Does Sonagram Mistakes Happen Nowadays?

Updated on January 03, 2009
M.B. asks from San Jose, CA
42 answers

Hi to all the moms,
I had my sonogram Friday @ 19 weeks. The tech told me that it's a girl, but i have a strong feeling that it's a boy. This pregnancy is very different from the first which was a girl. I just want to know if mistakes still happens, anyone?

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J.C.

answers from Sacramento on

My sister in law had 2 different prenancies. The first was a boy. They second they said was a girl, about 3 times! Well, he's all boy! I had to go buy them some boy clothes so he wouldnt go home from the hospital in a pink outfit! Good luck!

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J.D.

answers from San Francisco on

Yes they do make mistakes. I know someone that was told they were having a girl, & when the baby arrived it was a boy. Good luck. J. D

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K.W.

answers from San Francisco on

my answer........ALL the time. I know someone who had 3 ultrasounds, confirmed a girl........BOY!!!

More Answers

C.C.

answers from Fresno on

Hi M.,
I just have to chime in - yes, they still do make mistakes! A lady in my maternity yoga class was told she was having a girl, and after painting the room pink and buying little frilly baby dresses... she had a boy!

On the other hand, I was just sure I was having a boy the second time - same as you, the pregnancy was so different from the last time when I'd had a girl. But I had a 3D ultrasound and there was no question about it - she was definitely a girl! You could see everything clear as day on the screen. (Although my little girl, now 3, is something of a tomboy, but I don't think that counts! =)

Best of luck with your pregnancy! I can't wait to hear if it's a girl or a boy, please update us when you know for sure!!

1 mom found this helpful
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H.L.

answers from St. Louis on

I am an example of a "mis-read" of the sonogram. I did not have any really strong feelings about the sex of the baby, but my pregnancy was similar to my first, just much more severe morning sickness. My tech said it was a girl. when my husband asked if there was any possibility it could be a boy and it just was not clear in the screen, the tech got very offended and said "look- here is your daughter's vulva." Well, I have a healthy 10 month old son! Not sure what the tech was looking at! We had not bought a lot of things because we already had a daughter, so I got to do the fun shopping again! I would just wait until the baby is born to start shopping- my husband went to the store for a going home outfit that night! I know you know this, but all that matters is s/he is healthy. Enjoy the suspense!

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C.P.

answers from Sacramento on

I'm affraid that mistakes still happen. It depends on the position of the baby and the experience of the tech. I will tell you that with my first which is a boy the tech told us that we were having a girl until she started to measure the femor (sp?) when she discovered the boy part hiding. My second child which is also a boy the pregancy was very different from my first. I sugest that if you are able to afford it get a 4D ultrasound! The experience is sooooo worth it! Good luck!

E.D.

answers from San Francisco on

It depends on the type of sonogram you had. The 3-D are very accurate, but the old kind they have been doing for years can make mistakes. I had a son after 6 sonograms told me he was a girl. He was just a wee 5lb boy. I wouldn't paint my baby room pink quite yet. :)

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A.A.

answers from San Diego on

Hello M. ,
yes they can have a mistakes . a friend of mine was pregnant few months back and they told her she was having a boy and then she end up having a girl .

the best way is to do a 4D or 3D there is no mistake there .

Good luck and let us know please ...
A.

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K.V.

answers from San Francisco on

Oh, sure! Sometimes the baby is wiggling/rolling around too much or they're covering their privates in some way. When my husband's step-sister was pregnant, her baby kept having its legs crossed so they didn't truly know the sex til it came out.....a boy. And, I think us moms have a pretty good sense second time around. I thought for sure I was having a boy the second time around based on how I felt (similar to the 1st time) & the way I was carrying & sure enough, it was another boy. I also really feel the old wives tale of how you carrry is pretty accurate....at least in my experience for myself & my friends that I've seen go thru multiple pregnancies. Best of luck!

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M.S.

answers from San Francisco on

M.,

I just had a conversation with a a friend about this! She was told it was a girl--for sure, but when the baby was born it was a boy. So, its possible but probably more rare. If you are still uncertain, I would ask for another ultrasound in a few weeks for reassurance- Good luck to you and congratulations on your baby!!!

