Umbilical Cord Around the Neck: Why It Has Nothing to Do with Fetal Gender

Wrapping the umbilical cord around the neck has nothing to do with the gender of the fetus, so the statement that there are nine out of ten men is not reliable. The umbilical cord wrapped around the neck is related to excessive length of the umbilical cord, frequent fetal movements, and excessive amniotic fluid. If the umbilical cord wrapped around the neck affects fetal development, seek medical treatment in time. Currently, medical methods to identify the gender of the fetus include ultrasound examination, amniocentesis, chorionic villus examination, and non-invasive DNA, etc., the accuracy of these technologies in judging boys and girls is relatively high However, fetal gender identification, which is not medically necessary, is prohibited in China, so parents-to-be should treat it rationally.

The statement that ten men and nine people are wrapped around each other is not credible

Method/step

Everyone must first make it clear that giving birth to a boy or a girl is determined by male sperm, so the sex of the fetus is determined from the time the fertilized egg implants. Because non-medically necessary fetal gender identification is prohibited in China, many folk remedies for identifying the gender of the fetus have appeared, and the widely circulated saying is “nine out of ten men”. The general meaning of this statement is that if the umbilical cord is carrying a male baby, there is a high probability that the umbilical cord will wrap around the neck.

Boys and girls can have B-ultrasound confirmation

In fact, the umbilical cord around the neck has nothing to do with the gender of the fetus. The causes of umbilical cord around the neck are related to excessive umbilical cord length, frequent fetal movements, and excessive amniotic fluid. So it is unscientific to identify the sex of the fetus by the phenomenon of the fetal umbilical cord around the neck. Here are a few medical techniques for identifying the sex of a fetus:

1. Ultrasound examination: B-ultrasound and color ultrasound are both ultrasound examinations. Ultrasound can clearly see various organs and parts of the fetus, including the genitals. Although this is the most intuitive, it is also susceptible to fetal position and other factors, so accuracy will have an impact;

2. Amniocentesis: Amniocentesis is mainly used to diagnose whether the fetus has chromosomal or neural tube defects. It is usually performed at 16～20 weeks of pregnancy. Identified by sex chromosomes in fetal cells. Harmful to pregnant women and fetuses, with the risk of miscarriage;

Amniocentesis can screen for sex chromosomes

3. Chorionic villus sampling: also known as “chorionic villus sampling”, usually performed at 8～10 weeks of pregnancy. The main purpose is also to diagnose whether the fetus’s chromosomes are normal, and because it can screen for fetal sex chromosomes, it can also confirm the gender of the fetus. This examination is also somewhat dangerous and can lead to miscarriage;

4. Non-invasive DNA: Using genetic engineering technology, the mother’s blood is used to amplify the Y chromosome-specific repeat sequence of fetal DNA in the mother’s plasma by conventional PCR for fetal gender diagnosis. This detection method is less harmful and has high accuracy.

Tips:

Although medical technology can now accurately determine the gender of a fetus, in order to maintain social stability, relevant laws prohibit non-medically necessary fetal gender identification. Therefore, expectant parents should not know the law and break the law, and should not be too obsessed with the gender of the fetus. The most important thing is to ensure the healthy growth of the fetus in the mother’s body.

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