Level II Ultrasound Question: It's a Girl? Really??

[TonFirst]

Hi ladies,

I used to post here fairly regularly, and while I've been lurking for a year or so, I'm expecting #2 in March, so I'm emerging from lurk-dom...

Anyway - my question. I've done some searches but I figured there's no harm in posting this. I am 12 weeks, 3 days pregnant and I went for my Level II this morning. We are thrilled that everything with the baby, uterus, placenta, et al looks healthy and normal, and I'm measuring about 3 days ahead. When we were reassured that all was well with the baby, I asked the sonographer if she could tell what the gender was (I tried to be roundabount about it). I said, "It's interesting - my son, from day one, has insisted that this baby is a girl. He hasn't wavered." She asked, "Well, do you want to know?" Of course we wanted to know! She said, "It's a girl!"

We were thrilled. Several of my friend were told that there was 80% certainty of the gender at their 13 week Level II, and I know this is an experienced sonographer, but looking at the picture where she circled the girl parts, I can't help but think, "You know, that looks kind of like a penis."

So tell me, mothers of girls who found out what the gender was: do girl parts look kind of like boy parts in an ultrasound photo?

When I was pregnant with my son, the images we saw at the 18-week scan were unmistakably boy parts, but I have to admit that my baby's girl parts? Look kind of like boy parts.

Thanks for your insight!

[trumansmom]

Truman never gave it up, so we never actually saw his boy parts on the 11(!!!) ultrasounds we had with him. However, with Eleanor, the sonographer and my friend both shrieked, "It's a girl!!" with Eleanor's ultrasound. I never could see it. They must have pointed everything out a hundred times, and I still couldn't see it. However, they were right. :)

ETA: Welcome back!!

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04

[ellies mom]

I don't know about a 12 week ultrasound but on DD's 20 week ultrasound, you really could see that that she had "girl bits". A good description I've heard is that it looks like the side view of a hamburger (three lines).

[C99]

Girl parts do not look like boy parts on an U/S. HOWEVER, sometimes the girl parts swell out and look like boy parts before 18-20 weeks. At my first U/S with DD, at around 10-11 weeks, the U/S tech called it boy. She was wrong. At 20 weeks, it was unmistakably girl. I did not find out the sex during my first and third pregnancies (both were boys), so I actually have no idea what boy parts look like on U/S - only girl parts, which are 3 little lines.

[MarisaSF]

Sonographers and radiologists with good equipment can tell fairly early. We knew DS was a boy at 12 weeks. The radiologist who saw it said "without a doubt" and he's well known in my area for making the early call. I can't remember for sure, but I think it's that boy parts point up and girl parts point down. They do look similar to me! I never totally believed it until he was actually born, but go with girl for now and ask them to look again at 18-20 weeks.

Congratulations and welcome back!

[jillc]

Hi there,

Congrats on the new baby on the way & I'm glad that everything looked great today. :)

I hate to say it, but I wouldn't put too much stock into what you found out as far as the sex. I've got three friends who had 13 week ultrasounds within the last year or so & they've been told the wrong sex. Two were told girl when baby was a boy. The other was told boy & baby is a girl. All were correctly identified at their 18-20wk ultrasounds.

Congrats again, and best wishes.
Jill

[randomkid]

I think 13 weeks is really too early to tell accurately. I went for an amnio at 16 weeks and when they did the US, we asked if they could tell. The tech told us that is was probably too early. DD didn't cooperate anyway - she kept her legs stretched straight out and crossed the whole time! We weren't worried since the amnio told us with 100% certainty.

I agree with PPs, I wouldn't put too much stock in it yet, but would wait until 18-20 weeks. Boy parts are usually unmistakeable while girl parts look like a hamburger bun, or as my SIL put it, 2 bananas - lol!

[pb&j]

An experienced tech/ob with good equipment can usually determine gender by 12-13 wks. This was the case for me with both pregnancies. With my first, we were told "girl, but don't buy anything pink till the next u/s." With the second, it was absolutely, no doubt about it, 100% boy. Even DH could tell it was a boy!


-Ry,
mom to Max, age 1.5
and my girl in heaven

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/37124.gif

[TonFirst]

Because I'm obsessive, I just called perinatologist's office and spoke to their nurse practicioner, who was extremely nice and patient with me. She told me that if you were to look at an actual 13-week baby, you wouldn't be able to tell the sex, but that on ultrasound, there are markers that give them about an 85% indication of gender. A PP mentioned something about the parts pointing up or down, and that's what the NP told me - that they all kind of look alike, but that if the parts point up (towards the belly), then it's most likely a boy, and if the parts point down (towards the toes), it's most likely a girl. She said that we'll be able to tell for sure at the 20-week scan, but that, yeah, this is likely a girl.

It's interesting - I'd never heard of being able to tell the sex this early on an ultrasound until very recently (when my friends and I all hit 30+), and everyone I know who has had a 13-week level II has found out the gender, and every time, it's been accurate. I hope I don't buck the trend!

[SASM]

Sorry to say that I wouldn't start to buy insane amounts of pink just yet. At my 13 week First Trimester screen U/S, the tech said if it points a certain way they can make an educated guess. Well...the tech, who was also experienced, said "boy". Well...at Wks 20 and 24 I was told "girl". I am still not 100% certain of girl since I've had strong "boy" vibes but, then again, I also did the same with my other two pgs, one boy and one girl.

Congrats, good luck, and welcome back! :)

ETA: Here are some links to U/S photos so you can hopefully see things a little clearer when you get you 20 week U/S. This kind of helped me since I had NO IDEA was boy parts looked like (DH didn't want to know with DS's preg so they didn't point anything out to me or print a photo).

Boy/Girl U/S by week: http://pregnancy.about.com/od/boyorgirl/a/girlboyultras.htm

Gender prediction a littel later in the pg:
http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/boyorgirl/l/blgenders.htm

Main page ~ interesting tidbits: :)
http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/ultrasounds/l/blusindex.htm

HTH!!

[megs4413]

i'm glad they answered your questions...and i hope they can confirm it at your next u/s! sounds like it's a girl to me, though...

when's your next scan? will you have to wait long? welcome back to the board! and congrats on baby!

[DrSally]

I've heard that girl parts look like a "hamburger". I don't think there's a ton of distinction at this point, but a trained person can tell. BTW, I was told we were having a girl and it was a boy, although I don't think the Dr. had a good look at that area since he was face down with legs tucked in.

ETA: this was at the 20 week US

[gatorsmom]

Now, granted, I haven't given birth yet to my twins to find out if the sonographer was correct, but i had an u/s at 20 weeks and again at 26 weeks and both times could tell that one baby was a boy and one was a girl.

As some of the pps said, the girl parts do like the side view of a hamburger. You can see the thicker labia (which look like hamburger buns) with a line in the middle that looks like the patty. I saw it clearly on both u/s.

However, at 13 weeks, I'd be skeptical. If you start buying girl stuff now, make sure you hold onto the receipts (at least until the next u/s)!!

Lisa
Mom to Gator July 2003
And Cha-Cha July 2005
and surprise! twins due 11/07!