The moment you announce you’re expecting, everyone has a theory about your baby’s gender. Whether it’s how you’re carrying or what you’re craving, these predictions are often based on old wives’ tales and passed-down folklore.
While most of these signs aren’t supported by science, many parents still enjoy comparing their symptoms to popular pregnancy myths and old wives’ tales. Here are 23 lighthearted clues people say point to a baby girl.
Important note: These signs are based on folklore, personal experiences, and popular pregnancy myths. Only medical testing can accurately determine your baby’s sex.
Key Takeaways
- Most signs you’re having a girl are based on folklore rather than science.
- Symptoms and pregnancy experiences vary widely from person to person.
- Some studies have explored differences between male and female pregnancies.
- Ultrasound and NIPT testing are the most reliable ways to determine baby sex.
- These signs are best viewed as fun predictions rather than medical facts.
Can You Tell If You’re Having a Girl Without a Test?
Many of the signs associated with carrying a girl come from folklore, family traditions, and personal experiences passed down through generations. While some studies have explored possible differences between pregnancies involving girls and boys, most of these signs are not reliable predictors of a baby’s sex. The only way to know for certain is through medical testing, such as NIPT testing, ultrasound, or diagnostic procedures recommended by your healthcare provider.
23 Supposed Signs You’re Having a Girl
From food cravings to skin changes, these signs you’re having a girl are rooted in old myths, personal stories, and a few loosely based scientific ideas. While none are guaranteed, they add fun and curiosity to your pregnancy experience as you count down to baby’s arrival.
1. How You Carry
According to this tale, carrying high vs. low can make all the difference. This myth says you’ll deliver a little princess if you carry high. In reality, if it’s your first pregnancy, you may carry higher because your abdominal wall isn’t stretched out yet. Subsequent pregnancies may appear to be carried lower each time.1
2. Quick Fetal Heart Rate
Another myth says a faster heart rate is a sign you’re having a girl. But your baby’s heart rate will increase daily as it grows, beginning at about 90 to 110 beats per minute and peaking in your ninth week between 140 and 170 beats per minute.2
Related: How To Conceive a Certain Gender
3. Craving Sweets
You know what they say: Little girls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice. Maybe this is why one of the supposed signs you’re having a girl is craving sweets. However, most pregnancy cravings are often related to deficiencies in specific vitamins or minerals.3
4. Skin Troubles
If you’re wondering if acne or oily skin in pregnancy is a sign of a girl, it’s a definite possibility, according to this myth. Acne, as well as other skin issues, is said to be a gender predictor. However, your hormones are the real culprit here.4
5. Excessive Morning Sickness
Yes. According to this sign, if you pray to the porcelain throne more often than in other pregnancies, you might have a girl. But again, fluctuating hormones and low blood sugar often cause excessive morning sickness.4
Related: 23 Ways To Relieve Morning Sickness and Feel Better Fast
6. Dramatic Mood Swings
Of course, the influx of pregnancy hormones affects your mood. But it’s said if you’re feeling particularly up or down, it’s Mother Nature’s way of preparing you for your little girl’s teenage years before she even arrives.
7. Intense Heartburn
One of the less pleasant signs you’re having a girl supposedly has to do with constant and uncomfortable heartburn during pregnancy. The truth is, heartburn can be more of a nuisance during pregnancy because of the hormone that relaxes the muscle that protects your esophagus from stomach acid.5
8. Hair and Nail Weakness
While the urge to visit the bathroom every 12 seconds is strong, the same can’t be said for your hair and nails if you’re having a girl. Truthfully, increases in estrogen are responsible for healthier hair, which has nothing to do with the gender of your little one.6
9. Weight Gain
If you don’t gain a lot of extra weight during your pregnancy, you might have a girl. However, in truth, every pregnancy is different, and the amount of weight you do or don’t gain is related to your appetite, experience with morning sickness, and diet.
10. Ring/String Swing Theory
According to this sign, if you hold a string over your bump with your wedding ring on the end, and it circles rather than going straight up, down, or side to side, it’s said that you’re having a girl. This myth is just that: nothing backs it up.
