Aug 12, 2009 6:12 pm US/Eastern
New Test Promises To Identify Baby Gender Earlier
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Most parents want to know as much as they can about their unborn baby as soon as they possibly can. Sometimes they are limited by the technology, but the makers of a new test say they can tell you more about your unborn baby up to 10 weeks earlier and do it without an ultrasound.
For soon-to-be mom Casey Kindla, she is hoping for a daughter to help complete her family after already giving birth to a son. "We would be happy either way," Kindla said. "I just want a healthy baby."
She says her pregnancy is going well, but the wait for the 20 week sonogram to find out the baby's gender is maddening. "You can't plan anything," she said. "You can't buy any clothes, and you can't really think about any names."
That's where the new IntelliGender test comes in. The company that designed it says it's the first ever in-home gender test. Rebecca Griffin, a mother of four, co-founded IntelliGender. She has no background in genetics, but hired a team of scientists to help develop the concept.
"There must be a differential in the urine of a mom who is carrying a boy versus a mom who is carrying a girl," Griffin said. In laboratory tests, Griffin says the IntelliGender was 90% accurate in detecting gender. In real-world testing, she says accuracy is about 80%.
"Our test detects different hormones in the urine of a mom who is pregnant with either the boy or the girl," she said.
The test works with a color-coded system. If the liquid mixture turns orange, it's a girl. If the mixture turns green, it's a boy. Dr. John Bertrand, an OBGYN, said he's skeptical of the test and wonders how it works.
"I wouldn't paint the nursery yet," he said. "When you look at the facts of the test, there's just absolutely no science behind the test that we can justify."
The IntelliGender owners say they can't release the science behind the test yet because their patent is still pending.
Alex Smith tried the IntelliGender during her last pregnancy. Her test turned orange which meant she was having a girl. "I didn't want to get my hopes up, so I didn't take it too seriously until after," Smith said. "Then I said this thing works because I have a girl and it said a girl!"
Casey Kindla agreed to try the IntelliGender test for our story. Using her first morning urine as instructed, she mixed the ingredients and waited 10 minutes before checking the results.
"When you look at it at eye level like it says you're supposed to, it actually looks to me like we're supposed to be having a boy," she thought.
Two days later, we went along with the Kindla's to her sonogram to find out the truth. In the sonogram, Kindla found out she is having a girl. We reported our results to IntelliGender's co-founder.
"We're not 100% accurate," Griffin said. "We certainly don't claim to be. We're really a fun, affordable, pre-birth experience."
Griffin stresses that parents should not make any emotional or financial decisions based on the results. They say only your doctor can confirm what you're having. The test costs between $30 - $35 and can be found at Walgreens. The company is also preparing to stock its product on shelves at CVS.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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