9 Signs You’re Having a Girl (Plus How Accurate They Really Are!)

Are you pregnant? Congrats! Many say there are certain signs you’re having a girl. But are these anecdotes fact or fiction? Find out here.

Are you pregnant? Congrats! Many say there are certain signs you're having a girl. But are these anecdotes fact or fiction? Find out here.

As soon as you get a positive pregnancy test and start noticing early pregnancy symptoms, you probably have one burning question: “Am I having a boy or a girl?” You’re not alone either! There are tons of gender prediction tests out there, and you might even peruse them for signs you’re having a girl. But be warned: many of these “tests” are no more than old wives’ tales but they are fun (and help the time pass until you know for sure!). If you simply can’t wait to find out baby’s sex, read on to find out:

When is Baby’s Sex Determined?

By the time your pregnancy test pops up as positive, the sex of your baby has already been determined. In fact, your baby’s sex is determined at the exact moment of conception—even though baby doesn’t have distinguishing genitals yet! The sex is determined through DNA, when the egg is fertilized by either the Y sperm (which produces a boy) or the X sperm (which produces a girl).

Let’s unpack that with a super quick biology lesson: All eggs carry the X chromosome, but sperm can carry the Y or X chromosome. When the egg and sperm meet, you can get one of two combinations:

  • XY: a baby boy ?
  • XX: a baby girl ?

When Do You Find Out the Sex of Baby?

But when can the proud parents find out if baby is a boy or a girl? Distinguishing genitals—i.e. the clitoris or the penis—start to develop around week nine of gestation—that’s week 11 of pregnancy. (You can learn more about what’s happening with baby’s development by checking out our Week-By-Week Pregnancy Guide.)

The earliest parents can find out the sex of the baby is around week 10 through an early blood test like MaterniTi. Otherwise, most parents find out the baby’s sex during the anatomy scan, a.k.a. the 20-week ultrasound.

Until then, parents (and grandparents, and aunts, and uncles) have a lot of fun speculating whether baby is a boy or girl. Here, some common theories about baby’s sex:

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Signs You’re Having a Girl

If you’re ready to learn the signs you’re having a girl, this guide lists them all. But don’t run out and paint the nursery pink just yet; most of these aren’t definitive.

1. Morning sickness

The myth: For years, women have sworn that the worst cases of morning sickness occurred during girl pregnancies, but is that true?

The verdict: Neither scientific studies nor anecdotal evidence prove that mamas with girl pregnancies have worse morning sickness. Plenty of nauseous mamas have welcomed little boys. However, there may some truth in this myth in regards to hyperemesis gravidarum. A 1999 study published in the Lancet noted mothers with hyperemesis gravidarum were more likely to be carrying girls. This could be due to higher levels of hCG, the pregnancy hormone, or higher female hormones like estrogen or progesterone.

2. Belly shape

The myth: If you carry high or if you gain weight all over, then a baby girl is on the way.

The verdict: Ultimately, belly shape has more to do with mama’s body shape and the number of babies on board than baby’s sex. For instance, a shorter mama has nowhere to expand but out. On the other hand, a taller mama may not “pop” as soon. (Read more about when you start to show here.) Other factors that affect belly shape include: how much amniotic fluid is present, where the placenta is located, how much weight is gained, and mama’s pre-pregnancy shape.

3. Food cravings

The myth: “Little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice.” You’ve heard that saying right? Well, it also coincides with another myth: If you crave all the sweets, you’re pregnant with a little girl.

The verdict: As it turns out, your cravings can tell you some helpful information—just not what sex your baby is. Depending on what you’re craving, you might be able to learn a little bit about what your body is craving. For instance, if you are craving ice cubes, your iron levels may be low; if you are craving chocolate, you might be craving magnesium. (sourcesource). If your sweet tooth is as big as your expanding belly, then you might be craving sleep, believe it or not! (source)

4. Oily skin

The myth: Over the years many have uttered this not-so-factual statement: “Little girls leave their mothers with acne and oily skin because they steal their beauty.”