Molly

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S.M.

answers from Fresno on

Mistakes happen. My cousin was told she was having a boy and so everything they did to get ready was boy stuff, then she had a 3-D ultrasound and was told it most definately was not a boy, a couple of weeks later her daughter was born. As for different pregnancies, I have 2 boys and my pregnancies were pretty different.

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C.D.

answers from San Francisco on

Mistakes do happen, especially when it may be a girl b/c the baby may be hiding his little boy parts in the picture. Did the tech give you a percentage of certainty? Maybe you want an appointment with your doctor to be more certain. I don't disclaim your intuition but a different feeling pregnancy does not necessarily mean a different sex. I was convinced my first was a girl but it turned out to be my beautiful little boy and I would not change a thing

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U.S.

answers from Yuba City on

If they say it's a boy you can pretty well bank on it. If they say it's a girl there is a possibility they might have missed "a little some thing" due to positioning or shadows.

U.

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R.F.

answers from Salinas on

Anything is possible.. but my 2nd pregnancy was totally and completely differnt from the 1st.. I was certain I was having a boy based just on that... but low and behold.. two girls in my house these days. Just enjoy.. and keep all the receipts!

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J.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Oh yes! I have a friend who is due next month and the tech just told her it was a boy... it started out a girl and then sprouted some testicles, i guess! The only for sure way of knowing is giving birth. A lot of people say you can tell by the way you're carrying. They say if you're gaining weight all over that it's a girl, if you look like you're sprouting a basketball in the front, it's a boy.

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J.B.

answers from San Francisco on

These things do happen. My sister in law was told she was having a girl and she ended up having a boy. My mother had to go exchange all the stuff in the room before she got out of the hospital-it was a little crazy. However they usually will mistake a boy for a girl and not the other way around. I read this in one of my books. My husband and I thought for sure we were having a boy with our second one, and were shocked when they told us girl. We kind of had doubts, but they were correct it was a girl!

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A.P.

answers from San Francisco on

I know someone that this recently happened to. They were told they were going to have a girl from the ultrasound and they got a whole bunch of pink stuff. the day the baby was born, they had a boy. But I also know someone that had 2 girls and she said here pregnancies were like opposites. The 3d ultrasound can give u an accurate sex, if the baby is in position

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E.H.

answers from San Francisco on

hi M.,
this is exactly what happenned to my cousin she had a baby girl first, then she got pregnant again she went in for her ultradound and they told her it was a girl but she was just like you, she kept saying that it could not be true becasue she felt like it was a boy. Any way she went and spent the money that she didn't have to get one of those 3d ultrasounds it turns out it was a boy so i don't know if you have the budget to get one of these ultrasounds but if you do and you have a very strong feeling that your doctor was not right go for it and do it.It worked out for my cousin.

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A.H.

answers from San Francisco on

HI M.,
Congratulations! You must be so excited. I imagine ultrasounds make mistakes, but I also think you are in a terrific position. I chose not to find out the sex of my baby and it was the BEST surprise of my life. I was certain it was a boy and when she was born a girl it took a little adjusting, but when do we have the opportunity for such a surprise in our lives?
I realize you probably want to plan and want to know how much stuff to keep from your little girl. I understand, but consider for a moment not knowing and waiting until the big day.
Thanks for listening to my 2 cents!
A.

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S.L.

answers from Sacramento on

Hi Meila, I am an ultrasound tech and I can only speak for myself, but when I scan a baby, the gender is so obvious. I have never heard of myself being wrong and I could see the organs as early as 13 weeks. It is really tech dependent though. Do your images look clear, if so it is really likey that they are right. Don't go by how you feel because if I had a dollar for everytime someone said I know it's the oppostite sex because my pregnancy is so different, then I would be a millionaire. Good luck and if you really want a second look, try a 3d. S.

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D.Q.

answers from Stockton on

Mistakes absolutely happen, but every pregnancy is different as well, even if the babies are the same sex. Just because this pregnancy is different than the first doesn't mean the baby's a different sex. The only way you'll know for sure is when that baby is finally born. It's called "practicing" medicine for a reason!! Good luck!

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D.V.

answers from San Francisco on

Is they are going to make a mistake it is usally to declare a girl when it is a boy. However, the differnt symptoms we have during pregnancy really haven't been shown to be an indicator of one gender or the other. I've heard the same symptoms attributed to each gender of kid. You can always get a second ultrasound later.

