The Relationship Between Placental Location and Fetal Gender (Ramzi’s Method)
This study contributes to advances in knowledge by understanding the history of fetal gender and the ethical dilemma of choosing or detecting fetal gender at first trimester of the pregnancy. It gives new prospective and method to detect fetal gender as early as possible to better manage some genetic disease which can be found in male or female fetuses.
Editor's Note: The following information provides an update on gender prediction and Ramzi's method, inserted on October 23, 2020.
__
There are a multitude of reasons for parents to want to know the gender of their baby. Maybe they want to get started on the nursery or register for the baby shower.
A baby’s gender is often detected via ultrasound around 20 weeks of pregnancy.1 What if there was a way to know sooner?
To answer the question, Dr. Saam Ramzi Ismali developed a theory (Ramzi’s method) that fetal sex could be determined as early as 6 weeks into pregnancy. The theory claims that the location of the placenta, or trophoblast, can define fetal gender as early as six weeks via ultrasound. If the placenta is developing on the left side, the sex is female. If it is developing on the right, the sex is male.
Unfortunately, Ramzi’s method has not been confirmed in any additional studies. There are no outward signs of sex until about 9 weeks of pregnancy. Differentiated genitalia cannot be seen clearly until about 15 weeks.2 As a result, many ob/gyns dismiss the validity of Ramzi’s method entirely.
A gender prediction method that has been studied, however, is the use of cell-free DNA. Researchers used cell-free fetal DNA in plasma of pregnant women to determine the early gender of the fetus with 96.7% accuracy.3
__
References
- Fetal Development: Stages of Growth. Cleveland Clinic. Accessed October 21, 2020. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7247-fetal-development-stages-of-growth
- Santiago-Munoz P. Boy or girl? The difficulties of early gender prediction. diction. University of Texas Southwestern. December 20, 2016. Accessed October 21, 2020. https://utswmed.org/medblog/gender-prediction/
- Zargari M, Sadeghi MR, Shahhosseiny MH, et al. Fetal Sex Determination using Non-Invasive Method of Cell-free Fetal DNA in Maternal Plasma of Pregnant Women During 6(th)- 10(th) Weeks of Gestation. Avicenna J Med Biotechnol. 2011;3(4):201-206.
__
Newsletter
Get the latest clinical updates, case studies, and expert commentary in obstetric and gynecologic care. Sign up now to stay informed.
Trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole not found to increase infant birth weight in HIV cases
July 9th 2025A recent randomized trial found no significant improvement in birth weight or key birth outcomes from antenatal trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis in human immunodeficiency virus-positive pregnant women.
Read More
