Bringing a baby into the world comes with so many unknowns. Will they be healthy? Are you going to be healthy? Will you be able to stick to your birth plan? When will they actually arrive? Most of these questions go unanswered during pregnancy. You know when you know. So it makes sense that parents might want as much information as possible.
A couple in Washington had their unborn child blood tested to learn its gender, but the information was inaccurate. Doctors gave the wrong sex. A year and a half later, they learned the troubling reason behind the inaccuracy.
The couple had a gender reveal that led them astray.
In 2020, Deena and Chris Lee posted their gender reveal video on social media. It featured the couple popping a black balloon that featured the words “Girl or Boy?” on the front in white letters. When they popped it, blue confetti burst out. Chris was elated and dropped to his knees in excitement. Five years later, Deena re-shared the video with a text overlay. “She doesn’t know this yet, but she’s about to actually give birth to a girl.”
The ultrasound was unclear.
Naturally, the couple were happy to have their daughter, Abby. But they were also confused. “We couldn’t help but wonder how [the] blood test results [could] contradict what the ultrasound technician observed,” Deena told Newsweek. The blood test — meant to detect fetal abnormalities — could also detect the presence of a Y chromosome in the mother’s blood. Deena’s blood test indicated their baby was a boy.
But during a later ultrasound, the technician said that the baby appeared to have female genitals. Still, the view was unclear.
When Abby was born, Deena wondered if she had both female and male genitalia, both X and Y chromosomes, or if there had been a clerical error in the reporting of the results. Deena had doctors run tests to confirm Abby had female genitalia and blood markers. Prenatal blood tests are typically highly accurate but not entirely infallible.
Doctors had an explanation: vanishing twin syndrome. It happens when one twin miscarries early in the pregnancy, leaving DNA remnants behind in the mother’s bloodstream. But the couple’s first ultrasound showed only one fetus.
Twins run in Deena’s family.
But during Deena’s second pregnancy with fraternal boy-girl twins, it all made sense. “Curious, I looked into my family history and discovered that twins actually run in our lineage,” she said. “After sharing this with my doctor, they noted that the earlier gender confusion made more sense now. It was quite possible I had experienced vanishing twin syndrome early in the pregnancy, before it could be detected on an ultrasound.”
Other people had the same experience.
After Deena shared her reel, she had other mothers reach out, sharing their similar experiences. “I had the exact same thing,” one user wrote. “DNA said boy but I knew there was a twin that hadn’t survived very early on and found out late in my pregnancy when my doctor was sure it was a girl from the ultrasound.”
Deena said she shared the reel to let other people know they were not alone. “Growing a baby can bring a swirl of emotions and worries, especially when you’re navigating it for the first time,” she said. “That’s why it’s so valuable to use those appointments to ask every question on your mind.”
*Disclaimer: The advice on CafeMom.com is not a substitute for consultation with a medical professional or treatment for a specific condition. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified professional. Please contact your health-care provider with questions and concerns.