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C.T.

answers from Sacramento on

I had a friend who was told they were going to have a girl and it was a boy. I think the girl prediction is wrong up to 25% of the time. You may want to do it again although be aware that having ultrasounds that are not medically necessary may not be good for your baby. We just don't know the effect of what bombarding them with the sonographic frequencies does. We assume it is safe but it is not advisable to do unless there is a medical need.

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R.B.

answers from San Francisco on

It depends upon the quality / age of the ultrasound equpiment and the experience on the technician. "Mistakes" are made because they're guessing based on "it looks like". Rarely are mistakes made when you see the sex organs. I've only heard of being told it's a girl and out pops a boy.

Our insurance opted for having all mothers go for the more expensive ultrasound (and driving 20 miles for it!) because it was cheaper to negotiate a lower rate for all expectant mothers to have the more comprehensive one than to pay for it to be done in the doctor's office and then pay exorbinate rates for those that needed to go in for the 2nd or 3rd ones for the more detailed view.

With both my kids, my husband, without prompting and who is not in the medical field, could identify the sex organs on the screen with the level 2 equipment (we have one of each now).

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L.M.

answers from Fresno on

Yes, there is always a possibility of a mistake but remember each a every pregnancy is going to be different. My first, I threw up more than 20 times a day for 2 weeks, felt horrible and had to be induced. My second pregnancy, only 12 months later, I never threw up, felt great, went into labor at 32 weeks and gave birth to my second son. My third was a mixture of the two, little sick and still had premature labor but produced a little girl. I swore my second son was going to be a girl since my pregnancies were like night and day. Just remember to enjoy these times. They go by so quickly!

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Y.H.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi there :)

I am a Mom to 4 ( 19 year old boy (oh I mean young man), 17 1/2 year old boy, 15 year old boy and 8 year old girl). With my first they told me it was a girl, I had 5 sonograms all said girl. Well, they were wrong, it was a boy! With my second I didn't have any sonograms but I thought it was a girl because the pregnacy was different, it was another boy. With my 3rd, I was so sure I was going to have a girl but the sonogram said boy and I had a boy. With my last pregnacy I was really sure it was going to be another boy but the sonogram said girl and to my surprise it was a GIRL! All of my sonograms were done at 20 weeks. So in my case just the first sonogram was wrong, now a days I think they are pretty accurate. Good luck and many blessings! Y.

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S.T.

answers from San Francisco on

I just glanced over what responses you have gotten. Have you done the old ring test? Put a gold ring on a long piece of string or a long necklace and hold it steady over your belly. Then try it on anyone else and see what happens. I could not say it is guarenteed to be accurate but sure is fun. If the ring moves in a circle then it is probably a girl. If the ring moves back and forth in a straight line then it may be a boy. Can't wait to hear what the ring does.

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

Dear M.,
Yes mistakes still happen. Not mistakes, necessarily, but it depends on how the test is interpreted by the tech. With my daughter, they doctor looked at it and said he was pretty sure it was a girl, but the only way to know for sure was to have her. With my son, he was turned just right so there was no mistaking the fact that he was definitely a boy. Both of my pregnancies were wildly different, but it had nothing to do with the sex of the babies.
Believe me, I wanted to know with both of my pregnancies if it was a boy or a girl, but getting a healthy baby is the main thing.
You're only about 1/2 way through your pregnancy, so if you have a sonogram later, the results may be a little more conclusive.
Take good care of yourself and be sure to let us know when your bundle of joy arrives.

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L.D.

answers from Modesto on

Yes mistakes can still happen on ultrasound, although it is not common anymore. The only way to know the sex 100% for sure is to have genetic testing by doing an amniocentesis.

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J.K.

answers from Fresno on

Yes mistakes can still happen. If they are positioned a certain way you could miss the obvious but my motto was to be prepared for either one. I think only the amnio is for sure.

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S.H.

answers from San Francisco on

Now days the sonograms are pretty accurate. If you have a piture that can tell the baby is a girl then it is. By this stage in your pregnancy it the p****** p*** is showing they can tell. I really thought that my 3rd baby was going to be a boy since I was carrying different and I felt different. I have 3 girls. Good luck!

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K.H.

answers from Modesto on

Yes, mistakes do still happen. Which is why I opted out of both finding out the sex and the amniocentesis.

