Gender determination in the first three months of pregnancy is very important in terms of guiding the investigation of gender-related genetic diseases in the early period. In addition, the gender of the baby is one of the main questions that parents wonder about when performing an ultrasound. With ultrasound, the gender of the baby can be determined easily and with almost 100% accuracy after the 16th week. After the 16th week, since the external genital organs complete their development, the genital area is directly examined with ultrasound and gender determination is made. However, before the 14th week, gender determination by direct ultrasound examination is almost impossible.
External genital organs develop from a structure called genital tubercle in embryonic life. The genital tubercle has the same structure in both sexes in the 8th week of pregnancy, and then it gradually differentiates and the male and female genital organs take shape. This shaping is completed in the 16th week. During this developmental period, an angle called the genital tubercle angle is used to estimate gender with ultrasound. The genital tubercle angle is measured in the baby's supine position. It is calculated by looking at the angle of the genital tubercle with the relative straight line passing through the waist and coccyx in the vertical section taken from the midline. If this angle is above 30 degrees, the baby is likely to be a boy, and if the angle is below 10 degrees, there is a high probability that the baby will be a girl. It is difficult to predict gender when the genital tubercle angle is between 10-30 degrees. With this method, gender is determined between the 12th and 14th weeks of pregnancy. It can be estimated with 85% accuracy between weeks and weeks.
However, measuring the genital tubercle angle is not always easy. The mother's subcutaneous fat tissue, whether she has had surgery before, and the baby's current position affect the measurement of this angle. Sometimes it may take several minutes for the baby to assume the appropriate position.
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