Finding out that you’re pregnant is a huge, celebratory moment. But your curiosity doesn’t stop there, of course. You may quickly want the answer to another big question: Are you having a boy or a girl? And plenty of parents find it positively grueling to have to wait until the second trimester ultrasound to learn their baby’s sex.
But it’s possible you’ve heard about a way to get intel on your baby’s sex well before 20 weeks of pregnancy by conducting a DIY science experiment at home. The baking soda gender test has received plenty of buzz among moms online and requires nothing more than baking soda, urine and a glass.
What is the baking soda gender test?
The baking soda gender test includes just two simple steps: Mom-to-be puts a tablespoon or two of baking soda in a glass. Then, she adds some of her urine to the baking soda.
If the combination fizzes, like a soft drink that has been shaken up, then she’s supposedly having a boy. On the other hand, if the baking soda and urine don't react at all, she’s purportedly having a girl.
Those who advocate trying the test assert that the baby's sex changes some of the hormones in the mother's body, which may then change the acid content of her urine.
How accurate is the baking soda gender test?
Although some moms have had positive experiences with the baking soda gender test, medical evidence would suggest that their accurate results just happened coincidentally.
Unfortunately, the baking soda gender test cannot predict the sex of a child. Instead, it’s a chemical reaction of acids and bases unrelated to the X or Y chromosomes that determine your baby’s sex.
Urine tends to be acidic, a trait naturally protective against infections in the urinary tract. When it's combined with baking soda (aka sodium bicarbonate), carbon dioxide gas is released.
Continue Reading Below
More Fun Pregnancy Science
Although the logic behind the test is that the sex of the baby will affect the acidity of the urine, other factors like your diet, medications and hydration status primarily influence the pH level. These factors can change throughout pregnancy, but the genetic sex of the baby will not.
In other words, the baking soda gender test has the same accuracy as other old wives’ tales like the ring gender test: about 50 percent, the same as chance.
Alternatives to the baking soda gender test
If you want to know before delivery day, there are several ways to find out a baby’s sex during pregnancy. Here are some more accurate and high-tech testing options:
NIPT
As early as nine weeks into your pregnancy, you can learn the sex of your baby through a simple blood test called noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT). Studies show it's more than 99 percent accurate at predicting a baby's sex, plus it offers a rundown of a baby's risk of chromosomal abnormalities including trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome).
It's suggested for moms whose age or genetic history indicates there might be a risk of birth defects, and it's not invasive — meaning there's no risk for you or your baby. If you're interested in having NIPT to find out your baby's risk of chromosomal abnormalities in addition to finding out his or her sex, talk to your doctor.
CVS and amnio
Both chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis are diagnostic tests that analyze a baby’s genetic makeup and screen for chromosomal abnormalities. They typically take place between weeks 10 and 13 of pregnancy for CVS and weeks 16 and 18 for amnio, though it can vary.
Again, practitioners usually recommend these tests for moms with higher-risk pregnancies, especially since they're more invasive. In other words, they’re not designed for parents who are just curious about their baby’s sex. But if your practitioner recommends you have one or the other (and you’re itching to find out if it's a boy or girl), the results can tell you the baby's sex with 100 percent accuracy.
Second-trimester ultrasound
Usually scheduled for any time between 18 and 20 weeks, the routine second trimester ultrasound is generally when your doctor can determine a baby’s sex via sonogram. If you're carrying a girl, your baby's uterus is fully formed during this time, and the vaginal canal is starting to develop. If your baby is a boy, the testicles begin their descent around then.
The bottom line: There’s no harm in trying the baking soda gender test, but know that your results only have a 50-50 chance of proving accurate. Although it may be challenging to hold out, moms-to-be who aren’t facing a high-risk pregnancy may need to wait until they’re around 20 weeks along to confirm the sex of their baby.
From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You're Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
Was this article helpful?