The gender of your baby has much more importance than whether or not you are having a boy or a girl. In some cultures it is very important for there to be a son, and couples will try to have a son first. Some families have seconds and thirds, and want to have a boy so that they will have a fourth. Some families have an uneven number of boys and girls, so they hope to get the sex they need to even out their family.

Finding out ahead of time whether or not you are having a boy or a girl, helps the parents who are planning on doing a nursery and buying their child’s entire wardrobe prior to the birth of their baby. Newborn clothes primarily come in blue for boys and pinks for girls, with the occasional greens and purples mixed in. If you don’t know the sex it might be difficult to buy clothes as the choices for unisex clothes in greens, reds, yellows and oranges can be hard to find. Likewise there are a lot of nursery theme choices that cater to boys and girls, but fewer that can work for either sex. For the well organized parents, finding out the sex of their baby well before birth is the best way for them to plan for the arrival.

However, some parents choose to enjoy the element of surprise. They want to wait until the birth when their baby is laid on their belly where they can look between the legs and see the sex for themselves, or have the midwife or doctor announce loudly, “It’s a ….!” These parents buy the unisex clothes, although may choose to save money so that they can go on a big shopping spree after the baby is born, and only buy the clothes they will need in the first couple of weeks after birth. These parents will also choose to decorate their nursery in colors and patterns that can be utilized for either a boy or a girl baby.

There is no right or wrong answer to the question, “Do you want to know?” It is a personal choice made by each individual couple. It is often common for the answer to change several times, before that big day

Once a woman is about six weeks pregnant, or four weeks after conception, a doctor can tell if she is pregnant by doing a pelvic exam. In the pelvic exam, the doctor will check for the size of the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus, and can tell by the size how far the pregnancy has developed. During the pelvic exam, the doctor will also check the cervix for a hint of blue coloring which appears when a woman is pregnant.

At one of the first appointments during the first trimester a woman will also be given the option of having a pap smear done. Pap smears are recommended once every 12 months for women, but are not generally done after the first trimester, and then not again until about six weeks after your baby is born. A pap smear is done by a doctor taking a sample of the cells around the outer edge of the cervix to test for precancerous cells. If caught early enough cervical cancer can often be avoided.

Some women who have recently had a pap smear done or have a history of miscarriages or problems during pregnancy will turn down a pap smear, which can irritate the cervix. If you are unsure about whether or not you should have a pap smear, tell your doctor about your history and ask his or her opinion on the subject.