Pregnancy · Fun
Pregnancy Wives' Tales Gender Quiz
Try the classic wives' tales — heart rate, bump shape, cravings, skin, sickness. Have fun, but read on for the honest 50% accuracy rating and where these old tales actually come from.
Last reviewed 29 May 2026
Wives' Tales boy-or-girl quiz
What do the old wives' tales say?
0 / 12 answered · need at least 5
Answer at least 5 questions for the tally.
Are pregnancy wives' tales actually accurate?
No. Multiple studies (most famously Perry et al., J Reprod Med 1999) found combined predictions of wives’ tales perform no better than chance — about 50%. They’ve persisted because parents who guessed right tell the story; parents who guessed wrong don’t. Selection bias does the work.
The most common pregnancy wives' tales
- Fast heart rate (140+) = girl. Slow = boy.
- Carrying high = girl. Low = boy.
- Craving sweets = girl. Savoury = boy.
- Severe morning sickness = girl.
- Skin breakouts = girl.
- Extra hair growth on legs = boy.
- Swollen feet = boy.
- Ring swing test.
- Baking soda test.
- Key pick-up test.
- Mayan calendar method.
- Chinese gender chart.
All ~50% accuracy. Fun to try, useless for prediction.
Why do wives' tales FEEL convincing?
Cognitive biases:
- Selection bias — accurate predictions are remembered and shared; wrong ones forgotten.
- Confirmation bias — after birth, parents recall the predictors that “matched”.
- Narrative fallacy — humans construct stories from random data.
- 50% base rate — half of all predictions are right by chance alone.
- Cultural reinforcement — grandmothers and aunties share.
The studies that disprove them
- Heart rate: McKenna 2006 Fertil Steril — no difference between male and female fetal heart rates.
- Cravings: Orloff 2014 Front Psychol — no significant difference.
- Chinese gender chart: Villamor 2011 (2.8 million Swedish births) — 50.2% accuracy. Chance.
- Combined wives’ tales: Perry 1999 — no better than chance.
- Severe morning sickness mildly correlates with girls (Askling 1999) but useless individual predictor.
What you SHOULDN'T do
- DRANO TEST — pour urine into Drano. NEVER. Drano is caustic; mixing with urine releases TOXIC FUMES (ammonia + hypochlorite). Hospitalisations reported.
- Large gender-reveal pyrotechnics — have caused wildfires and deaths.
- Make decisions (paint nursery, buy gender-specific items) based on wives’ tales.
- Stress yourself over the result.
When can I find out for sure?
- NIPT (blood test): from 10 weeks. 99%+ accurate.
- Early gender scan: 13-16 weeks. 75-95%.
- 20-week anomaly scan: 95-99% with experienced sonographer.
- Amnio / CVS: 100% but invasive; only for medical reasons.
See /calculators/gender-predictor for full comparison.
Why do these tales exist?
Centuries of pre-scientific medicine plus cultural pattern-matching. Ancient civilisations (Greek, Egyptian, Mayan, Chinese) developed their own folk methods. Many tied to perceived “masculine” vs “feminine” qualities — boys “strong / hairy / hungry” so cravings for meat = boy; girls “beautiful / blemished” so skin breakouts = girl. Reflects historical gender stereotypes more than biology.
What if I really want a specific sex?
Gender disappointment is common, normal, doesn’t make you a bad parent. Process the feelings privately; don’t share publicly. Most parents adjust quickly once baby arrives. Talk to partner / trusted friend / counsellor if persistent distress. Culturally-motivated sex preference can be more entrenched and may benefit from family counselling.
Sex assigned at birth doesn’t determine gender identity, sexuality, or personality. The baby you get is the baby you fall in love with.
Different scenarios — what to make of predictors
Scenario 1: All wives' tales point to 'girl', NIPT says boy
Believe the NIPT. 99%+ accuracy. Wives’ tales were 50% accurate as expected. Process the surprise; love the boy.
Scenario 2: Strong 'gut feeling' about sex, want to wait for confirmation
Fine to feel and enjoy. Don’t spend big on gender-specific items based on intuition. Wait for 20-week scan or NIPT.
Scenario 3: Friend insists they were right with wives' tales
Lucky 50% guess. Statistical inevitability. Half of all wives’ tale predictions are correct — remembered as “they knew”. The other half forgotten.
