Do at-home gender test kits work?

What are at-home gender test kits?

If you're eager to find out whether you're having a baby boy or a girl, you don't have to wait for your healthcare provider to do the test – there are at-home gender test kits that claim they can identify your baby's sex using a blood test as early as six weeks of pregnancy.

Here's how these blood-based DNA tests typically work:

1. You receive a kit that includes instructions, equipment for collecting a blood sample, and packaging to mail the sample to a lab.
2. To take the test, you prick your finger with a lancet (or use a snap device) and collect the blood in a tube.
3. You send the tube of blood to a lab for analysis.
4. Within a week (or sooner with expedited service), the lab emails you the results of the test, identifying the baby as a boy or a girl.

There are also urine-based tests, but there's very little DNA in urine, so these tests likely aren't as accurate – and they don't claim to be. The kits provide instructions and supplies for collecting a urine sample and performing the test. Results are provided within minutes.

Are gender test kits the same as the test I'd get at my provider's office?

Yes and no. Gender test kits you get at home are the same type of test as those at your provider's office, but they can't give you as much information. The test from your provider is called noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and is primarily used to screen for Down syndrome and some other chromosomal conditions. It can also tell the sex of your baby. NIPT uses certified labs to check the fetal DNA (cell-free DNA) circulating in your blood.

"NIPT is the earliest reliable, non-invasive way to tell the gender of your baby," says Layan Alrahmani, M.D., an ob-gyn and maternal-fetal medicine specialist in Chicago. "Many people who receive NIPT testing are eager to know the baby's gender along with other test results."

NIPT is available to all pregnant women at 10 weeks of pregnancy, and your insurance might cover at least a portion of the fee (check to make sure).

Most at-home gender tests that require a blood sample are also cell-free DNA tests, but they only test for the presence or absence of the male Y chromosome in your blood to determine your baby's sex. (Unless you're carrying a boy, you would only have female chromosomes in the DNA found in your blood.) They don't screen for chromosomal conditions.

Some pregnant women use at-home gender tests if they don't get NIPT and don't want to wait until their mid-pregnancy ultrasound to find out their baby's sex.

Learn more about reliable ways to find out your baby's sex.

Are at-home gender test kits accurate?

The science behind at-home blood testing is sound, but these tests are not foolproof, says Shannon Smith, M.D., an ob-gyn in Boston and BabyCenter Medical Advisor. There's more room for error on at-home blood tests than the kind you take at your doctor's office. Here are some factors that may impact a test's accuracy:

• DNA contamination. If a man touches your test kit, your test could falsely identify a female baby as male. 

• Recent miscarriage.

• Twins or multiples pregnancy. 

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• High BMI.

• Recent blood transfusion or stem cell transplant.
• Lab contamination. 

"If you just cannot wait for the routine testing at your provider's office, the at-home-gender kits that use a blood sample are very accurate, Dr. Smith adds. "However, I would be wary of the urine-based testing."

Under certain circumstances, companies that sell early gender DNA test kits offer refunds for incorrect results.

What are the most popular gender testing kits and how do they work?

Here are some of the most popular at-home gender testing kits that you can buy online or in some stores. Read on to learn how they work and how accurate the tests claim to be.

SneakPeek Early Gender DNA Test KitOpens a new window

• SneakPeek uses a blood test as early as 6 weeks pregnant to look for male chromosomes in the fetal DNA in your blood.

• After you mail your test to SneakPeek's lab, you'll get the results via email or SMS in a few days.

• The company claims 99.9% accuracy.

Peekaboo Early Gender DNA TestOpens a new window

• Peekaboo also uses a blood test as early as 7 weeks into pregnancy.

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• After you mail your test to Peekaboo's labs, you'll get the results via email within seven business days. Peekaboo also has an option to send your results to someone else if you're keeping your baby's sex a surprise.

• The company claims 100% accuracy.

GENDERmaker Gender Predictor Test KitOpens a new window

• GENDERmaker uses a urine-based test as early as 6 weeks of pregnancy.

• You'll get the results instantly – no sending samples to a lab.

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• The company doesn't claim accuracy, but does note a "positive feedback rate" of 98.4%.

GenderBliss Gender Predictor KitOpens a new window

• GenderBliss uses a urine-based test kit that's accurate as early as 8 to 10 weeks pregnant, depending on which test you get.

• Results are available within a minute.

• GenderBliss doesn't specifically say how accurate it is, but does say it's "not for people who are looking for a 100% accurate result."

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There's no harm in trying them, but always talk to your provider 

In general, there's not a lot of independently verified evidence gender predictor test kits are as accurate as they claim to be, but if you want to try them, they're generally inexpensive and there's no harm in giving them a shot. "So many pregnant women are getting NIPT testing these days as a part of their routine care that gender predictor kits could end up being a redundant cost," Dr. Smith says. "But that said, there is no harm in getting them, as long as you understand that you should probably wait for a confirmatory test with your doctor or midwife before you fill up your cart with pinks or blues!"

Note: We're using the word gender here because people often use this word when talking about their child's sex. However, the two are not the same. A child is generally assigned a sex at birth based on biological characteristics, such as their genitals. But their sex designation may not match their gender identity (based on feelings and behaviors) as they grow up.