Midwife said she couldn't tell the sex but...

[Wiggy29]

At our 16 week scan dp & I both came out convinced it was a boy. Loads going on around that area&i was sure I saw the scrotum. We weren't 100% sure if we wanted to find out so we just asked if she 'could' tell what it is but she said it wasn't clear enough.

We both don't mind what we have but it's made us really curious. I can't think why midwife would say she it wasn't clear enough if dp& I both thought it was clearly a boy, I can only assume that she's the expert&dp & I are totally wrong& it could just be the cord/ other bits (?) etc.

Anybody had a similar experience?

The sonographer wouldn't have wanted to say for certain unless it was really clear - there certainly are other things that could be mistaken for boybits, and at 16 weeks the female fetus can also have a bulgy bit down there as bits are forming (have a look at the 17 week female photos on this site) so it's likely that the sonographer was correct that it wasn't clear enough to be certain.

A friend of mine was convinced she was having a boy as she thought she had seen this on the scan. She had a girl.

Was it a sonographer performing the scan or a midwife?
If a midwife then she probably isn't as qualified and doesn't know what to look for with as much certainty.

A friend of mine is a sonographer and she often has patients that says they can tell its a boy/girl. They're quite often wrong as it's difficult for an untrained eye to tell. I don't think at 16 weeks it would actually look like a scrotum as they're still developing. Sonographers tell by the lines that are developing.

It may be a boy but I wouldn't get too excited as it also may not be

I don't even know how you can tell, to be honest. I could hardly make out a thigh from the spine - useless! When they were pointing things out I would just nod and say "mmhmm".

Not to be rude but if I'd take their judgement over my own. And also at 16 weeks, aren't they also looking pretty much the same in terms of the lines?

At my 20 week scan I was convinced I could see a penis (I mean totally convinced) so when the 2 sonographers both said we think it's a girl I was almost a bit disbelieving. Will find out in 4 weeks time

FWIW - hope it's a girl now as have so much pink stuff!

My hospital has a policy of not telling parents until the 20+ week scan. There are big notices in the waiting room saying "please do not ask on any scans before 20 weeks as we will not provide that information". Perhaps your hospital has that policy. Also I think its possible to get it very wrong at that stage.

Safe to say we could be totally wrong then We don't have a boy/girl preference so don't mind at all if wrong- just curious! Thanks for advice.