The verdict: There is no beauty-stealing going on, and this isn’t one of the more reliable signs you’re having a girl. Skin changes during pregnancy are 100 percent related to mama’s hormone levels. Having said that, girl pregnancies can result in higher levels of circulating estrogen (source), which could cause more acne. You can learn more about pregnancy and oily, acne-prone skin here.

5. Mood swings

The myth: According to the myths, if you’re pregnant with a baby girl, you can expect to have much more dramatic mood swings than if you were pregnant with a baby boy.

The verdict: Just like oily skin, your mood swings are affected by the ever-increasing hormones that are needed to sustain your pregnancy. It is true that in one study, estrogen levels were higher and progesterone levels were lower in girl pregnancies so this could potentially affect mood. However, other studies dispute hormonal differences between boy and girl pregnancies.

6. Urine color

The myth: You may have heard that clear or dull urine is one of the signs you’re having a girl.

The verdict: False! Your urine color does in fact tell you a lot about your health, but it does not indicate the sex of your baby. Clear or dull urine is most often due to proper hydration. Dark, odorous urine is often a sign of dehydration. Be sure to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. And although some say urine pH is a reliable predictor of baby’s sex (more acidic urine means a baby girl), your urine’s pH can be altered by foods, supplements, and medications. Unfortunately, this means the baking soda test is unreliable. Read more about this method of gender prediction here.

7. Linea nigra

The myth: Linea nigra, or “dark line,” is the pigmented line that extends down the center of most pregnant women’s bellies. If the line stops abruptly at the belly button, word is you can expect a girl.

The verdict: Although the old wives’ tales say that a linea nigra that stops at the belly button is one of the signs you’re having a girl, it just isn’t true. Linea nigra is a skin change that is caused by the an increase in melanin production—not the sex of your baby. (source)

8. Heart rate

The myth: One of the most exciting parts of all of those prenatal appointments is the ability to hear your precious baby’s heartbeat. Usually your OB or midwife lets you know your baby’s heart rate (to make sure it falls within the normal range), but this little piece of data is often used to predict the sex of the baby. Supposedly, girls have higher heart rates than boys while in utero. Is it true?

The verdict: This one is halfway true. A normal fetal heartbeat during most of pregnancy ranges from 120 to 160 bpm, though it slows slightly just before birth. (source) During labor, girls do tend to have higher heart rates, so if you’re waiting until birth, that could tip you off before you get to meet baby! During pregnancy, however, the heart rate is much more indicative of gestational age. In fact, this study provides evidence that heart rate in the first trimester and sex simply are not linked. That said, I find that some midwives use this as an indicator and many moms swear by it.

9. Dreams or intuition

Have you had a dream that you’re having a baby girl? Or maybe you can just feel it in your gut? Believe it or not, these feelings can be more reliable signs you’re having a girl than anything else on this list. ?(Read more about pregnancy dreams—and their meanings—here.)

Convinced Baby is a Girl?

So what if these old wives’ tales aren’t reliable indicators?! They’re tons of fun, and can make the wait (whether that’s for the anatomy scan or for the day you give birth) a little easier.

How About You?

Were any of these signs you’re having a girl true for you? Did you correctly guess your baby’s sex?

Genevieve Howland

About the Author

Genevieve Howland is a doula and childbirth educator. She is the bestselling author of The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth and creator of the Mama Natural Birth Course. A mother of three, graduate of the University of Colorado, and YouTuber with over 135,000,000 views, she helps mothers and moms-to-be lead healthier and more natural lives.

