An anterior placenta is a typical variation of pregnancy. However, it is not an accurate way to predict the sex of the baby. People with anterior placentas can have both boys and girls.
Many expecting parents, after finding out that they’re pregnant, want to find out the sex of their baby.
In most cases, an ultrasound can determine your baby’s sex as early as 16 weeks, and optional first-trimester testing can tell you even earlier.
According to some, having an anterior placenta means you’re having a girl, whereas a posterior placenta means you’re having a boy. But is this an accurate way to predict biological sex?
A note on language
You’ll notice that the language used to share stats and other data points is pretty binary, fluctuating between the use of “male” and “female” or “men” and “women.”
Although we typically avoid language like this, specificity is key when reporting on research participants and clinical findings.
The studies and surveys referenced in this article didn’t report data on or include participants who were transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, genderqueer, agender, or genderless.
There are two types of cells that make up an embryo. There are the cells that develop into the baby, and the cells that develop into the placenta. The placenta is an organ that gives your baby oxygen and nutrients, and it also removes waste.
The placenta attaches to the wall of your uterus, and its position can be anywhere — front, back, right, or left. If the placenta attaches to the back of the uterus, it’s known as a posterior placenta. If it attaches to the front of the uterus, it’s called an anterior placenta.
The idea of using the placement of the placenta to identify sex isn’t new. The idea that an anterior placenta means you’re having a girl may have come out of a different theory related to left-right placement.
In 2011, a paper attributed to Dr. Saad Ramzi Ismail claimed that when the placenta attaches to the right of the uterus, women were more likely to have a boy.
And when the placenta attaches to the left, they were more likely to have a girl. (The study, titled “The Relationship Between Placental Location and Fetal Gender [Ramzi’s Method],” is not available online in a credible, peer-reviewed journal.)
This became known as Ramzi’s theory. But interestingly, his research only evaluated the right and left positions of the placenta. It didn’t evaluate front (anterior) and back (posterior) positions.
The precise origin of the belief that an anterior placenta means a girl baby is unknown. Yet, the question comes up numerous times on online forums and discussion boards, with many people claiming that they had an anterior placenta with their girl pregnancies.
Truthfully, there isn’t enough concrete research or evidence to back up the theory linking an anterior placenta with having a girl.
An older 2014 study on the topic, though, evaluated 200 placentas — with 103 anterior and 97 posterior. According to the results, 72.8 percent of pregnancies with girls did have an anterior placenta, compared to only 27.2 percent of pregnancies with boys.
The study concluded that while the location of the placenta had “significant relation with fetal gender,” more research is necessary. So, having an anterior placenta doesn’t indicate with certainty that you’re having a girl.
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Of the pregnant participants with anterior placentas, 46.5% of them were carrying female fetuses, while only 4.9% of them were carrying male fetuses.
The researchers concluded there is a link between anterior placentas and female fetuses. However, it’s important to note that this a small pool of participants, and the findings can’t be generalized. More research is necessary to confirm a link between the location of the placenta and the sex of the fetus.
In fact, another 2020 study found a significantly higher frequency of anterior placentas in male fetuses, and a higher frequency of posterior placentas in female fetuses. These findings are the complete opposite of the previous studies.
More research is necessary, but currently, there is no robust evidence that having an anterior placenta means you’ll have a girl. Many people with anterior placentas have boys, and many people with posterior placentas have girls.
Using the location of your placenta to predict your baby’s sex is a fun game to play. But when it comes down to truly identifying biological sex, using the location of your placenta isn’t an accurate way.
There are a few ways to determine the sex of a baby. One is to have an ultrasound and locate your baby’s genitals. Tests that look for chromosome irregularities can also detect a baby’s sex. These include noninvasive prenatal testing, amniocentesis, and chorionic villus sampling.
However, these tests are primarily used to diagnose structural irregularities and genetic conditions. Doctors and healthcare professionals do not recommend them for determining the sex of the baby.
An anterior placenta attaches to the front of the uterus, while a posterior placenta attaches to the back of the uterus.
An anterior placenta does not mean you’re carrying a female fetus, and it’s just as possible to have a male fetus.