The Baby Heartbeat Myth

The "baby heartbeat myth" revolves around whether it is possible to determine a baby's sex based on the fetal heart rate. Although many ascribe to this myth, naysayers abound as well.

  1. The Myth

    • Those who ascribe to the baby heartbeat myth believe that fetuses who have a heart rate of 140 beats or more per minute will be born girls, and fetuses with slower heart rates belong to boys.

    Naysayers

    • Many in the scientific and medical communities stand by the motto, "Fifty percent of the time it'll be a boy; fifty percent of the time it'll be a girl."

    Proof for the Believers

    • According to pregnancy and parenting author Ann Douglas, a study done by the University of Kentucky in 1993 claimed that nearly 80 percent of the time, this myth held true.

    Proof for the Nonbelievers

    • Excluding the 1993 University of Kentucky study, every other clinical trial regarding this myth has called it unfounded, Douglas contends.

    So, How Do You Know?

    • The most reliable methods of determining a baby's sex before his or her arrival are ultrasound, chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis.

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