Gender prediction is used by countless partners worldwide who are pregnant. Guessing the gender of an unborn baby is loads of fun and a simple way to appease the curiosity of the minds of excited parents. The need to determine the baby's gender is intense for mothers who have many weeks to go before their first ultrasound test. Although they are inaccurate, many old wive's tales and gender prediction methods and practices are passed down and tried by expecting mothers.

The most popular scientifically proven practice is the ultrasound. This procedure is administered around sixteen weeks after conception. Many things are revealed when using the ultrasound test but the most anticipated result is the gender of an unborn child. Other than gender prediction, this test is also used to reveal the baby's developmental progress and the state of the uterus.

Amniocentesis is another procedure used on expectant mothers and can be used for gender prediction. This test tells the physician if the baby has inherited any genetic disorders. It is performed by removing amniotic fluids from the womb where the fetus resides. The fluids are quickly replaced by the mother's body. This procedure is also administered around the sixteenth week of the pregnancy and can be used for gender prediction.

Chorionic villus testing is another procedure used by removing a small sample of tissue from the placenta which comes from the uterus. This rest is traditionally performed when the mother or father of the child has a genetic disorder. The test will tell the doctor if the baby has any birth defects that were inherited from the parents. This test can also be used for gender prediction because the child's gender can be revealed from the removed fluids.

Many expectant mothers use myths and old wive's tales to predict the gender of their child. Although these practices are fun, they aren't accurate and should be used for entertainment only. These gender prediction methods include determining the baby's sex from the mother's cravings, how she carries the baby, the shape of her stomach and if the father sleeps alot.

Do these gender prediction methods really work? Well, the ultrasound test is very reliable and accurate but the results are dependent upon how clear the image of the child is and their position. The other two tests mentioned are not usually used to reveal gender but are very accurate. Myths and old wive's tales are a blast and are great games to play for guessing a child's gender. However, the most accurate gender prediction method results will come from your doctor.