Maternal Intuition and Ultrasound: Evaluating Fetal Sex Determination in Early Pregnancy

Abstract Objective: To verify the accuracy of maternal intuition and ultrasound for the determination of fetal gender in the first trimester. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study that enrolled patients with a singleton gestation presenting for the first-trimester ultrasound. Before their exam, each woman was asked about her maternal intuition. Data on the newborn gender was recorded postnatally. Results: The sonographic determination is sufficiently accurate with a margin of error of 7%. The accuracy of maternal intuition was not significantly different from chance (51.16 % vs. 50.0%, p = 0.87). On the other hand, no association was found between maternal intuition and maternal characteristics and behavioral changes. Conclusion: Maternal intuition isn’t accurate for fetal gender determination in the first trimester. Keywords: fetal gender, ultrasound, maternal intuition, prenatal diagnosis.