Drawbacks of Gender-Prediction Methods: Inaccuracy

I mentioned ViaGuard‘s Jack or Jill?  test briefly in my discussion of gender prediction methods.  Most methods of gender prediction have their drawbacks.  Some are just simply not reliable.  If they’re “old wives’ tale”-type methods that don’t cost you anything, these can be fun and harmless.  But if they aren’t accurate, they’re obviously not helpful!  Even worse are methods that do cost you and still aren’t accurate, like most of the home tests currently on the market.  (Theoretically, these are loosely based on science, but they have about a 50-50 accuracy rate.  You may as well just guess – which is free.)

Drawbacks of Gender-Prediction Methods: Risks

Other methods are accurate, but carry risks.  Amniocentesis and other “similar” medical tests can be quite precise, but are also invasive and carry not-insignificant risks to the baby.  If you need these tests for other, medical purposes, and find out the baby’s gender as a side benefit, that’s one thing.  But it’s probably not wise to pursue these tests for the sole purpose of finding out whether wee one is a girl or a boy!

Drawbacks of Gender-Prediction Methods: The Wait

Ultrasound is probably the best other bet, when all factors are weighed out.  But it has its drawbacks, too.  For one, it may not be entirely risk-free.  (See my previous post for links.)  We’ve come to assume it’s perfectly safe, but it hasn’t ever been proven completely safe, so it probably shouldn’t be used “for fun.”  It’s impossible to determine gender from an ultrasound prior to about 20 weeks (because the necessary external physical features aren’t sufficiently developed prior to that).  And even then, the accuracy is only as high as the baby’s position and skill of the technician will allow.

Why ViaGuard is Different

Enter ViaGuard, and their Jack or Jill test.  It’s completely rooted in science.  It’s completely non-invasive.  (At least as far as the baby’s concerned.)  And it’s extremely accurate as early as 7 weeks!  The only potential drawback is the cost (which is also an issue with other reliable – but more invasive – methods).

ViaGuard’s test works based on the fact that fairly early in pregnancy, some of the baby’s DNA begins circulating in his mama’s bloodstream.  If baby is a boy, this DNA includes a Y chromosome – which mama doesn’t carry on her own – thus distinguishing between the maternal blood of a mother pregnant with a boy and the maternal blood of a mother carrying a girl.

How it Works

You order a test kit, which includes the submission form, a blood vial, and a return envelope.  You take the kit to a lab and have them do a blood draw.  (When I’ve had to have a blood draw done – for this or other purposes – they’ve typically charged me somewhere around $10 for the draw.)  Then you ship the sample vial back to them in the envelope provided, along with your form and payment, and in about a week they’ll send you your results, by whatever method(s) you chose – telephone, email, or mail.

What About the 2%?

So what about the 2% margin of error?  Well, nothing is 100%.  (Except giving birth to the baby, of course!)  It’s a test, and all lab tests have the potential for error.  Mostly, the potential for error is in – well, error.  If the blood sample was contaminated by the phlebotomist, for instance.  It seems to me that there’s a very slight chance that the test could not detect the Y chromosome and tell you you’re having a girl, when you’re really having a boy, ‘though it cannot happen the other way around.  And if you’re having twins, I’m thinking all bets are off (unless you’re having two girls, in which case the Y chromosome will be absent).  But 98% is an excellent accuracy rate for lab testing of pretty much any kind.  Certainly more dependable than ultrasound gender prediction!

My Thoughts

I love that there is absolutely no risk to the baby.  There’s pretty much no risk to mama, either, assuming you’re using a standard, modern lab to draw the blood!

I love that the accuracy is so high.  98% accurate after 7 weeks of pregnancy.  WOW.  You can know almost three months sooner than with an ultrasound!

The only thing I didn’t love was the cost.  The test itself was about $300, considering the cost of the test kit and the lab fee together, when I was first looking into it.  This might not be too bad, except shipping was rather crazy.  Because the lab is in Canada and I’m in the US, the shipping was international.  It cost over $70 to get it there by the least expensive method I found.  (I about keeled over when the clerk told me the price.)  I wish that ViaGuard would arrange to set up a box in Buffalo or something, so US-based consumers could ship within the US.  I forgot to check, but I bet that would have cut my shipping cost in half.  The price is already coming down, though, due to increased demand.  (To order on Amazon is only $99.)

So, if you’re prepared for the cost, the costs/risks/benefits all balance out to make this by far the best option for finding out baby’s gender, in my mind.  (Assuming, of course,you are looking to find out before baby is actually born.)

Disclosure: ViaGuard completed my test at no charge to me (except my shipping!) to facilitate my review.  As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.