Can You Do a Gender Test at Home?

The idea of doing a gender test at home to predict baby’s sex is as old as the hills.

But can you, really?

Before we start, a note on language:

As our understanding of sex and gender evolves, some outdated terminology can be confusing.

Throughout this article, we will be using the word “gender” and “sex” in this context interchangeably (at times), since it is a word most commonly used when talking about a person’s sex, to help people find the information they’re after.

But sex and gender are actually different concepts, medically speaking.

Sex refers to physical characteristics like genitalia and chromosomal makeup.

Gender, however, is a fluid concept that can exist outside the traditional binary roles assigned to “men” and “women” in society.

It’s important to note that a person’s gender does not automatically reflect their sex.

While some folk choose to find out the sex of their baby before they are born, it’s no predictor of their identity or preferences.

In this article: 📝

How can you tell if it’s a boy or girl without ultrasound?

Scientifically, without ultrasound, it has to be via an IVF gender test, a CVS scan done at 14-15 weeks of pregnancy, or an NIPT (which can also detect chromosomal anomalies).

These are genetic tests done to rule out any disorders, but can also tell us about the sex of the baby!

On the other hand, there are predictor tests (more on that below) that can be fun to play at your baby shower, or just at home!

What kind of bun are you baking?

We’ve all heard those weird and wonderful old wives’ tales that can supposedly tell you the sex of your baby.

But can you do a gender test at home?

Whether it’s the baking soda test (more on that below!) or based on your cravings, every auntie and their dog has an idea about how you can tell the sex of your baby before birth.

So, what do we know for sure?

Can you do a gender test at home?

Technically, yes.

That’s not to say they’re accurate though (on many levels).

Most, like the Chinese gender predictor test, seem to be around 50% accurate.

Which, if you think about it, is as accurate as a coin toss.

Basically… not very.

But they can be a lot of fun!

So let’s look at a few different gender tests at home you can try, with some dating back centuries!

Baking soda gender test

There’s the baking soda test where you mix some of your urine with baking soda to see if it fizzes or not.

Fizzing suggests a boy.

Stillness, a girl.

Red cabbage gender test

Or there’s the red cabbage experiment.

Done in much the same way (more urine please!), the theory is that the pH of your urine will produce different results depending on whether you’re carrying a baby boy or a baby girl.

Pink cabbage water for girls, red for boys.

Could be tricky making that call.

Swinging ring gender test

One test that’s simple to do and requires no bodily fluids is the swinging ring test.

Tie a ring to a thin string and have someone hold it over your belly.

If it swings in a straight line, the old wives say, it’s a boy.

If it swings in circles, a girl.

Does the needle trick for pregnancy work?

The needle and thread trick is a fun way to predict a baby’s sex.

When you’re pregnant, have a needle hung from a thread and hold it over your palm.

If the needle settles in a circular motion, it’s a girl.

But if it swings back and forth, it’s a boy.

While there’s no solid evidence that it works, it’s nevertheless a fun thing to do with family!

You, or anyone else in your family can hold the needle and thread, too!

What’s the pencil test for pregnancy?

The pencil test is one of the most common methods to predict the sex of your baby, and it’s quite similar to the ring test.

Tie a string to the top of a pencil (with a sharp tip).

The next step can vary, you can also do it over the belly (like the ring test) or use the wrist method.

For the wrist method, sit in a comfortable position near a table.

Place your hand palm-up on a flat surface.

Lift the pencil up by the top of the thread, such that the tip is directly above the center of your exposed wrist.

Try to keep as still as possible throughout, by the way. 🫣

Now lift the pencil until the hand holding the thread is at eye level.

Now’s the fun part: observe the motion!

If the pencil moves side to side across your wrist, it’s a girl!

And if the pencil swings in line with your wrist and arm, it’s a boy!

But, you guessed it, there’s no scientific evidence to support this one, either.

What is the gender test at home with sugar?

The sugar pregnancy test involves: mixing sugar in your urine to predict your baby’s sex.

