Your Ultrasound

If one of the things you hope to learn from your ultrasound is the baby’s gender, you’re somewhat more assured of a definitive ID if the technician tells you confidently that you’re having a boy. An ultrasound performed at around 18 to 20 weeks’ gestation offers a good chance of revealing gender.

A penis is hard to miss, especially when your ultrasound is done in a medical setting by a technician who is also looking for health-related identifiers such as kidneys, the chambers of the heart and parts of the brain. Someone who can correctly ID these parts in utero is not going to miss something as distinct as a penis. From the side, the penis may present clearly if it is erect at the time of ultrasound. From the bottom, it looks like two ovals with a smaller protrusion between them.
However, if your baby is a contrary sort who never manages, during the ultrasound, to position him or herself in such a way as to “flash” or clearly reveal the genitals, you may still be left guessing. The image below reveals a clear view of a penis, looking upward between the legs.

A note of caution: Many a parent-to-be (particularly dads, for some reason) have excitedly noted, on their own, the presence of a penis on the ultrasound screen or printout. Well, that may not be a penis you’re looking at by rather the umbilical cord. This mistake is fairly common among frazzled boy-seekers, and makes for some good-natured ribbing later.
Also, if you DON’T want to know your baby’s gender, tell the technician right away.