Should I have had a full bladder for my gender scan?

[Missnicolinda96]

Hi guys. The other day I had a gender scan at 16 weeks privately. My bladder wasn't empty but not full either. I'm concerned this could have affected the accuracy of the result. I was told it was a girl, and obviously they re never 100% but I don't know whether or not to 1.have it confirmed at 20 weeks (but the suspense is killing me!) 2. Have a blood test done privately to avoid contamination or 3. Do another gender scan.

Of course they can be wrong occasionally but I feel like I'd be confident if I had another back up.

Just wait til the Anomoly Scan. Is it really essential that you know right now? I appreciate some people have reasons (eg genetic health issues that affect certain sexes), but it's a 50 50 and you will know within a month anyway

Yes you need a full bladder. I'd also recommend the Harmony test if you want a more accurate screening result re not just sex but abnormalities. I was very anxious and throwing as much as I could at my pregnancy screening-wise really helped

I would book another gender scan and make sure I have a full bladder, but that would mean I'd have had a lot of scans, which is worrying me.

I want to know now before I get too attached to the idea of having a little girl whilst knowing it may not be accurate. Obviously a healthy baby is the main thing, but I would love to start buying girly clothes. Harmony is an option for sure. I know several places that do them.

Personally, I would wait until after your 20 week scan anyway to start buying anything as then you know baby is healthy. At your 20 week scan they will tell you what percentile your baby is. This will help you work out which size is most likely to be used. My baby was measuring on the 90th percentile at the 20 week scan (and around that for subsequent scans) so I bought clothes that were newborn or first size up to 10lbs. If your baby is measuring 50th percentile you probably won’t need to worry about sizing too much but if they’re small for gestational age, then you might want to consider tiny baby.

There isn't a gender scan. There is a dating scan and an anomaly scan.

@helpadvicewhateverneeded

There isn't a gender scan. There is a dating scan and an anomaly scan.

Don’t be pedantic. Many private clinics allow you to book what is commonly called a gender scan. These are separate from the scans offered by the NHS.

Pretty sure I'll be as pedantic as I want but thanks for the feedback :-)

Waiting for a few weeks isn't going to hurt anyone, OP.

@helpadvicewhateverneeded

There isn't a gender scan. There is a dating scan and an anomaly scan.

I suspect from the OPs post that this is something people can book privately.

Just wait and start shopping in a month or so, OP. It sounds "cold" but the scan at 20 weeks is specifically to look for potential health issues. So it's usually "safer" to shop after that as there may be additional health factors to consider in the pregnancy.

Yeah tbh I think you are right to start shopping after the anomaly scan. God knows I'm crapping myself for it! But everyone goes through the same thing and usually things turn out OK.

I had a private gender scan done a few days ago I was told by the clinic to have a full bladder, and the sonographer started the scan and said the picture quality etc. wasn’t good because of my full bladder and told me to go to the toilet. I came back and he did the scan and said when you’re more than 16 weeks you don’t need a full bladder as the baby is big enough now for them to see.

@Missnicolinda96 Its really depends on your body type. I always go with an empty bladder (I go to the toilet before the scan). The sonographers always comment how easy to see everything, as I am very slim. I got told at week 16 I am having a little girl. Confirmed at week 20, also on a privet scan at week 30 and on a growth scan at week 34.
I started to buy baby clothes around week 16. I would suggest to buy new-born, as they usually very gender neutral, most of them white anyways. Maybe save the very girly stuff after the 20 weeks scan.
Personally, I would not pay for an other scan or blood test. I know the waiting is hard, but if they said you are having a girl, you most likely are.

Just wait OP. I've never had a private scan so can't comment on that but 4 weeks will go quickly with Christmas. Why do you think they might be wrong?

I did email them and they did say that a full bladder is good but not always necessary. They so said that the sonographer wouldn't say the gender unless they were sure. They would ask you to come back. I had an empty bladder at my 12 week scan and it was absolutely fine too.

Hmm I'm not sure. I had a gender scan at 16w with dc2 with a full bladder and the sonogorapher told me to go and empty it! She then said boy. At my 20w scan I was told girl and he was, in fact, a boy. So even the 20w scan can be wrong! I'd be inclined to wait for the 20w scan and if they aren't sure then book another private one.

If gender is how you feel and fluid and can be changed and has no bearing on your genitals, how do you have a gender scan?