But wait… how? 🤨

The theory behind the sugar pregnancy test is that the hCG in the urine makes it harder for the sugar to dissolve.

While it sounds pretty convincing, unfortunately, science doesn’t back this up. 🤷

Do urine gender tests work?

Now there are blood-based gender tests that can let you know the accuracy of your baby’s sex as early as 6-8 weeks of pregnancy.

But urine-based? 🔎

Not really, no. And here’s why.

Urine has little to no DNA, and you need genetic material to figure out the sex of the baby.

Plus, urine-based gender tests claim no accuracy either.

But hey, it’s nonetheless fun to try it out!

But if you’re not willing to spend time and money on these tests, you can always try any of the other tests above, just for fun.

Do at-home gender tests work?

Well… they’re fun to predict, but no, they don’t work at the same accuracy as a pregnancy gender test given by your healthcare provider.

This is because at-home gender tests lack the very element needed to predict gender: DNA. 🧬

The tests that your healthcare provider give test your blood or amniotic fluid for any cell free DNA of the baby, which is more accurate and can predict the baby’s gender.

But if you want to have some fun before you officially find out baby’‘s sex, feel free to try out any of the at-home gender tests — bearing in mind that they won’t be accurate.

How to accurately tell baby’s sex

If you’re looking for a more reliable answer, you usually you have to wait for your 20-week anatomy scan to tell what sex your baby will be.

(Depending on whether they’re sitting cross-legged or not, of course.)

Blood tests performed at a lab would also be able to tell you the sex of your baby.

Although these cell-free DNA tests are usually only performed on mamas-to-be who are over 35 to screen for chromosomal differences.

In analyzing the chromosomes, these tests can note whether the DNA is XY (male) or XX (female).

They have a 95 to 97% accuracy rate.

Pretty solid figures!

➡️ You might also like: 50 Best Gender Reveal Ideas: Balloons, Cakes & More!

How accurate are home gender blood tests?

Sometimes waiting for the mid-pregnancy ultrasound at 20 weeks can feel just too far away!

So you may be tempted to try an at-home gender test.

While there is very little harm in doing so, the question of accuracy is debatable.

These kits claim a high level of accuracy from as early as six weeks, though it must be said that there don’t seem to be any independent clinical studies to confirm this.

What makes at-home blood tests tricky is that they’re not performed under the sterile conditions they would be when collected by a phlebotomist (word of the day: a blood draw technician) in a clinical setting.

If your male partner touches the kit, for example, your test could become contaminated and the results unreliable.

What is the best at-home gender test?

While we can’t vouch for what the best test is, here are two of the most popular options among our Peanut Community of moms-to-be:

The Sneak Peek DNA Test Gender Prediction

This test can be performed as early as six weeks.

If you’re asking “how accurate is Sneak Peek at home gender test?” we only have Sneak Peek’s own studies to go by.

These studies suggest a high level of accuracy, but we may have to take them with a pinch of salt as they conducted the studies themselves.

Gender predictor test kit by Gendermaker

The Gendermaker test can also be performed from six weeks, and tries to answer the question, “Can you find out gender by urine?”

If we’re honest, this looks about as reliable as the baking soda test. 🫣

How can I find out the gender of my baby?

If you want an accurate result, it’s best to stick with the methods backed by solid science:

• An ultrasound (they’re actually training AI to read baby’s sex on ultrasounds, with pretty decent levels of success!)
  
• A blood DNA test
  
• An IVF gender test if you’re undergoing IVF. This is done using PGS/NGS technology and is usually recommended to prevent genetic disorders from passing onto the baby.
  
• An amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling. Both of these procedures come with risks and so are primarily done for medical reasons only, to detect genetic differences, rather than to determine sex.

There are a lot of fun and safe ways to try gender tests at home while you’re pregnant.

Whether with baking soda, red cabbage, or swinging rings!

But results will probably only be right half the time.

Gender prediction is pretty impossible though.

That’s for your child to decide, when they’re ready.

Want to swap results with other moms-to-be? Join us on Peanut and find your Bump Buddy!