The earliest you can find out the gender of your baby is as early as 6 weeks into pregnancy through a blood test that detects fetal DNA in the mother's bloodstream. This test can determine gender with up to 99.9% accuracy by identifying the presence or absence of a Y chromosome, which indicates a boy or girl, respectively. Traditional ultrasound methods typically reveal the baby's sex between 18 and 22 weeks of pregnancy, with some ultrasound techniques like the "nub theory" allowing gender prediction as early as 11 weeks, though with less accuracy than blood tests.

Early Blood Testing for Gender

• Blood tests can be done at around 6 weeks, detecting fetal DNA circulating in the mother's blood.
• These tests are highly accurate (up to 99.9%) and non-invasive, requiring just a blood sample.
• The test looks for the Y chromosome: its presence means a boy, absence means a girl.

Ultrasound-Based Gender Determination

• Most common method is the anatomy scan ultrasound performed between 18 to 22 weeks.
• The "nub theory" uses ultrasound around 11-13 weeks to predict gender by analyzing the angle of the genital tubercle, though accuracy improves as pregnancy progresses.
• Ultrasound accuracy for gender prediction increases from about 70% at 11 weeks to nearly 100% by 13 weeks or later.

Summary of Timing

Method| Earliest Time to Determine Gender| Accuracy
---|---|---
Blood Test| 6 weeks| Up to 99.9%
Ultrasound| 11 weeks (nub theory)| 70-100%, depending on week
Anatomy Scan| 18-22 weeks| High (near 100%)

This means for the earliest and most accurate gender detection, a blood test from 6 weeks onward is recommended, while ultrasound offers a visual method typically from 11 weeks onward with confirmation between 18 and 22 weeks.