Scenario 4: Wives' tales reveal at a baby shower
Fun activity, low stakes. Just don’t plan on it being right. Modern alternative: factual reveals (NIPT result, scan result) plus celebratory activity unconnected to predicting.
Scenario 5: Mother-in-law insists wives' tale says you're carrying the 'wrong' sex
Tell her firmly the science isn’t there. If cultural pressure is significant, it’s a relationship dynamic to address rather than a wives’ tale issue. Modern medicine wins.
Sources
- Perry DF, et al. Are wives’ tales accurate predictors of fetal sex? J Reprod Med 1999.
- McKenna DS, et al. Gender related differences in fetal heart rate. Fertil Steril 2006.
- Villamor E, et al. Accuracy of the “Chinese gender chart”. Pediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2011.
- Askling J, et al. Sickness in pregnancy and sex of child. Lancet 1999.
- Orloff NC, Hormes JM. Pickles and ice cream! Food cravings in pregnancy. Front Psychol 2014.
- NHS. Boy or girl?
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Frequently asked questions
Are pregnancy wives' tales actually accurate?
NO. Multiple studies (most famously Perry et al., J Reprod Med 1999) found combined predictions of wives' tales perform NO BETTER than chance — about 50%. They've persisted because parents who guessed right tell the story; parents who guessed wrong don't. Selection bias does the work. The 13+ classic wives' tales (heart rate, bump shape, cravings, skin, hair growth, etc.) each have been studied and individually 50% accurate. Fun cultural tradition with no predictive value.
What are the most common pregnancy wives' tales?
FAST HEART RATE = girl. SLOW HEART RATE = boy. CARRYING HIGH = girl, LOW = boy. CRAVING SWEETS = girl, SAVOURY = boy. SEVERE morning sickness = girl. SKIN BREAKOUTS = girl. EXTRA HAIR GROWTH on legs = boy. SWOLLEN feet = boy. RING SWING TEST. BAKING SODA TEST. KEY-PICK-UP TEST. Mayan calendar method. Chinese gender chart. SHAPE of belly. All have ~50% accuracy. The 'fun' is in trying them, not the result.
Does heart rate predict baby's sex?
NO. Old wives' tale: 'fast HR (140+) = girl; slow (under 140) = boy'. Studies (McKenna 2006 Fertil Steril) of 477 pregnancies found NO significant difference between male and female fetal heart rates in first or second trimester. Normal range is 110-160 bpm regardless of sex. The heart-rate gender prediction is folklore — 50% accuracy = chance.
Does carrying high or low predict sex?
NO. Old tale: 'carrying high = girl, low = boy'. Bump shape is determined by: maternal body type (height, torso length, abdominal muscle tone); pregnancy number (subsequent pregnancies look 'lower' due to weaker muscles); baby's position; amniotic fluid volume; multiple pregnancy. NOT by baby's sex. Equally bogus: ring swing, key-picking, baking soda urine test.
What about cravings — do they predict sex?
NO statistical correlation. 'Sweet = girl, salty = boy' is the classic. Studies (Orloff 2014 Front Psychol) found no significant difference in cravings between mothers carrying boys vs girls. Cravings reflect: hormonal changes, blood sugar regulation, possibly nutrient needs (some), cultural conditioning, psychological / comfort-seeking. Not chromosomal.
Is there ANY accurate non-medical predictor?
Mild statistical correlations exist but useless for individuals: (1) SEVERE morning sickness / hyperemesis SLIGHTLY more common in girls (Askling 1999 Lancet) — but most severe-nausea women carry boys and vice versa. (2) Mother's age + previous boy/girl pattern minimally affects subsequent sex ratio. NONE of these are reliable individual predictors. The only genuinely accurate methods are NIPT (10 weeks, 99%) and ultrasound (14+ weeks, 95-99%).
Where do wives' tales come from?
Centuries of pre-scientific medicine + cultural pattern-matching. Ancient civilisations (Greek, Egyptian, Mayan, Chinese) developed their own folk methods. Many tied to perceived 'masculine' vs 'feminine' qualities — boys 'strong / hairy / hungry' so cravings for meat = boy. Girls 'beautiful / blemished / weak' so skin breakouts = girl. Reflects historical gender stereotypes more than biology. Fun cultural artefact; not predictive.
