BOY OR GIRL?

Your sample will be posted directly to the laboratory at Forensic Genomics Innovation Hub, Southampton. You will therefore receive your results by email within 3-5 working days of your appointment. 

We only need a blood sample from mum. Fetal DNA cells are found to be circulating in mum’s blood from as early as 6 weeks of pregnancy and between 6-8 weeks is there usually foetal DNA present to identify the baby’s sex. As the amount of fetal DNA in mum’s blood increases as the pregnancy continues, so testing from 8 weeks is more advisable.

We will ask you to complete a short consent form prior to the simple blood draw. Should you wish to have an ultrasound scan alongside your blood draw then you are welcome to book this (FGIH Gender Test & Scan).

Unlike most of our DNA, found inside a cell’s nucleus, when a woman is pregnant tiny pieces of the DNA from her developing baby are present in her bloodstream. These fragments are free in the circulation and called cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Our sex chromosomes determine whether we are male or female. Females have 2 X-chromosomes (XX) and males have an X-chromosome and a Y-chromosome (XY). As a woman has only female sex chromosomes in her blood if we analyse the blood of a pregnant woman and find a Y-chromosome then we can assume the baby she is carrying is a male. The test cannot, however, identify a possible sex chromosome abnormality. Sex chromosome abnormalities are very uncommon, but could affect the result.

1. If both babies are female, no male DNA will be found, and we can assume that both babies are girls.
2. If male DNA is found in mum’s blood then either one twin is a boy, or both are. It will NOT be able to tell the difference between a girl and boy, and two boys.

The presence of the Y-chromosome in the mothers blood can be detected at extremely low levels but no molecular test will ever be 100% accurate. There are a few rare circumstances where the test will not work. They include: placental mosaicism, a sex chromosome abnormality, a bone marrow or organ transplant by a male donor, or testing too early in pregnancy. It is essential we know the date of when mum’s last menstrual period started. To make sure there is enough fetal DNA in the sample the test must only be booked when mum is at least 6 weeks pregnant.

Not at all. It is completely safe for both. The test only requires a single blood tube from the mum’s arm, no different to going for a routine first or second trimester blood test.

In this situation the only way to really know the baby’s gender is waiting until birth. There are two reasons why they may differ;

1. the ultrasound relies on looking for a penis or a vulva, alongside other subtle changes. These can be highly dependent on the position of the baby at the time of the scan. Whilst scans have improved over the years they are still much more subjective than DNA.
2. The DNA test result is incorrect as not enough DNA of the baby was present in mum’s blood at the time the blood was taken. See “how accurate is the test” for more information.

Yes! Breastfeeding does not affect the test results. The Gender Reveal test looks for male chromosomes in mum’s blood. Breastfeeding is a hormonal change, which has no impact on genetics, and therefore it has no impact on the Gender Reveal test accuracy or results.

It won’t affect the Gender Reveal test results. Fetal DNA is eliminated from mum’s blood stream within a few hours after birth and disappears completely after 2 days.

Gender Reveal cannot confirm a pregnancy. The test is only looking for male DNA in the blood. You must confirm your pregnancy  before doing the Gender Reveal test. It is essential to know dates of mum’s last period before doing the test.

No, ultrasounds are essential to monitor a babies development during the pregnancy.