Is it a boy or girl? As far as pregnancy ponders go gender ranks pretty high on the list. Unfortunately, the majority of gender prediction methods are a guess at best relying on the fact that, well, their chances are always 50 percent. During my fourth pregnancy (which happened to be a girl after three boys), I got tired of Chinese gender charts and silly heart beat questions. Of course, that didn’t stop me from wishing I had a way to get even a little hint at what gender my baby would be. That’s why I decided to take my research on gender swaying and create a quiz that determines if you are more likely to have a boy or girl based on science.
This quiz can also be used prior to pregnancy to determine if you’re more likely to conceive a boy or girl, because almost all of the factors considered occur prior to conception. Only one question relates to pregnancy symptoms. You are welcome to read more about the reasoning and research behind our baby gender quiz on our page on gender swaying here and more about pregnancy symptoms and gender here.
For entertainment only:
It’s important to note that the factors used in this quiz, while supported by research, do not guarantee you’ll conceive one gender or another. They simply increase the chances. This quiz is purely for entertainment purposes and shouldn’t be used to say, paint your nursery in non-gender neutral colors. If you’re also curious if some other baby gender prediction methods have any scientific basis, look beyond the start quiz button.
Anyway, no strings, rings, or complicated charts, let’s get started….
Can your baby’s heart beat really predict gender?
The myth: A heart beat over 140 is a girl, under is a boy.
The facts:
There have been two major studies into fetal heart beat in regards to gender, and both found there was absolutely no difference in heart beat between girls and boys. A baby’s heart beat can be affected by fetal age, your blood sugar, and your blood pressure. If you were to check your babies heart rate, drink some apple juice, and check again shortly thereafter, assuming this myth was fact, your baby would likely switch genders!
Does carrying low or high predict gender?
Myth: If you’re carrying high, you’re having a girl, low, a boy.
The facts:
Most moms can vouch that babies move, a lot, but in reality whether or not you have a low basket-ball bump or a high no-show-er depends on your body, not your baby’s. Women with strong abdominal tone (often first time moms) frequently carrying higher, while women who have already had children tend to carrying lower and show sooner as their abdominal wall is already stretched. Your height and weight as well as your baby’s size and position in the womb can also affect how you carry.
Can cravings predict gender?
Myth: Sweet cravings mean it’s a girl. Salty cravings are for boys.
The facts:
Pregnancy cravings often change on a whim and are not affected by gender. Many assert that food cravings are either hormonal or as a result of deficiencies, but there is actually little to support this. The leading guess at what causes pregnancy cravings is cultural expectation. Here is an in-depth look at research on the subject.
Early signs of pregnancy are a tricky beast. The problem is many of the same hormones that are present in early pregnancy are also present just before your period. So, if you’re having a particularly hormonal cycle, you could seem pretty pregnant and not actually be pregnant. Likewise, if you are trying to conceive you may notice symptoms you actually get every month more assuming they are early signs of pregnancy.
That said, why take an early pregnancy symptom quiz at all? I suppose for curiosities sake, but you’ll also find an explanation after each question as to why a symptom may be an early sign of pregnancy. Understanding what causes early signs of pregnancy can help you puzzle out whether or not your period is just late or you may actually be pregnant. Alternately, if quizzes aren’t your bag, beyond the start button to this quiz you can simply read about common early signs of pregnancy covered in the quiz.
A note about early signs of pregnancy:
While many women claim they got early pregnancy symptoms say, 2 or 3 days after they ovulated or had sex, these symptoms are not relevant to pregnancy as implantation does not occur until 6 to 12 days after fertilization with the average being 8 to 10 days. You will not have pregnancy symptoms before a missedperiod unless your periods are irregular. As mentioned above, those women who think they experienced early signs of pregnancy really, really early were likely just dealing with typical PMS symptoms. If they were pregnant it was coincidental or they got pregnant earlier than they thought they did.
When taking this quiz or reading the early pregnancy symptoms below, please keep this in mind. It’s a waste of time to try to find out if you are or are not pregnant until after implantation, and so pregnancy, is actually even possible to avoid the confusion and heartache of constant wondering. I know the two week wait can seem an eternity if you’ve been trying to conceive, but hang in there.
