Any validity to the theory that higher HCG levels = Girl?

[bluegreyeyes]

Just wondering if anyone had looked into the studies that theorize that there maybe a correlation between high HCG in early pregnancy and gender?

[atomic sagebrush]

I have, and I don't think they're very helpful.

HCG is like height - it's an average across a population. You can have a tall woman or a short man and most people fall right in the middle - if you had a person who was 5 ft. 8 for instance you'd have no way to know what their gender was based on height.

And this doesn't even take into account that people can easily, easily be a day or two off on their calculations of conception in either direction, making a result that seems high for a particular gestation actually be average or even low!

[bluegreyeyes]

Ok cool.
My first beta at 4w3d was 326. My second was taken 4 days later at 4w3d and was 3266. I suspect that I ovulated early around CD12 or 13 though so maybe that's why

[atomic sagebrush]

Wow that's a big jump - but if you look at the averages for that day of conception, the highs are in the 10,000's! So even with that big leap that's still in the lower end of the range (you wanted a boy, right?)

[bluegreyeyes]

Yeah, it was a big jump. They told me they want it to double every 48 hours. So when I got 326 and took another test 4 days later, my husband and I kept saying "1300, 1300, let it be 1300". She called while I was driving and told me 3,266 on speakerphone I thought it was static! I asked her 3x and she was like "yeah, you're DEFINITELY pregnant". We had our first scan today... everything looks good :) So relieved, I didn't sleep at all last night and have been shaking since we got in the car for our appointment. Heartbeat was 166 at 8 weeks, 3 days. I know some people say that means girl but we're just happy to have a strong heartbeat at this point... our Dr also mentioned that I ovulated from my right ovary which some say indicates boy. So, who knows. I guess we will in about 8 months? Yes, we were team blue. Now we're team green. The old wives tales are kinda fun though even though I refuse to buy into any of them.

Did you have intuitions on gender w any of your children? Were they right? I have no idea honestly... it's early though... I just kinda think it'd be cool to have an overwhelming sense of boy vs. girl.

[atomic sagebrush]

Heartbeat does not predict gender. It's all about gestation and how agitated you are by the doc visit (if you're upset, the baby's heart rate can go up). My daughter was actually the lowest of my five, I'd even get worried about it in appointments because it seemed so low in comparison to with my boys but for some reason I was very fatalistic and chill with that pregnancy and I assume that helped her heartrate stay lower when it was checked.

I had correct intuitions with my first boy and my girl, no intuition with my second and 4th boys, incorrect intuiton (gee whillikers, was it ever incorrect!) with my 3rd boy - I was convinced he was a girl with every fiber of my being, and so when I heard "boy" it was really devastating because it felt like my girl had been taken away from me. I didn't even have a gender preference when I got pregnant with him! So after hearing stories like this numerous times over the years I don't believe there is anything to intuition.

[bluegreyeyes]

Oh how interesting with intuition... yeah, did further board search and seems like intuition isn't really a factor.

That's funny about how being "agitated" can change heart rate (makes sense though). The fertility Dr nurse's always joke how I have "white coat syndrome" bc my normally low blood pressure jumps to within normal range at Dr visits. I didn't sleep at all last night and I was shaking with nerves since we got in the car for the appointment.

It's weird - I'm all about being team green but I can't help thinking about these little old wives tales, even though they're obviously tales b/c there is no validity to them.

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes I've had the white coat phenomenon for quite some time and it's a vicious cycle because every time you go to the doc, you know they'll say something about your blood pressure. Do be aware as you get older that if you're easily worked up like that you actually may end up having for reals hypertension - I did and had to go on medication for it even though I don't fit the standard type of person who has hypertension.

That's why I hate the OWT so much. They mess with people's heads and make them unhappy, even if they don't really believe in that kind of thing!