11. Breast Changes
Wait, when did one of my breasts become larger than the other? If this happens, you might be having a girl. This sign has been studied, but having asymmetrical breasts during pregnancy isn’t conclusively linked to your baby’s gender.7
12. Partner’s Weight Gain
Has your partner noticed a little extra gain during your pregnancy? If so, this myth means a little girl is on the way. But, just like weight gain during pregnancy, this can be attributed to changes in diet or appetite. After all, your partner supports you in all things, including those late-night cravings.
Related: Signs You’re Having a Boy: 23 Fun Clues to Look For
13. Pale Urine
It’s said that peeing pale is a sign of a girl, but you probably are just properly hydrated. Way to go!8
14. Baby Brain
Even before a little girl arrives, it’s said she’s already making you lose your mind. But really, why did I walk into this room again? However, this “sign” is more about physiological changes than your little one’s gender.
15. Feeling More Stressed
Pregnancy can be a lot. But with a little girl on the way, need we say more? This can be true for parents of little boys and girls, especially first-time parents with many new experiences.
16. Wanting Fruit
If you can’t get enough sweet stuff, including all those delicious fruits, this sign says you’ll be having a little girl. However, more likely than not, your pregnancy craving is related to something lacking in your diet.3
17. Baby Stole My Beauty
This sign apparently proves that she got her looks from her momma — literally. While your new baby will undoubtedly be just as adorable as her mom, complexion changes have less to do with the baby’s gender and more with the physiological changes you experience.9
18. Sleeping on Your Right Side
Even before she arrives, this sign that you’re having a girl lets you know that your little one will always be right. Truthfully, sleeping on either side is more a matter of comfort preference than anything else.10
Related: Best Sleep Positions During Pregnancy for Safer Rest
19. Linea Nigra
If this pregnancy mark on your belly is short, you might be having a girl, says the myth. But in reality, the length and color of the linea nigra have to do with hormones.11
20. Shape of Your Face
If you’re having a girl, they say your face will be rounder throughout your pregnancy. However, changes to your face are more likely to result from weight gain or increased blood flow.12
21. High Blood Pressure
Even before they arrive, it’s said that having higher blood pressure during pregnancy is another sign of a little lady. Of course, high blood pressure during pregnancy isn’t unique to the mothers of girls. Pre-existing conditions, previously high blood pressure, and maternal age are a few factors that contribute to higher blood pressure during pregnancy.13
22. Dreaming About Having a Boy
Ironically enough, one of the supposed signs you’re having a girl is said to be when you dream about having a boy. Maybe your subconscious is trying to pull some reverse psychology on you. Like many gender-prediction theories, this idea is based on folklore rather than scientific evidence.
23. How Your Other Child Reacts
They say if your child is excited by your bump, the baby you’re carrying will be the opposite sex. While there’s no support for this belief, chances are your first child will be super excited to be a big brother or sister to their new sibling!
Related: Gender Tests: Options for Finding Out Your Baby’s Sex
How To Know Your Baby’s Gender for Sure
All these signs make guessing your baby’s sex fun, even though none are scientifically proven to be an accurate gender prediction. If you’re looking for a more reliable answer than old wives’ tales, these methods provide the most accurate information.
Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing
The blood test is used for possible chromosomal disorders, but it also accurately predicts your little one’s gender.14
Ultrasound
The ultrasound is performed around 5 months of pregnancy and is typically when most people learn their baby’s gender. On average, the results are correct 99% of the time.15
Final Thoughts
While some of these supposed signs you’re having a girl are related to changes in hormones and everything that comes with pregnancy, they aren’t rooted in science. Truthfully, the only way to know your baby’s sex with confidence is through medical testing such as an ultrasound or NIPT. Still, it’s interesting to see which (if any) of these symptoms of having a girl ring true. So before you run out and decorate the nursery for a little princess, make sure you have something concrete to rely on, or try something neutral, just in case.
