Jun 23, 2009 4:11 pm US/Eastern
HealthWatch: At-Home Gender Detection Kit
By 10 Weeks You Could Know Sex Of Your Baby To Be, But Questions Of Accuracy, Fears Of Abortion Persist
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
It's the big question many parents wait until birth to find out: is it a boy or is it a girl?
But for those who don't want to wait, they can now find out earlier than ever.
CBS 2 HD has learned of a new at-home gender detection kit and the controversy surrounding it.
When it came to knowing the gender of her baby, Carolyn Lamargo preferred the element of surprise.
"There's just something about that moment, when the baby came out, and we had no idea," Lamargo said.
The same can be said for Maureen Lenihan.
"To each their own. If they want to know, that's fine," Lenihan said.
More than half of Americans say they would want to know, and for those curious soon-to-be parents, now there's a new over-the-counter test that can tell you your baby's gender at just 10 weeks.
"There are people that do want to know from the moment they are pregnant. It's their dream, aspirations," said Dr. Lois Brustman of St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital.
The gender prediction test works like a pregnancy test. It looks for gender-specific hormones in the mother's urine.
In just minutes, the test vessel turns orange for a girl, green for a boy.
The test is fast and easy, but doesn't tell you as much as testing at the doctor's office.
Most women have a standard ultrasound at 18 weeks of gestation and it can pick up the gender of the baby and much more, including the location of the placenta, and possible complications.
And the home gender test is controversial.
Since it's performed at 10 weeks and abortions are routinely performed until 12 weeks into the pregnancy, some worry that parents may misuse the advantage of knowing so soon.
"Whenever anyone finds out the sex of the baby, but especially early, that they might choose to terminate a pregnancy because of gender," Dr. Brustman said.
And accuracy is an issue. The home test was correct only 82 percent of the time, according to one study by the manufacturer.
Nonetheless, the test may be tempting for many, but as for Lamargo, "I think were just going to hold out."
Tests such as amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling detect gender with close to 100 percent accuracy. They also to give doctors and parents a peek into their developing baby's genes.
They can pick up illnesses such as spina bifida, which may be treated before the baby is born.
Whether using the gender prediction test or not, expectant mothers should see an obstetrician in the first trimester of pregnancy.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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