No, you cannot predict a baby's gender by its heartbeat.
While it's an old wives' tale that a faster fetal heart rate indicates a girl and a slower rate indicates a boy, medical evidence doesn't support this. The normal fetal heart rate typically ranges from 110 to 160 beats per minute (bpm). This rate fluctuates based on the baby's activity level and other factors, but it's not related to the baby's sex.
Here's why the heartbeat theory is inaccurate:
- Normal Range Variation: Fetal heart rates naturally vary within the 110-160 bpm range regardless of gender.
- Activity Level: A baby's heart rate increases during periods of activity and decreases during rest, making any single measurement unreliable for gender prediction.
- Lack of Scientific Basis: There's no scientific evidence linking fetal heart rate to gender.
Ultimately, reliable methods for determining a baby's gender include ultrasound (typically around 18-20 weeks of gestation) and certain prenatal genetic tests. Relying on heartbeat rate for gender prediction is inaccurate and based on folklore.
