels, the likelier it is she’s pregnant with a boy.[9]
The reason? Aversions are tied to the way a woman's immune system functions as she tries to protect her growing fetus. Squeamishness, say researchers, is designed to protect the especially vulnerable male fetus by causing the expectant mom to stay away from potentially sketchy substances.
4. You develop gestational diabetes
Some research has found[10] that moms-to-be pregnant with sons are more likely to develop gestational diabetes — a pregnancy condition characterized by higher-than-normal glucose in the blood — than expectant moms who are pregnant with daughters.
Researchers aren’t sure why a boy fetus leads to greater pregnancy-associated metabolic changes than a girl fetus does, but these findings seem to be backed up by more than one study.
5. You’ve been snoring more
One study found[11] that pregnant moms carrying boys were 1.5 times more likely to develop sleep disordered breathing — including snoring and sleep apnea — than those who were expecting girls.
It’s not exactly clear why male fetuses may be more likely to trigger sleep problems than female ones, but one guess is that moms of sons tend to have lower levels of the pregnancy hormone PAPP-A, which has also been linked to higher rates of sleep disordered breathing.
6. You’re expecting baby number three
Mom to two? Baby number three may be a boy.
One study found[12] that moms who were in their third pregnancy were 20% more likely to give birth to a son than moms who were in their first pregnancy, although it’s not entirely clear why.
What is the heart rate gender prediction?
There is one folktale, however, that scientists have studied — and it has to do with whether fetal heart rate can predict gender.
Conventional wisdom holds that if the baby’s heart rate is under 140 beats per minute, you’re having a boy; if it’s over 140 beats per minute, you’re having a girl.
Medical research has debunked this heart rate gender prediction theory. A 2023 review found that, in fact, the baseline fetal heart rate of boys was just slightly higher than those of girls — and that any differences were essentially not meaningful in the big picture.
The truth is, a normal fetal heart rate fluctuates between 120 and 160 beats per minute. If you measure your baby’s heart rate at random intervals, it’s likely you’ll get a different reading each time.
The only time when there is an actual difference in heart rate between a boy and girl? It’s during labor itself, when female babies seem to have faster heart rates than males, for reasons unknown.
Gender prediction superstitions
As for all the gender-prediction folktales — the ones that claim to predict with certainty what sex you’re carrying?
While they don’t have any science to back them up, they’re certainly fun to play around with. Here are some of the most common old wives' tales that claim to predict a baby's gender:
- Where you're carrying. If you’re carrying low in your hips, the theory goes, you're having a girl. If you're carrying high in your belly (like a basketball), you're having a boy.
- Position of the linea nigra. If your linea nigra (the line of pigmentation on your belly) runs only up to the belly button, some say you’re having a girl. If it runs past the belly button and up toward the ribs, it’s a boy.
- Nipple color. Darker nipples mean you’re having a boy, the legend goes. But in fact, pregnancy hormones cause most women’s nipples to darken (and maybe also become more tender), whether they’re having a boy or a girl.
- What are you craving? If you’re hankering for sour, salty or protein-rich foods, you’re supposedly having a boy. If you can’t get enough sweets or fruit, it’s thought to be a girl. But research from multiple countries hasn’t found a difference in food cravings between moms carrying boys and those carrying girls.
- You’re (really) moody. Is every day an emotional rollercoaster? Intense mood swings are thought to be a sign of a girl, while more even-keeled moods indicate a boy. (In fact, pregnancy mood swings are totally normal no matter your baby’s sex.)
- Where are my socks? Some believe that boys make your feet cold during pregnancy, but girls don’t.
- You have heartburn. It’s a myth that having heartburn during pregnancy means you’re having a girl. Research has found that it may, however, mean your baby will be born with a headful of hair!
- What’s your pee color? Having a girl makes your urine darker yellow, while having a boy makes it lighter, the theory goes. The truth? Darker pee is a sign that you might be dehydrated — so drink up!
- Try the ring gender prediction test. Take your wedding ring (or another ring or needle) and attach it to a thread. Lie down, and have someone hold the dangling ring over your belly. If it swings in a circular motion, you’re having a girl. If it moves in back and forth like a pendulum, you’re having a boy.
- Chinese birth calendar. Check out the Chinese gender predictor chart (aka the Chinese birth calendar), which predicts the baby’s gender based on your age and the month your baby was conceived.
Remember, predicting the baby’s sex ultimately has about a 50% chance of coming true. Aside from genetic testing, the only way to be 100% sure of your baby's sex is to wait until he or she is born.
In the meantime? Try a few guessing games — and look forward to seeing how your predictions pan out!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can old wives' tales or superstitions predict the sex of my baby?
No, old wives' tales and superstitions aren't scientifically proven, and can't accurately predict the sex of your baby.
What's the difference between a girl bump and boy bump?
There's a myth that expecting moms carry low with girls and high with boys, but this isn't supported by any scientific research.
Can baby's position in the womb predict the sex?
One study found that babies who were still breech after 32 weeks were more likely to be girls. Otherwise, position in the womb doesn't seem to be a good predictor of whether you're having a boy or girl.
How accurate are the methods for predicting the sex of a baby during pregnancy?
The most accurate ways to predict your baby's sex are to have genetic testing, such as Noninvasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT), or wait to find out at your anatomy ultrasound. Most other signs of predicting a baby's sex are inaccurate.
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