A common folk belief suggests that if the fetal heart rate is below 140 beats per minute, it's likely a boy, while above 140 beats per minute indicates a girl. Is this claim accurate? Is it reliable? If it's not trustworthy, what fetal heart rate indicates a boy?
Generally, girls have higher heart rates than boys, but it's important to note that this is only true at birth.When both are still fetuses, there is no difference in heart rate between male and female fetuses.
Expectant mothers may also notice changes when listening to the fetal heartbeat. However, the rate of the heartbeat only varies with gestational age. Generally, at 5 weeks of pregnancy, the fetal heart rate is close to the mother's heart rate, around 80-85 beats per minute.By week 9, the heart rate gradually accelerates to 170–200 beats per minute. During the second trimester, it slows down again to 120–160 beats per minute. Therefore, using fetal heart rate to predict gender is largely unreliable. Still, expectant mothers should remain attentive to fetal heart sounds, as while they cannot reveal the baby's sex, they provide valuable insights into the fetus's development.
The gender of a baby is not something we can control with absolute certainty; it's a matter of probability. Men's robust bone structure and superior manual dexterity have historically conferred a dominant role in the family, leading to a deeply ingrained preference for sons. However, the laws of genetics tell us that the probability of having a boy or a girl is equal, so this matter cannot be forced.