Our imaging technology is able to determine the sex of the baby with a high certainty from 14 weeks – when you book an early anomaly scan with us
Prefer to find out earlier? Our early gender blood test with NIPT can tell you your baby’s sex from 9 weeks — and screen their health at the same time.
Available atLPC City (E1)LPC West (SW10)
A baby’s gender can typically be determined with 95% accuracy at 14 weeks, and over 99% from 15 weeks (Amankona et al., 2025), during an ultrasound, depending on the clinician’s expertise. Our clinicians are pleased to offer gender predictions as part of a thorough examination that also assesses your baby’s anatomy and screens for fetal anomalies. In some rare cases, the gender may be visible as early as 13 weeks.
Our clinic prides itself in being a medical screening facility of the highest standard. We believe that during each ultrasound scan we perform, we should extract the maximum information about your baby’s health – that’s why we do not offer stand-alone quick gender scans.
Timeline
There are three main points in pregnancy when your baby’s sex can be identified. The earliest is a simple blood test; a little later, an ultrasound can confirm the sex as part of a full wellbeing check; and the routine NHS scan may note it around the midpoint of pregnancy.
| When | How it’s done | What it can tell you | Accuracy of the sex prediction |
|---|---|---|---|
| From 9 weeks | Early gender blood test (NIPT, cfDNA) | Your baby’s genetic sex from a sample of your blood, alongside chromosomal screening | Very high genetic accuracy — a laboratory DNA result rather than an ultrasound estimate |
| From 14 weeks | Early Fetal Scan (ultrasound) | Your baby’s sex plus a top-to-toe anatomy and wellbeing check | Rises with gestation — 95% at 14 weeks and over 99% from 15 weeks from the second trimester (Amankona et al., 2025) |
| Around 20 weeks | NHS mid-pregnancy (anomaly) scan | A detailed anatomy check; the sonographer may note the sex if it is clearly visible | Not guaranteed — the scan is for anomalies, not sex, and many NHS trusts do not routinely disclose it |
Ultrasound is never quite 100% reliable: your baby’s position, the cord or the placenta can occasionally limit the view. The figures shown reflect published accuracy for ultrasound (Amankona et al., 2025); an early gender blood test instead analyses your baby’s DNA and is not affected by position.
What we check
Included, not extra
At London Pregnancy Clinic there is no separate ‘entertainment’ gender scan. Finding out your baby’s sex is included, at no extra cost, with any medical scan from 14 weeks — so you are not paying for the reveal itself, you are choosing which wellbeing check to have, and the sex is confirmed along the way.
Our Early Fetal Scan from 14 weeks is the most popular choice, because it pairs a confident sex prediction with a thorough top-to-toe anatomy check for £260. If you would also like keepsake pictures of your baby, our 3D/4D scan from around 14-15 weeks includes the sex prediction too, so the reveal always comes as part of a proper scan rather than on its own.
If you would prefer to know sooner, our early gender blood test with NIPT can identify your baby’s sex from 9 weeks while also screening their health, and you can compare the wider testing options on our NIPT page. Whichever route you choose, the same principle applies: at LPC a gender reveal always sits inside a genuine medical check, never as a quick standalone scan.
Have a question about our gender scans or want to arrange an appointment? Speak to our team on 020 3687 2939 or book your scan online.
The viability scan or dating scan is the scan confirming the normal development of the pregnancy inside the womb. Other aims of this scan are to determine the number of babies (embryos) and to date the pregnancy. At this stage, the embryo is still very small, and it is generally not possible to perform a structural examination until it develops into a human-like fetus.
Includes pre-NIPT counselling.
Learn more about our viability scan on this dedicated page.
At 10 weeks your baby finishes its embryological development, and we can assess its health and development. It’s our unique ultrasound examination, which we have developed for the patients who wish to have early reassurance. 10 weeks scans work best in combination with an advanced NIPT.
Learn more about our 10-week scan on this dedicated page.
With our expertise and technology, we are able to screen for structural anomalies from 10 weeks (approximate prevalence in the first trimester):
In comparison, the prevalence of the chromosomal conditions screened for by NIPT:
If you take the pregnancy test at 12+ weeks we are able to screen for >200 structural fetal anomalies.