12 Comments

  1. How fun! Before I was pregnant with my daughter, I had always had very oily skin. By the second trimester with her, though, it had all cleared up. I’d never had better skin in my life! Funnily enough, about a month after she was born, my face became bone dry. I had to switch all my cleansers and moisturizers just to keep the eczema at bay. Two years later, I still have dry skin, and I am 12 weeks pregnant with Baby #2. My husband and I were really hoping for another girl. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I really just knew that she would be a girl, even though I had a few dreams that indicated she would be a boy. With this baby, I wasn’t so certain. The day before I got our cell-free DNA results, I had an extremely vivid dream of holding my newborn son, and I became even less certain that we would have a girl. Sure enough, the test results said it was a boy! So, it was definitely amusing to read the idea that boys cause mothers to have dry skin. If we’re going to put any stock in it, then I guess my body was determined to have a boy from the beginning!

    I have my own personal gender-predictor that I noticed during my first pregnancy. When I was first pregnant, all my friends and friends-of-friends were having boys. We were getting baby boy announcements left and right! So, it made no sense, statistically, that we would also have a boy. Sure enough, we had a girl that time. With this pregnancy, all my friends and acquaintances had just had girls. Again, statistically, someone somewhere has to have a boy. One of my friends finally announced that she was having a boy about a week before I found out for my own pregnancy. I started to hope a little bit that we could have a girl, but alas, statistics won out again, and we have ourselves a boy. Obviously this is my own anecdotal “statistics,” but in the US, 51% of babies born are boys, so we can’t all be having girls at the same time! 🙂

  2. I’m currently 9 weeks and 5 days . I have had 4 pregnancy total .1st was a miscarriage and now blessed with my two boys . I’m praying this one is a girl I have multiple dreams that it’s a girl but don’t wanna get my Hope’s up . Everyone says boy but my grandma says it’s a girl . I asked my kids one is 5 the other is 3 if momma has baby brother or baby sister in her belly and they both say baby sister so fingers crossed . My symptoms are definitely different than my boys so we shall see !! Congratulations mommies prayers for a easy delivery and fast recovery

  3. baby

  4. I have 3 boys my bf has a girl
    I’m pregnant now I was nauseas at first than it went away but I have so much back pain n I’m always so sleepy what r the chances me having a girl n I’m craving sweets I’m eating like crazy and I’m only a month

    • Me too

    • I am 29 weeks pregnant with a babygirl.
      I had no morning sickness with either of my girls
      My stomach is up high
      I carried both girls high, and didn’t gain as much weight all over, but definitely a full belly. I crave all types of food. I do have acne and seems to have dull dry skin.
      I definitely feel like she is stealing my beauty. Reading this was fun…

  5. I need a girl ?

  6. I have crazy morning sickness, my belly is little nervous I carry the baby high, everybody is saying it’s a boy but I hope it is a girl….

  7. With my first i had bad morning sickness. Terrible acne and wanted cake and donuts every day, had a little belly an carried high. Had a girl.

    With second i had barely any morning sickness, wanted kfc every day at the start, bubs heartrate was around 140 the whole time, my hair and skin was amazing and my belly was massive. I knew he was a boy from the start. I was not wrong.

    I was much moodier whilst prego with my boy though.

  8. I just had a surprise baby girl last week. We were convinced by all the old wives tales that it was a boy, every one of them said boy except heart rate. So we were quite surprised when the doctor laid a little girl on my chest.

  9. I’m feeling a lot of strong movement in my lower belly I’m praying its a girl if I am pregnant belly is getting bigger nobody knows about this yet but I’ve been wanting pig skins and apple pie lately and strawberry milkshake

  10. Great article! I had no nausea, my normally oily skin was clear, and I carried my baby high during my pregnancy…and I had a girl! (We didn’t find out her sex until birth, and I was convinced she would be a boy.) However, I had four dreams about her while pregnant, and she was a girl in my dreams, but I always figured that might have been unconscious wishful thinking. 😉 One other indicator was that we used the SMEG method to conceive, which seems to skew odds toward the X-chromosome sperm. My Facebook pregnancy group’s stats were 75% girl babies at the time of my baby’s birth!


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