WHEN you're expecting few things are more exciting than finding out - or trying to work out - your baby's sex.
But if you can't wait until your 20-week scan, can you really work out if you're having a boy or girl beforehand?
Want to know the gender of your baby ahead of its 20-week scan?
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Want to know the gender of your baby ahead of its 20-week scan?
Some mums definitely believe so.
Netmums say that a simple test using your baby's 12-week scan is believed to be 92 per cent accurate in predicting their sex.
Called the "skull theory", it's the idea that you can tell your baby's sex from the shape of their skull in the picture.
To test it out, you need to have:
your 12-week scan picture
a magnifying glass
the below info on skull shape and size
What is skull theory?
Skull theory is essentially looking at which shapes tend to belong to boys and girls:
Skull theory for boys
male foreheads are lower and more sloping
the top of the head is more blocky and big
jawbone is squared
cheekbones are more pronounced
Skull theory for girls
the top of the head is rounder and tapers at the top
cheekbones are less pronounced
jawbone is more rounded
forehead is higher and less sloping
According to Netmums, their members have found the test to be accurate, reporting that boys do tend to have bigger heads and that their girls really did have round heads in their scan pictures.
So, is there any truth to the test?
Well... there's no scientific proof to back it up.
Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Shazia Malik told The Sun that there was "no meaningful scientific evidence of it being meaningfully accurate".
Boys tend to have a squarer jaw, sloping forehead and larger brow ridge than girls
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Boys tend to have a squarer jaw, sloping forehead and larger brow ridge than girls
Girls have smaller, rounder heads
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Girls have smaller, rounder heads
What other signs are there of having a girl or boy?
1. Severe morning sickness
Severe morning sickness is often thought to be a sign of carrying girls - and there is a little research to support that idea.
A 2017 study found that women carrying girls experienced more inflammation when their immune systems were exposed to bacteria compared to those carrying boys.
And that may induce them to feel worse when carrying girls.
But way more research is needed to be able to come to any concrete solution.
2. Placement of the baby
Many people believe that you can tell the gender of a baby by where it sits.
Carrying a baby high is often reported to be a sign of having a girl.
However, experts say that baby placement is more down to a woman's body type, weight gain, fitness level and muscular strength.
3. Stress levels
A study found that there may be a link between a mum-to-be's stress levels and the sex of her baby.
12-week scan boy or girl skull theory?
