Gender Determination

Ultrasound Gender Determination Starting @ 16 Weeks

The most common reason mothers-to-be come to visit Oh Baby early in pregnancy is to find out the gender of their baby.

This is a very exciting point in pregnancy and often comes along with a lot of anticipation and excitement from mom and family. The most common questions we get asked are “how early can you determine gender?” The second question being, “how long will it take to see the gender?” We can determine gender starting at 16 weeks, normally with ease. How long will it take?- this will greatly depend on the position of the baby. Most of the time we can see the gender within a few minutes. Once we see the gender though, we don’t stop there; we keep scanning and look at the gender from a few different angles to make sure we determine the gender correctly.

You may be wondering what to expect when you come for gender determination at Insight since this will probably be your first visit with us. Before your scan begins, you can expect to walk in the door and be greeted by our wonderful staff at the front desk who will help make you feel at home and comfortable while you wait (anxiously).

When it is time for your scan, you will be taken into a warm and inviting large room with plenty of room and couches for family and friends to sit and watch with you. Becoming a big sister or big brother is also very important, so we always welcome little ones to come to your appointment with you. Your family will be able to see the ultrasound on our large projection screen and get to share in the excitement with you.

Once we start scanning, you will see the baby first in 2D (even if you came in for a 4D/HD ultrasound). This is because gender is ALWAYS determined in 2D. And actually, in order to obtain a 4D or HD image, we have to begin with 2D. Depending on the position of the baby, we will either look at the gender first or listen to the heartbeat.

What is SneakPeek® Clinical?

SneakPeek Clinical is an early gender DNA detection test offered to women starting at 9 weeks into pregnancy. The genetic test gives you the first step to connect with your baby before you are able to see the exciting clear images from your ultrasound scans. The full service includes an on-site phlebotomist that draws a blood sample in the comfort of the ultrasound studio, and then returns the sample to SneakPeek Labs for processing. The laboratories offer the fastest turnaround times in the industry, with a choice of receiving your result the same day the sample reaches the SneakPeek Lab.

How does SneakPeek® work?

SneakPeek utilizes the natural process of shared fetal DNA circulating inside the mother’s bloodstream. Our PCR technology has the ability to detect the presence or absence of male Y chromosome in the blood sample provided starting at 9 weeks into pregnancy. If it is detected then the baby’s gender is male and if it is not detected then the baby’s gender is female.

What is the DNA & Donuts™ Experience?

DNA & Donuts is a breakfast party for expectant mothers where they can find out the gender of their babies starting at 9 weeks! Our ultrasound studio hosts a unique SneakPeek Clinical social event every Wednesday from 10-11am to bring pregnant moms together to share in their journey and to discover the gender of their babies through genetic DNA testing. Unlike any other blood test taken through pregnancy, this is a fun-filled experience with coffee, donuts, and great conversation.

SneakPeek Clinical Accuracy Studies

Multicenter blinded study conducted at four ultrasound clinics in 2015

The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical performance of SneakPeek® Early Gender Test (Gateway Genomics) for noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) of fetal sex. A multicenter-blinded study was conducted at four ultrasound clinics with maternal blood samples collected from pregnant women between 9 and 35 weeks of gestation. Circulating cell-free DNA was isolated from a micro-volume of maternal plasma and real-time quantitative PCR was performed to detect fetal DNA using a multi-copy sequence on the Y chromosome. An autosomal control gene was used to measure total cell-free DNA (maternal and fetal cfDNA). Sixty maternal plasma samples were tested twice, on different days, to assess the precision of SneakPeek.

Cell-free DNA was detected in all maternal blood samples. Y-chromosome DNA was detected in all samples from women carrying a male fetus. SneakPeek correctly identified fetal sex in all samples. Assay precision data showed minimal variation and high reproducibility of results. Fetal sex for all samples was unknown prior to genetic testing and was confirmed via sonographic evaluation at the conclusion of the study. SneakPeek accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were each 100% for fetal sex identification. This blinded study showed that SneakPeek Early Gender Test is highly accurate for fetal sex determination in early pregnancy.