Since the American Pregnancy Association approved Peekaboo gender tests, they have been a frequently used method for determining the gender of unborn babies as early as 7 weeks into the pregnancy. They are available as at-home tests as well, which can be just as accurate so long as the samples are collected properly.
Continue reading to learn how does a Peekaboo genders test work, including how they are performed, how accurate they are, and the information they can give you.
When Can You Get a Peekaboo Gender Test?
Peekaboo gender tests can be performed as early in the pregnancy as 7 weeks. This means that they are months earlier than your first ultrasound, which is around 20 weeks. Your results will be available in around 1-2 days after the DDC or DNA Diagnostics Center finishes the test. They are packed with accredited PhDs to interpret and verify your results.
How are the Tests Performed?
Peekaboo gender tests work by analyzing the mother’s blood for Y chromosomes. During pregnancy, the baby’s DNA mingles with the mother’s blood, which could make Y chromosomes present if the baby is male. If the test is negative for Y chromosomes, the baby is female.
Since the test can be performed on a blood sample, it is relatively painless outside of a pinprick. Both the baby and mother are completely safe for this test, as opposed to other forms of gender reveal tests like amniocentesis, which requires the doctor to extract a sample of the placenta for analysis.
While these other tests are relatively safe, they pose a small risk of miscarriage. Since the Peekaboo gender test is 99.5% accurate, it is now considered the main way to determine the baby’s gender and the only way to do so as early as 7 weeks.
When Should You Not Get a Peekaboo Gender Test?
As mentioned, since the Peekaboo gender test only requires a pinprick, it poses almost no risk to the baby or mother. However, there are times when a Peekaboo gender test would not be the right option for you.
The first is when it’s too early to make an accurate diagnosis, which is any time before 7 weeks of the pregnancy. The second reason this test may not be accurate is in a case of a multi-baby pregnancy. In that case, a Peekaboo gender test would only give partial or inaccurate information. For example, detecting a Y chromosome in the blood of a mother with twins would only tell the doctor that there is “at least” one male fetus, not whether there are multiple males or females.
To determine your babies’ genders in the case of a multi-fetus pregnancy, you will have to wait for the ultrasound at around 20 weeks when your doctor can visually confirm the babies’ status.
What About At-Home Peekaboo Gender Tests?
At-home Peekaboo gender tests are now available through certain labs. They give you the ability to disinfect your finger, perform the prick, collect the sample, and ship it to a lab in a sterile container.
Whether conducted at-home or in an office, a Peekaboo gender test is 99.5% accurate. However, there could be a greater margin of error for at-home sample collection that can cause an inconclusive result. Additionally, while there are urine tests that advertise an ability to test a baby’s gender, there are no sex genomes in urine, so these tests should not be trusted.
The Takeaway for How Does a Peekaboo Gender Test Work
Peekaboo gender tests provide the only approved way to determine your unborn baby’s gender as early as 7 weeks. If you can’t wait until the first ultrasound, a Peekaboo gender test is safe and accurate up to 99.5% of the time. The other 1% is only for potentially inconclusive results. The test never poses a danger to the mother or baby.
Speedy Sticks is a mobile concierge phlebotomy service that provides at-home blood draws and on-site diagnostic/health screenings for businesses and individuals. One of these tests is a Peekaboo gender test which can be performed by one of our specialists. Book an appointment today.
*This content is for informational purposes only and is not meant to replace consulting with a healthcare professional. Please consult with your primary care physician or healthcare provider before engaging in any services offered by Speedy Sticks.
**These are approximations, and experts disagree on some values. Consult your healthcare provider for recommendations suitable for you. It is also important to ensure the levels are given in the same measurements, such as mg/dL, etc.
How cfDNA fetal sex determination works
During pregnancy, small fragments of fetal DNA (cell-free fetal DNA, or cfDNA) shed from the placenta into the mother's bloodstream. Peekaboo and similar tests extract this fetal DNA from a blood sample and look for Y chromosome sequences:
- If Y chromosome DNA is detected → male fetus
- If no Y chromosome DNA is detected → female fetus
This logic means male results carry a different error risk profile than female results. A false male result (detecting Y-chromosome DNA that isn't there) is very rare. A false female result can occur if fetal fraction is too low — the fetal DNA concentration in the mother's blood is below the test's detection threshold, and Y chromosome fragments that are present simply aren't detected. This is why most cfDNA sex tests have a slightly higher false-female than false-male error rate at very early gestational ages.
Factors that affect Peekaboo accuracy
- Gestational age: Fetal fraction increases as pregnancy progresses. At 7 weeks, fetal fraction is at its lowest (~4–7% of total cfDNA) and inconclusive results are more common. By 10–12 weeks, fetal fraction is typically high enough for a reliable result. Peekaboo's published 99.5% accuracy is for samples meeting the minimum fetal fraction requirement.
- Maternal weight: Higher maternal body weight is associated with lower fetal fraction, independent of gestational age. A larger total plasma volume "dilutes" the fetal DNA. This is the most common cause of a low-fetal-fraction "no result" on cfDNA tests.
- Multiple gestation: In a twin or triplet pregnancy, detecting a Y chromosome confirms at least one male fetus — but cannot tell you the gender of each individual fetus or whether all fetuses are male. For multiple pregnancies, a negative (no Y chromosome detected) result is less reliable because Y-chromosome dilution from even one female fetus in a mixed pair could complicate interpretation.
- Sample quality: The at-home fingerstick collection requires that the blood spot is fully dried and properly sealed before shipping. Inadequate drying, excessive heat during shipping, or contamination can degrade cfDNA and cause an inconclusive result. If your result is inconclusive, a repeat draw is offered at no charge by most providers.