Almost the moment you announce a pregnancy, the predictions start rolling in. Aunt Carol takes one look at your bump and declares “boy.” A coworker swings a ring over your wrist and calls “girl.” Someone insists your sweet tooth gives it away. It’s one of the oldest and most joyful games in the book — and it’s completely worth playing, as long as everyone remembers the rules. These tales are folklore, passed down for generations because they’re fun, not because they work. Every single one lands somewhere around a coin flip: 50/50. So grab a snack, humor the relatives, and let’s have some fun with the classics.
The classic tales, one by one
Carrying high vs. low. The story goes that carrying high means a girl and carrying low means a boy (or the reverse, depending on who’s telling it). In reality, how you carry is about your muscle tone, your body shape, the position of the baby, and whether this is your first pregnancy — not the baby’s sex.
Sweet vs. salty cravings. Craving cake and ice cream? “It’s a girl.” Reaching for chips and pickles? “It’s a boy.” Cravings are real, but they’re driven by hormones, appetite, and plain old preference. There’s no sugar-coated gender code in there.
Morning-sickness severity. One popular tale claims that severe nausea points to a girl. Nausea varies enormously from person to person and pregnancy to pregnancy, and while researchers keep poking at possible links, there’s nothing reliable enough to hang a prediction on.
The ring (or pencil) test. Dangle a ring on a string over your belly: circles mean one sex, back-and-forth swings mean the other. What you’re really watching is tiny, involuntary hand movements — the same effect that makes a Ouija board “move.” Charming party trick, zero predictive power.
The Chinese gender chart. This one cross-references the mother’s age with the month of conception on an ancient chart. It’s a beloved tradition, and you can try the traditional chart for yourself — but studies have found it’s no better than guessing. Fun? Absolutely. Reliable? No.
Baby’s heart rate (the “above/below 140” myth). The tale says a heartbeat over 140 beats per minute means a girl and under 140 means a boy. Fetal heart rates normally range roughly from 110 to 160 bpm and change constantly with the baby’s activity and gestational age. Research has repeatedly found no meaningful difference between the sexes.
Skin and hair changes. “The baby is stealing your beauty — it’s a girl.” “Glowing skin and thick hair — it’s a boy.” Pregnancy hormones absolutely change your skin and hair, but those changes don’t sort by sex.
The Drano test. Here’s the one to skip entirely. This old tale involves mixing urine with a household drain cleaner and reading the color. Please don’t. Mixing chemicals like this can release toxic fumes and cause splashes and burns — it’s genuinely unsafe, and it doesn’t predict anything anyway. File this under “tales we tell, never try.”
The tales at a glance
| Old wives’ tale | The claim | What science says |
|---|---|---|
| Carrying high or low | High = girl, low = boy | It’s your body and the baby’s position — not sex |
| Sweet vs. salty cravings | Sweet = girl, salty = boy | Cravings track hormones and appetite, not sex |
| Morning-sickness severity | Severe nausea = girl | Nausea varies widely; no reliable link |
| Ring or pencil test | Swing pattern reveals sex | Involuntary hand movement; pure chance |
| Chinese gender chart | Age + conception month predicts sex | Studies show it’s no better than a guess |
| Heart rate above/below 140 | Fast = girl, slow = boy | Rates overlap; no sex difference found |
| Skin and hair changes | ”Glow” or “stolen beauty” signals sex | Hormonal, but not sex-specific |
| The Drano test | Color reaction reveals sex | Unsafe — don’t do it — and it doesn’t work |
So how do you actually find out?
When you want a real answer rather than a fun guess, the reliable methods are medical — and there are a few, each with its own timing. Knowing how far along you are helps you understand which options are on the table and when.
NIPT (non-invasive prenatal testing / cfDNA). This is a simple maternal blood test that can be done from around 10 weeks of pregnancy. It analyzes fragments of the baby’s DNA circulating in your blood, primarily to screen for chromosomal conditions — and because it detects sex chromosomes, it can also reveal the baby’s sex early and accurately. It’s a screening test, so your provider is the best person to talk you through results.
The anatomy ultrasound. Often called the mid-pregnancy or 20-week scan, this detailed ultrasound is typically performed around 18 to 20 weeks. Its main purpose is to check the baby’s development and anatomy, but the sonographer can usually identify the sex too — provided the baby is cooperatively positioned (they don’t always play along).
Diagnostic tests done for medical reasons. Procedures such as amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS) can determine sex with near-certainty because they examine the baby’s actual chromosomes. These are diagnostic tests offered for genetic reasons — not something anyone does just to satisfy curiosity — and they carry considerations you’d discuss carefully with your care team.
The bottom line
Old wives’ tales are a wonderful part of the pregnancy experience — a way for family and friends to share in the excitement and pass down a little tradition. Play every one of them, screenshot the “results,” and enjoy the ceremony. Just hold the outcomes lightly: each tale is a coin flip dressed up in folklore, and the only trustworthy answers come from a well-timed blood test or ultrasound. When you’re ready to trade the guessing games for the real thing, that’s a conversation for your doctor or midwife. Until then, may your bump be admired and your predictions be delightfully, harmlessly wrong.