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N.S.

answers from San Francisco on

My thrid pregnancy was very similar to my first which was a boy. My second pregnancy was very different which was a girl. We thought for sure our third was going to be a boy, We wanted a surprise this time, I felt like it was a boy and like I said the pregnancy was very similar to my first. I almost wrote the boy name that we picked out on the new x-mas stocking. I decided to wait and glad I did, we had a girl. Yes we were surprised. So I threw superstitions out the door. I think the feelings were from us wanting to have a boy, but are very blessed with another girl, and our two girls are so close. Everytime I hang up my daughters stocking, I think how I almost put a boy name on it. I had a sonogram for my first two and they were right. My dr. knew we were having a girl on my third, so I guess I can say that one was right as well.

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B.M.

answers from Salinas on

Of course mistakes happen, but I have to tell you that my pregnancies were polar opposites and I have two girls. I was sure the second time around that I was going to have a boy, but my doctor said "girl", and volunteered that he had never been wrong when predicting 20 weeks on in his 20+ years of practice. Not to say that he couldnt be wrong, but he was right. The earliest a doctor can see the sex organs on a growing baby is 16 weeks, yours should be well pronounced by now. In some areas doctors will do 3D ultra sounds for fun that cost anywhere from $100.00 to $200.00. Look into it if you are that curious, but keep in mind that your insurance wont cover another unless it is medically necessary. so the $100.00 to $200.00 would be your responsibility.

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M.F.

answers from Stockton on

A friend of mine was told that she was having a girl too. Well 10 weeks before baby was due she had another ultrasound and it was a boy. They said that the testicals do not drop sometimes until around 26 weeks. BUT on another note, I just had baby #2. I was for sure that it was a boy. Completely different feelings than the first and no morning sickness this time (I was sick for 6 months with the first). Well we just had our second daughter. I would say that anything is possible these days. I asked my doctor to do another ultrasound around 26 weeks to double check it was a girl. My reason was, how do you tell a two year old you are having a sister and if it came out a boy, what would you do? Good luck to you!

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M.T.

answers from Bakersfield on

Yes, mistakes still happen. Just go with the flow and your gut and you'll have another sonogram later. Our son kept covering up and we were told the gender couldn't be certain. We ended up going to a place called Baby Sightings for 4D pictures and a dvd with movement and heartbeat. This was when I was about 6 months pregnant. It was around Christmas and I got the gift of knowing the gender of our baby! It was so fun and my husband and I were both in tears just watching the huge tv screen.

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K.B.

answers from San Francisco on

There are two fail-safe ways to find out if you are having a boy or a girl.

1) Give birth.
2) Have an amniocentisis. This test will tell you if you have an XX (girl) or an XY (boy) based on the genetic material contained in the amniotic fluid that the baby floats in.

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S.L.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi
The DEF happen.. had a friend who was told she was having a girl.. the babyshower was being based all around that, ends up, she goes into labor early misses the party and has a BOY... now, some bought neutral colored gifts, but there was a lot of PINK.... so there was some returning to do... if you do have a shower.. don't tell ppl the sex of the baby, this way, you don't get all pink or blue..

good luck

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A.L.

answers from San Francisco on

With my 2nd pregnancy I "felt" I was having a boy. Everyone told me I "looked" like I was carrying a boy. We had an ultra sound and was shocked to hear that it was a girl. I thought the tech had to be wrong because my pregnancy was very different than my first pregnancy with my daughter. But we were all wrong! She's all girl and she's completely different from her sister. Good Luck and I would say just buy neutral things for now ;o)

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D.T.

answers from San Francisco on

yes, mistakes happen - but all pregnancies are different. Just because you feel different than when you carried your girl, doesn't mean you can't have another girl.

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E.V.

answers from San Francisco on

oh yeah... two sonagrams said girl, but he is definitely a boy... my second and they were both different pregnancies!

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C.A.

answers from San Francisco on

I have a cousin who was pregnant with her second daughter, had pink clothes, a pink nursery, etc and had a boy! I've heard of this happening to a few "friends of friends". I've also heard it is more common for them to say it's a girl and it turn out to be a boy then vis versa. I wasn't 100% convinced that I was having a girl so I got a 3D sonogram. It's much clearer what you are having, although I still thought I could see some testicles, but I do have a girl so I think it's a good thing I'm not a sonogram technician person =O)
Best of luck and congratulations!!!

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