Implantation usually occurs 6 to 12 days after ovulation (which is typically about 14 days after the first day of your period). Occasionally, implantation will cause minor spotting which may be as light as single drop. Keep in mind not all women experience implantation bleeding and spotting before your period is not always an early sign of pregnancy. If you experience bleeding around the time of your period, this is also not necessarily proof you aren’t pregnant. You can read more about period-like bleeding while pregnant here.
Early pregnancy symptoms: Sustained Elevated Basal Body Temperatures Over 16 Days
Sustained elevated basal body temperature is one the earliest symptoms of pregnancy. After ovulation the hormone progesterone elevates body temperature slightly. When this hormone dissipates, the uterine lining is shed and your temperature will drop again slightly as your cycle begins. If you are pregnant, progesterone levels continue to rise rather than falling keeping temperatures high.
This rise can sometimes cause a second temperature shift (if you’re charting this is referred to as a tri-phasic chart). Generally, a sustained temperature rise for 16 days is considered an early pregnancy sign. You must be checking your basal body temperature to catch this early pregnancy sign, simply taking your temp and finding it to be higher than usual is insufficient.
Early Signs of Pregnancy: Yellow Discharge
Once you become pregnant, your body creates a mucus plug within your cervix to protect your new baby from infection. Your cervix is the opening between your vaginal and your uterus. Early in pregnancy as this plug is formed, many women notice an increase in vaginal discharge which is often yellow in color and thick, sort of like snot. Though some women notice this same change just before their period begins. You can read more about regular vaginal discharge here and pregnancy discharge here.
Early Pregnancy Symptoms: Breast Changes
Breast changes are often cited as one of the most common early signs of pregnancy noticeable as early as the first week after a missed period. This is yet another bi-product of rapidly rising hormone levels. You may notice pain, tingling, sensitivity, darkening of the area around your nipples, or just seem a bit bustier than usual.
Early signs of pregnancy: Fatigue
Are you feeling really tired for no good reason? Making a baby is hard work, especially during the first trimester being that a baby goes from about the size of a pin head to the size of your hand in 13 short weeks. While fatigue can be a symptom of all sorts of things, it’s also very common in early pregnancy. Again, this symptom would not appear until at least 6 to 12 days after unprotected sex, likely longer.
Early pregnancy symptoms:Â Vomiting, Nausea, and Food Aversion
It’s suspected hCG, or the hormone that causes a positive pregnancy test, may be one of the primary culprits of morning sickness. While vomiting, nausea, and food aversion can all be signs of say, the flu, they can also be one of the early signs of pregnancy. Particularly if no other signs of sickness like a runny nose are present. Some women also experience odd food cravings or notice their tastes change.
Early signs of pregnancy: Gas, Constipation, Bloating and Other Gastro-issues
Progesterone, the hormone that sustains pregnancy, peaks in the first trimester. Coincidentally, it also works to relax smooth muscles– which is what your intestines are made of. This can lead to an increase in pregnancy gas, constipation, and bloating. Progesterone is present prior to pregnancy though, just in a lower concentration.
Early pregnancy symptoms:Â Abdominal Movement? Nope.
This was a trick question included in the quiz– unless you are much further along than you think. Yahoo questions abound with folks who claim they knew they were pregnant because they felt their baby move. Shy of about 10 week though, this is pretty much impossible, and even that early is unlikely unless you are carrying twins. Feeling movement just weeks after unprotected sex is likely gas or just muscle twitches. While I wouldn’t call no movement a sign, you won’t feel any this early either.
Early signs of pregnancy: Frequent Urination
As early as 3 weeks after unprotected sex, if you are pregnant, your blood flow has already begun to increase. This increase cases your kidneys to go into overdrive which can cause more frequent urination. Of course, frequent urination can also be a sign of bladder or kidney infection or even just drinking lots of fluids.
Early pregnancy symptoms: A Late or Missed Period
Yes, I know, this seems a no brainer, but many women begin trying to find out if they are pregnant before a missed period, and honestly, that’s very difficult to do. You’ll notice nearly all of the points on this early signs of pregnancy page pertain to at least 6 to 12 days after unprotected sex with more women landing on the closer to 12 side. That’s pretty close to when your period would be due. On average pregnancy symptoms don’t appear before 1 week after a missed period. You can read more about when pregnancy symptoms start here or read our guide on when to take a pregnancy test to confirm your suspicions here.
