What are at-home gender test kits, and how do they work?
At-home gender test kits claim to identify a baby's sex using a blood test as early as 6 weeks of pregnancy. The most popular brand is SneakPeek.
Blood-based early gender DNA tests typically work like this:
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- You receive a kit that includes instructions, equipment for collecting a blood sample, and packaging to mail the sample to a lab.
- To take the test, you prick your finger with a lancet (or use a snap device) and collect the blood in a tube.
- You send the tube of blood to a lab for analysis.
- 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, and these tests don't claim accuracy. 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?
No. The blood test done by your provider – called noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) – 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 plan may 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 have 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.
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Are at-home gender test kits accurate?
The science behind the testing that uses blood samples is sound, but you may want to take any accuracy claims with a grain of salt. A few points to consider:
- Possible contamination. Your blood sample could be contaminated before it ever leaves your house: For example, if a man touches your test kit, your test could falsely identify a female baby as male. Other situations that can cause inaccurate results include recently having a miscarriage, a vanishing twin, or a high BMI.
- Unknown lab conditions. The labs that process at-home gender DNA test kits may not carry the same certifications as labs that perform full NIPT.
- Unverified claims. Accuracy claims are typically backed up only by a company's own studies, rather than independent, unbiased research.
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?
SneakPeek Early Gender DNA Test Kit
- Blood test gives results (via email and SMS) the day after they receive your sample, as early as 6 weeks into pregnancy.
- The company claims 99.9 percent accuracy.
Peekaboo Early Gender DNA Test
- Can be taken as early as 6 weeks, and blood test gives results (via email) "as soon as the same day" it's received at the lab.
- The company claims greater than 99 percent accuracy.
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GENDERmaker Gender Predictor Test Kit
- Urine-based test gives instant results (less than a minute) as early as 6 weeks of pregnancy.
- The company doesn't claim accuracy. They note a "positive feedback rate" of 98.4 percent.
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 the gender identity (based on feelings and behaviors) that they assume later.
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