The early fetal scan is our signature scan which represents a comprehensive examination of the baby by protocol like the NHS 20 weeks anomaly scan. Understandably at 12-16 weeks the baby is still immature, and some anomalies/problems can be invisible or not developed, however from 12 weeks we can detect at least 50% of all structural anomalies. Most importantly from 12 weeks we can exclude the majority of spina bifida, other severe neural tube defects and 2/3 of severe heart defects.
For parents having our 10-week scan we would recommend the early fetal scan at 15-16 weeks, because some anomalies visible at this stage cannot be detectable at 12 weeks.
Learn more about our early fetal anomaly scan on this dedicated page.
Early fetal echocardiography or early echo is a special detailed scan for the baby’s heart, which we can perform as early as from 12 weeks.
We highly recommend this scan for all babies with increased nuchal translucency (NT) measurements, fetal anomalies, or other unusual findings detected at the 11-13 weeks scan.
Learn more about early echo.
Ultrasound is a vital part of fetal screening. The laboratory requires a confirmation of viability and gestational age by the clinic submitting each NIPT.
NIPT is a highly effective screening test for 3 chromosomal anomalies, however it is unable to screen for structural anomalies such as heart or brain defects which are more common and often more serious than Down’s syndrome.
Here at London Pregnancy Clinic, we specialise in early detection of fetal anomalies, the fetal heart and the fetal brain. Visit our scans page to find out which scan you will be having along with NIPT.
10-week scan and NIPT is the best option for early first trimester screening. It is an advanced test that checks for both the most severe structural defects and most common chromosomal abnormalities.
This test is optimal together with the early fetal scan at 16 weeks.
Provided there are no abnormalities detected during the medical scan the gender can be predicted with 95% certainty at 14 weeks, and from 15 weeks with >99% accuracy (Amankona et al., 2025).
Our clinician’s primary concern is to make sure there are no abnormalities in the development of your baby, in rare circumstances when we suspect an abnormality we may not be able to predict the gender.
The gender prediction should by viewed as a by-product of the early anomaly scan. We do not offer stand alone gender scans and there is no guarantee/refund if the gender is not predicted.
The external genitalia develop relatively late in pregnancy, making it impossible to recognise the sex before 11-12 weeks. On the other hand, genetic (chromosomal) sex is identifiable immediately after conception. The NIPT, based on DNA technology is able to determine the sex from 10 weeks.
We have noticed an increase in parents choosing to not know the sex of their baby, as they wish to leave it as a surprise for birth. We completely understand and support any parents who make this decision.
As with any other organ, abnormalities may be present on external genitalia, which we routinely check for during imaging. While it is impossible to exclude all fetal sex anomalies by ultrasound, during our comprehensive scan, parents may accidentally recognise the fetal sex by themselves on the screen. We are committed to ensuring parents that do not wish to know the sex do not accidentally identify it during the scan and we will ask you and your partner to close your eyes or look away when we are examining identifiable features.
If you wish that we not check the external genitalia at all, please inform us of this before the scan and we will respect your decision.
As we are professionals in fetal health, we believe that the most important information for expecting mothers is the knowledge of the health and well-being of their baby, rather than just the gender. However, since we perform a thorough top-to-toe examination of your baby during every scan, we would be able to tell you the sex of the baby if you wish.
If you would like a quick and cheap gender scan, there are plenty of alternative service providers for this.
We recommend taking the NIPT along with our comprehensive early anomaly scan as soon as possible – 10 weeks. Early detection of either chromosomal or structural anomalies allows more time in terms of pregnancy management for those conditions.
If you’re unsure about the age of your pregnancy, please allow a couple of days after the 10-week mark to avoid repeat appointments for drawing the bloods.
In theory, NIPT is available from 10-40 weeks, but it is strongly recommended to take the test in the first trimester, as the pregnancy management options in the second trimester are very limited.
Most pregnancies result in a healthy baby, however, there is a small chance that certain aspects of the structural and chromosomal development of the pregnancy could be abnormal. Our doctors and sonographers are specially trained to screen for abnormalities.