Whether you’re trying to become pregnant or hoping you aren’t, when it comes to end-of-cycle spotting or bleeding, you’re likely wondering: how can I tell if it’s implantation bleeding or a period?
What is implantation bleeding?
Implantation bleeding is bleeding that occurs as a result of a fertilized egg implanting in the uterine wall. This bleeding is the first recognizable sign of pregnancy and does not occur in all cases.
What is menstrual bleeding?
While most women already know what a menstrual period is, just for knowledge’s sake, a menstrual cycle is on average 28 days in length but may vary from woman to woman. In this time, an egg should be released (about mid-way through your cycle). If the egg is fertilized, it implants in the uterine wall, and implantation bleeding may occur. Otherwise, the egg travels on and is shed with the uterine lining during your period. If you don’t release an egg, your period may be delayed, but you will likely still experience bleeding. Ovulation, or the release of this egg, can be confirmed by charting your basal body temperature.
Now that we’ve defined both types of bleeding, let’s talk about how you can tell them apart. If you prefer, click the start button below to take our implantation bleeding quiz for a quick answer on the likelihood of your bleeding being implantation. Otherwise, beyond the implantation bleeding quiz start button, you can read about the methodology used in the quiz.
Implantation bleeding or period: How can you tell?
When does implantation bleeding occur?
Implantation bleeding will generally occur 6 to 12 days after intercourse or ovulation so pay attention to when your period should start and when this mysterious vaginal bleeding occurs. If you experience bleeding slightly earlier than you should, this could be a sign of implantation bleeding. If the bleeding is more than 14 days after your last sexual act, it’s unlikely to be implantation.
What does implantation bleeding look like?
Implantation blood is usually a different color than your average menstrual blood being either darker and more brown (old blood) or lighter and pinkish (very new, light bleeding). Keep in mind that the implanting egg is the size of a pinhead. Implantation bleeding is very light and shorter in duration than a normal period with no clots—unless, of course, you don’t normally have one. It’s usually just the faintest pink showing up on toilet paper, blood-tinged discharge, or even just one to two tiny drops of blood. Implantation will not cause heavy bleeding, but there are other ways one can be pregnant and still experience period-like bleeding.
Some women also get a slight hormone dip at implantation, which may cause both a temperature dip on basal body charts and possibly some light spotting. This type of bleeding is not a heavy flow.
How common is implantation bleeding?
Only about one in three women experience implantation bleeding. If you suspect pregnancy or have had unprotected sex, don’t assume that you’re not pregnant simply because you didn’t experience this symptom. Some women become pregnant and exhibit no symptoms whatsoever.
Whether after reading this page or taking our implantation bleeding quiz, you feel you’ve experienced implantation bleeding or not, a home pregnancy test will always be the best way to ease your mind. Be sure to take the test after your regular period should have been and not immediately after the bleeding.
Even if it is implantation bleeding, a pregnancy test will probably still read negative as hCG, also known as the pregnancy hormone, levels will be insufficient. On average, it takes about 48 hours to get even a faint positive test. It’s recommended that you wait to take a pregnancy test until at least four days after your period should have started or roughly 14 days after the sexual act.
Does implantation cause cramps?
Some women do experience implantation cramping, but then, many women also get period cramps and lower back pain. Experiencing cramping alone isn’t an indication that implantation has occurred.
I have pregnancy symptoms. Does that mean it was implantation bleeding?
Unfortunately, many common early pregnancy symptoms, such as breast tenderness, swollen breasts, fatigue, headaches, discharge changes, mood swings, and nausea, are caused in part by the same hormone that peaks just before your period (progesterone) making it just as difficult to tell PMS from pregnancy symptoms as it is to tell implantation from a period.
What else can cause late-cycle spotting or period-like bleeding?
Beyond implantation and a period, there are also other causes of spotting and light vaginal bleeding, such as:
A note on comments: I usually respond to comments within 48 hours. All comments are moderated before they appear on the site to eliminate spam. Each and every comment is responded to as approved, but please remember, I am not a doctor nor a substitute for medical care. I can’t possibly tell you if you are pregnant over the Internet. I do have a medical background (medical assisting) and am a mother of four who struggled with infertility and multiple miscarriages, but I am not a doctor nor claim to be one.
