Gender Venders

Baby Gender Mentor Home DNA Gender Testing Kit from Acu-Gen

Claim: Acu-Gen promises the Baby Gender Mentor test is virtually foolproof, and can determine your unborn baby's gender as early as 5 weeks of gestation, using only a few drops of the mother's blood from a finger prick. Acu-Gen offers a double-money-back guarantee if the result is incorrect.

Maureen Says: The scientific basis for this test seems valid. However, many women have reported inaccurate results, some have been told by Acu-Gen that their baby may have chromosomal abnormalities, and Acu-Gen has recently changed their refund policy. This test is not FDA regulated.

I strongly recommend against buying Baby Gender Mentor.

More about Baby Gender Mentor (including forums, blog posts, and more)

Note: Previously sold under the name Acu-Gender.

Non-Invasive Prenatal DNA Testing

Claim: Many genetic testing labs provide services to the general public, such as paternity, infidelity, and kinship testing. Some labs now offer non-invasive prenatal paternity testing and gender determination from a blood sample from the mother, from about 10 weeks of pregnancy. "Non-invasive" testing refers to the fact that only a blood sample from the mother is used, rather than actual cells obtained from the unborn baby through the invasive procedure of amniocentesis or CVS.

• Although we all know DNA evidence trusted by the court, for example in paternity suits, that type of evidence is obtained from a direct sample from the baby -- not from a blood sample from the mother. This type of DNA testing is completely new.
• Consumer genetic tests are not currently regulated by the FDA. Several sources are raising questions about the accuracy of all sorts of DNA test marketed directly to the consumer.
• Cost of test does not include the fee for having blood drawn by a local lab.
• How to find a DNA testing lab: Search for "non-invasive prenatal DNA testing". Look for a lab that's AABB accredited.
• Available from: Paragon Genetics and a few others
  See my blog post: Early gender DNA test offered by Paragon Labs

Urobiologics

Claim: Can determine your unborn baby's gender with 99% accuracy from a urine sample taken as early as the first day of your missed period, up to 15 weeks of pregnancy.

• Test claims to work by detecting testosterone in a pregnant mother's urine. The one and only medical study referencing this theory is very old (1974). I wonder why no other studies have been published to follow up such an interesting finding.
• Urobiologics offers a refund for an incorrect result if a birth certificate is provided for proof. Shipping/handling fees are not refunded, which are $80 to $85.
• The company publishes a "scoreboard" on their Web site. The results look good, but many results are assumed to be correct just because the customer didn't call for a refund.
• Available from: Urobiologics, Inc.