Are baking soda and Drano tests safe?
BAKING SODA TEST: mix urine with baking soda — fizz = boy, no fizz = girl. Harmless to try but pH-based test has no scientific basis; ~50% accuracy. DRANO TEST: pour urine into Drano — colour change predicts sex. NEVER DO THIS. Drano is caustic; mixing with urine releases TOXIC FUMES (ammonia + hypochlorite). Several women hospitalised. The result is meaningless folklore. Skip both — use NIPT or ultrasound.
Why do wives' tales feel so convincing?
Cognitive biases: (1) SELECTION BIAS — accurate predictions are remembered and shared; wrong ones forgotten. (2) CONFIRMATION BIAS — after birth, parents recall the predictors that 'matched'. (3) NARRATIVE FALLACY — humans construct stories from random data. (4) 50% BASE RATE — half of all predictions are right by chance alone. (5) CULTURAL REINFORCEMENT — grandmothers and aunties share. The 'feeling' of accuracy is illusion.
Can I trust mother's intuition?
Studies show ~50% accuracy. Maternal / paternal intuition feels powerful but isn't more reliable than chance. Bias plays a role: subconscious preference, family pattern, cultural narratives. The strong 'gut feeling' is the brain making a prediction with no actual data, then later confirmation-biasing. Use intuition for emotional comfort; use NIPT / ultrasound for actual planning decisions.
When can I find out for sure?
NIPT (Non-Invasive Prenatal Test) — blood test from 10 weeks; 99%+ accuracy. ULTRASOUND — sex visible from 14-16 weeks with experienced sonographer (75-90%); reliably visible at 20-week anomaly scan (95-99%). AMNIOCENTESIS / CVS — 100% accurate but only done for medical reasons (chromosomal screening). EARLY GENDER SCAN at 13-16 weeks privately — 75-95% depending on operator.
Should I bother with a 'gender reveal' party?
Personal choice. Some find it joyful; others see it as performative or gender-stereotyping (assigning pink/blue, fireworks/cakes). SAFETY: several gender-reveal events have caused wildfires, injuries, deaths (coloured smoke devices, exploding boxes). If celebrating, keep it modest and safe. Modern critique: focuses gender too early, may set up disappointment if 'wrong', sex assigned at birth doesn't predict gender identity later. Alternative: 'baby reveal' or 'team green' announcement once born.
Why do parents care so much about predicting sex?
Cultural, planning, curiosity, family balance preferences. Some cultures historically prefer one sex (with concerning gender-selection consequences in some regions). Many parents simply want to feel 'connected' or plan a nursery / wardrobe / name. There's no inherent obligation to find out OR celebrate. About 70-80% of UK/US parents find out before birth; 20-30% wait 'team green'. Both valid.
What if I really want a specific sex?
Acknowledge the feeling. 'Gender disappointment' is common, normal, doesn't make you a bad parent. Process the feelings; don't share publicly. Most parents adjust quickly once baby arrives. Talk to partner / trusted friend / counsellor if persistent distress. CULTURALLY-MOTIVATED sex preference can be more entrenched and may benefit from family counselling. Remember: sex assigned at birth doesn't determine gender identity, sexuality, or personality. The baby you get is the baby you fall in love with.
Are there real factors that influence sex ratio?
Some weak population-level effects: (1) MOTHER'S AGE — slightly more girls as mothers get older. (2) PATERNAL AGE — older fathers slightly more girls. (3) FAMINE / STRESS during pregnancy — slight shift toward girls (more fragile boys lost early). (4) SOME OCCUPATIONS — pilots, divers (deep-sea altitude / pressure exposure) show small ratio shifts. (5) IVF SEX SELECTION via PGD — actually predictive (~99%) but ethically restricted in UK and many countries. NONE of these have individual predictive value. Population statistics only.
How does this relate to other calculators on BumpBites?
Companion: /calculators/gender-predictor for Mayan method and comparison of all methods; /calculators/chinese-gender-predictor for the Chinese chart specifically; /calculators/eye-colour-predictor for baby's eye colour; /calculators/baby-personality-quiz for trait prediction (also for fun); /calculators/due-date for actual pregnancy dating; /calculators/baby-names if revealing.