Daniel Chukwuemeka Okwum. Uncle scan.
This has actually become a
very serious issue in our hospitals today as pregnant women would sometimes
hardly believe scan results they are issued. This is aught not to be as it make
patients lose confidence in our diagnosis, and in the role ultrasound should play
in the healthcare system in general. You may be willing to know why such
inconsistencies occur, especially in fetal gender determination.
To some persons especially first timers in the baby making ministry, the gender of the baby they are going to have may not be an issue. However, for those who had got a boy or two do look forward to birthing a girl, and vice versa. How wonderful would it be that you are soon going to deliver a baby with the gender you so desired? That would be Great! Knowing the gender of your baby helps you to prepare adequately for delivery in a customized way. Long before delivery, you would have done shopping for clothes, shoes head bands and the like. How devastating would it be that upon delivery you soon discovered that the baby in your hands is not who you prepared to receive? Though you might not bother so much about it, but some other persons would bother, especially when the reality is not the desired gender.
It is therefore important to talk about possible reasons why such mix up might happen so that you can know how to guide against it.
It is
possible that you may be under pressure from your family to produce a male or a
female child, of which failure to do so may cost you your marriage. It is unfortunate that some women are facing domestic assault, lack of financial and emotional support and hunger in their matrimonial homes because they kept having female kids or vise versa. I sincerely think some men need to learn more and do away with old fashioned mentality that make life unbearable for women.
This pressure informs why you tend to get so anxious to know it as soon as possible. However, I want you to please understand that accuracy and reliability of result obtained is key so as to avoid the personnel being tempted to guess, and upon delivery you find out he actually guessed wrongly. That would not be alright. Be patient. When your baby’s gender is checked at the right time, there is guarantee of a reliable result.
I believe, with these few points of mine I have been able to convince and not to confuse you that if your baby's gender scan is done at the right time, in the right way and by the right person, you will have nothing to get unhappy about when you eventually deliver your baby. I wish you a pleasant experience as you carry your baby to term and a safe delivery.
I put it to you, should a baby’s
gender change? The answer is no. If it was well done ad initio, it should
remain the same. Many a time after informing a patient about the gender of her
baby; I hear a question like “Does a baby’s gender change?” Your guess is as good as mine - No; It’s not possible! Sometimes I ask in return, “Since
mum gave birth to you, has your gender ever changed?” The answer I get is a capital
NO. So if babies gender do not change, how is it that sometimes you hear your
friends say stuffs like “my doc lied: he said my baby was a girl, but I gave
birth to a BBB-Bouncing Baby Boy…It’s like scan lies”
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Image showing Penis and Scrotum XY = Baby boy
Source: Uncle Scan Ultrasound album
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But before I tell you why, I
would love to give you possible codes that may suggest a baby’s gender.
GENDER
CODES
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MEANING
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XX, Pink, skirt and blouse
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Female
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XY, blue, shirt and
trousers
|
Male
|
To some persons especially first timers in the baby making ministry, the gender of the baby they are going to have may not be an issue. However, for those who had got a boy or two do look forward to birthing a girl, and vice versa. How wonderful would it be that you are soon going to deliver a baby with the gender you so desired? That would be Great! Knowing the gender of your baby helps you to prepare adequately for delivery in a customized way. Long before delivery, you would have done shopping for clothes, shoes head bands and the like. How devastating would it be that upon delivery you soon discovered that the baby in your hands is not who you prepared to receive? Though you might not bother so much about it, but some other persons would bother, especially when the reality is not the desired gender.
It is therefore important to talk about possible reasons why such mix up might happen so that you can know how to guide against it.
1. Premature gender search
This
is the key cause of the wrong gender determination. There is the best time to go do gender scan, of
which an attempt to determine it before then may lead to an error in outcome.
Even the wisest man who ever lived on the earth said “There is time for every
purpose under the heaven”. While I acknowledge that every radiology department
has a protocol to ensure accuracy of results obtained, I will yet give my
humble suggestions in line with my training, practice and experience. If the
normal scan is to be done, I will advise you wait till about 20weeks gestation
age (GA) before doing a gender check. This does not imply that it the gender
may not be known at about 16weeks, but the reliability of outcome at 16weeks is
much lower compared to 20weeks GA, when the genital is expected to be well developed. But if you are willing to do a transvaginal scan
(TVS), where a long scan instrument, called TVS probe would be inserted into
your vagina for the examination, you may succeed at about 14weeks, though some
sonographers may pin it down at 12weeks gestation age. Note that any attempt to
ignore these standards may lead to inaccuracy in results obtained.
2. Unduly Anxious Patients
From
experience, I make bold to say that some patients may be responsible for their
plights. Some of you sometimes get unduly anxious to have at least the slightest idea
of what your baby’s gender is. So, you mount pressure on me to guess or say
what I think you are having when the baby is not yet matured enough for me to find
out that. This happens sometimes, but I have a protocol which must be
respected all the time to avoid any form of error. Please understand that.
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Image showing the lip-like labias for XX = Baby Girl
Source: Uncle Scan Ultrasound album
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This pressure informs why you tend to get so anxious to know it as soon as possible. However, I want you to please understand that accuracy and reliability of result obtained is key so as to avoid the personnel being tempted to guess, and upon delivery you find out he actually guessed wrongly. That would not be alright. Be patient. When your baby’s gender is checked at the right time, there is guarantee of a reliable result.
3.
Quackery
As there
are lots of genuine personnel, there are also quacks practicing sonography, especially
here in Africa. Quacks are persons who claim to possess special knowledge, and
so go on to practice a profession despite informal training and qualification. Likewise,
such persons are here also pretending to be who they are not. Most times quacks
works outside hospital settings because they lack a qualifying certificate. These
quacks had studied unrelated subjects like microbiology, biochemistry, zoology
and the likes in college but suddenly jumped the gun to make some cool money in
this aspect of medicine which they consider simple but have become little foxes
that destroys the vine. You would need to find out how qualified the personnel
who would scan your baby is, to be sure you are in safe hands.
4. Miracle.
I believe in miracles. Miracle is real. But most times, it happens when you strongly desire and/or ask for it in prayers. It rarely happens when you are indifferent about it. Indeed, God honours prayers of faith. Mostimes, He needs our approval to do miracles. So if your baby's gender changed against your wish, most people would sincerely not consider it a miracle, but a possible error.
4. Miracle.
I believe in miracles. Miracle is real. But most times, it happens when you strongly desire and/or ask for it in prayers. It rarely happens when you are indifferent about it. Indeed, God honours prayers of faith. Mostimes, He needs our approval to do miracles. So if your baby's gender changed against your wish, most people would sincerely not consider it a miracle, but a possible error.
I believe, with these few points of mine I have been able to convince and not to confuse you that if your baby's gender scan is done at the right time, in the right way and by the right person, you will have nothing to get unhappy about when you eventually deliver your baby. I wish you a pleasant experience as you carry your baby to term and a safe delivery.
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