Fetal Heart Rate And Baby Boy Or Girl Prediction - What is The Relation Between?

Is fetal heart rate can really determine your baby's gender? This has actually been a pretty popular theory in gender prediction for a long time. As the old wives' tale has it, if your unborn baby's heart rate is higher, above 140 beats per minute, that means you're carrying a girl. A lower heart rate below 140 bpm means you're having a boy. Unfortunately, the old theory doesn't take into account that heart rate varies over the duration of pregnancy.

The heart rate of your baby fluctuates as they grow and as they move. Heart rates start out slower, and then by 8-10 weeks run in the range of 170-200 BPM (beats per minute). As your approach mid-pregnancy the average heart rates run between 120 - 160 BPM. If your baby moves, his or her heart rate goes up, just as your heart rate does with movement. However, none of these is related to the gender of your baby.

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Contrary to beliefs commonly held by many pregnant women and their families, there are no significant differences between male and female fetal heart rate during the first trimester.

-- Study in Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy

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A study was actually done to test this theory. The study actually shows that there is no correlation between gender and fetal heart rate. Although they did find a correlation between heart rate and gestational age prior to 9.2 weeks.

But don't get your hopes up, or have your hopes dashed, based on your baby's heart rate, because it has absolutely nothing to do with what your baby has between its legs. This particular old wives' tale was found to be completely false by a medical study 20 years ago. Another medical study in 2006 confirms that fetal heart rate has nothing to do with the baby's sex.

A British study done in 1998 notes that "There is a widespread but erroneous view among the lay public that there is a difference in the baseline fetal heart rate between male and female fetuses." The scientists who conducted the study clearly assumed that the notion originated in folklore, but a scan of the medical literature over the past 30 years suggests otherwise.

In 2006, another study published in Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, tells us that analysis of over 500 births proves again that fetal heart rate cannot predict whether a baby is a boy or a girl. Contrary to beliefs commonly held by many pregnant women and their families, there are no significant differences between male and female fetal heart rate during the first trimester.

To be concluding, Fetal heart rate is not accurate to determine the baby's sex. It's fun, but an old wives tale. My friend told me she had high heart rates with all 3 of her boys, and with her daughter. Don't count on the heart rate determining whether or not you are having a boy or girl.

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Plan My Baby By Alicia Pennington