In case of an abnormal finding, we will arrange a referral for you to a fetal medicine unit/GP or your midwife for the continuity of your care. Please note, any advice/diagnosis made at our clinic do not replace the advice of your primary or NHS healthcare provider. We strongly recommend to follow through with your 12 and 20 week routine NHS scans.
Alternatively, if you prefer to be seen by a fetal medicine consultant privately, you can book an appointment with our consultant Obstetrician on the link below (not included in the scan cost.)
The Care Quality Commission is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom. It was established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care providers in England.
The CQC makes an important distinction of medical and non-medical pregnancy scans – at London Pregnancy Clinic we are proud to offer diagnostic scans only, without standalone ‘entertainment scans’ such as Gender Scan and 3D/4D Scans. You can read more on the CQC classification in the link below.
The sex of your baby can be determined during any scan you do with us from 14 weeks with no additional cost.
Many parents wish to know the sex of their baby for a variety of reasons. Fetal sex can be determined as early as 13 weeks, with accuracy increasing with gestational age – reaching around 95% at 14 weeks with our early fetal scan, conducted by experienced doctors, and over 99% reliable from 15-16 weeks (Amankona et al., 2025). In any case, we are happy to identify your baby’s gender as early as reliably possible.
Please note that while ultrasound is very accurate in gender recognition, it may not always be 100% reliable.
Between 8 and 9 weeks into pregnancy, the development of the genital tubercle begins in fetuses, gradually maturing into what will become the penis or clitoris. At the outset, this makes the fetal gender appear indistinguishable due to the presence of the genital tubercle (watch our video of what a genital tubercle looks like on ultrasound). By the 13th to 14th weeks, however, distinct signs of gender start to become visible as the external genitalia form.
It is possible to identify fetal gender through scans as early as the 11th to 12th weeks, although the precision of such early detection hinges on factors like the skill level of the technician, the quality of the ultrasound equipment, and the fetus’s positioning. Opting to wait a bit longer can often result in a more accurate assessment of the baby’s gender.
Gender accuracy rises with gestation — 95% at 14 weeks and over 99% from 15 weeks from the second trimester (Amankona et al., 2025). Fourteen weeks marks the very start of the second trimester, so in experienced hands a 14-week scan is highly reliable, though ultrasound is never guaranteed to be 100% correct.
At London Pregnancy Clinic the sex is confirmed as part of a full medical scan, not as a standalone check, and only when your baby’s position gives a clear view. If you would like the earliest possible answer, our early gender blood test with NIPT can identify the sex from 9 weeks, or you can read what is involved on our Early Fetal Scan page.
The NHS mid-pregnancy scan at around 20 weeks is an anatomy scan rather than a gender scan. The sonographer may be able to note your baby’s sex if it is clearly visible, but many NHS trusts have a policy of not disclosing it, and there is no guarantee your baby will be in a helpful position on the day.
If knowing the sex matters to you — or you would simply like more time, detail and flexibility — a private scan can confirm it earlier and as part of a thorough wellbeing check. You can find out from 14 weeks with our Early Fetal Scan, or from 9 weeks with an early gender blood test.
Yes — though not by ultrasound. A baby’s external genitalia are not reliably visible on a scan until around 13 to 14 weeks, so an earlier answer comes from a blood test rather than imaging. Our early gender blood test with NIPT analyses your baby’s DNA from a sample of your blood and can identify the sex from 9 weeks.
This blood test also screens for common chromosomal conditions at the same time, which is why many parents choose it for both reassurance and an early answer. You can read more about how it works, and the wider testing options, on our NIPT page.
Occasionally a baby lies in a position — or has a hand, the cord or the placenta in the way — that makes the sex difficult to see clearly. Because we would rather be accurate than guess, our clinician will tell you if the view is not good enough to give a confident answer, and will never rush a prediction.
In most cases a short break, a little walking or gently changing position encourages the baby to move so we can complete the check. As the sex prediction is part of a medical scan rather than a paid-for standalone reveal, the priority is always a clear, reliable result alongside a full assessment of your baby’s wellbeing.
Contact
The figures and clinical statements on this page are drawn from the sources below. Guidance evolves — always discuss your individual circumstances with a clinician.
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