Emotional changes during pregnancy are normal for everyone due to hormonal shifts, stress, and physical discomfort, not reliably indicating whether you're having a boy or a girl; old wives' tales suggest moodier pregnancies mean a girl (due to estrogen myths) or calmer ones a boy, but research shows mood swings are common regardless of fetal sex, with some studies even pointing to different maternal immune responses (like food disgust with boys) rather than direct hormonal links, so focus on managing your feelings as a universal pregnancy experience.
As you probably guessed, you can't. ``There are no things that a woman will feel or changes in her body that point to having a boy versus a girl,'' says Shivani Patel, MD, a specialist in maternal-fetal medicine and an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern.
For example, male pregnancies are more likely to be complicated by maternal gestational diabetes, and boys born from such pregnancies have a higher risk of congenital anomalies and respiratory disorders than do girls born to women with gestational diabetes (Persson and Fadl, 2014).
Crying hard once in a while is normal during pregnancy. But if you're crying all the time and finding it hard to feel any joy, that could be a sign of depression. You're not alone. Studies show that up to 23% of pregnant women experience depression—and you don't have to feel ashamed.
Classic signs and symptoms of pregnancy
There are many old wives' tales and myths that claim you can tell whether you're having a boy or a girl, but they're not based on scientific evidence. The only surefire way to find out the sex of your baby is at a doctor's appointment.
The energy demands on your body can result in pregnancy exhaustion and fatigue. As a side note, it's said that extreme tiredness during early pregnancy can indicate the gender is a girl because carrying girls more often results in higher likelihood of nausea and extreme fatigue.
First trimester
It is also the trimester of 'mood swings' brought on by pregnancy symptoms. One minute you are feeling so happy and the next you are fuelled with doubt, worry or sadness. It can be quite confronting having those feelings of sadness, worry and fear when all you wanted was to be pregnant.
While it might happen at seemingly random times or in confusing situations, there's almost always a reason behind your tears—even if that reason isn't immediately clear. Stress, anxiety, grief, hormonal changes, and fatigue are among the most common causes of unexpected crying.
Specific factors contributing to perinatal depression can include: Life stress (for example, demands at work or experiences of past trauma) Physical and emotional demands of childbirth and caring for a new baby. Changes in hormones that occur during and after pregnancy.
Whilst most couples are happy with either a boy or a girl baby, as long as it is healthy and strong, some are keen to try to sway the odds of having a boy, if they can. Just remember that there are no guarantees and the odds of conceiving a boy or a girl are almost exactly the same for each and every pregnancy.
A new study published in Science Advances found that a baby's sex may not be totally up to chance. By examining more than 58,000 U.S. women with two or more live births between 1956 and 2015, scientists found that families may be more likely to produce one sex over another.
The energy intake of pregnant women is about 10% higher when they are carrying a boy rather than a girl. Our findings support the hypothesis that women carrying male rather than female embryos may have higher energy requirements and that male embryos may be more susceptible to energy restriction.
Some researchers have found that pregnant women carrying girls might experience more severe nausea and vomiting, and some have wondered if this could mean that morning sickness starts earlier in those pregnancies. However, the evidence does not show that morning sickness begins sooner when you are pregnant with a boy.
The most widely recognized gender symbols are the circle above a cross (♀), signifying female, and the circle below an arrow pointing diagonally upward to the right (♂), signifying male.
Here are some key indicators of a healthy pregnancy:
Sudden emotional changes often result from hormonal fluctuations, increased stress, life transitions, or underlying mental health concerns. Common triggers include menstrual cycles, major life changes, sleep disruption, or unprocessed emotions requiring professional support.
The first stage of a mental breakdown, often starting subtly, involves feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and increasingly anxious or irritable, coupled with difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep/appetite, and withdrawing from activities or people that once brought joy, all stemming from intense stress that becomes too much to handle.
Personality and Temperament: Some people are naturally more emotionally attuned and sensitive to the world around them — a beautiful strength, not a flaw. Mental Health Struggles: Anxiety, depression, and burnout often make emotions feel closer to the surface, leading to easier tears.
Lasting from week 13 to week 27, the second trimester of pregnancy is often thought of as the best part of pregnancy. For many people, morning sickness and fatigue from the first trimester go away at this point.
Crying and irritability during pregnancy are common, especially in the early months. These reactions can be in response to something important or nothing at all. If you find yourself crying a lot during pregnancy, make sure you're getting enough sleep (eight hours is great!).
Pregnancy can be very emotional. It can be hard to know whether your feelings are normal or a sign of something more serious. Pregnancy hormones can affect your emotional state, you may have trouble sleeping and you may be feeling sick. This can all make you feel low.
Summary. Symptoms of early pregnancy include missed periods, nausea and vomiting, breast changes, tiredness and frequent urination. Many of these symptoms can also be caused by other factors such as stress or illness.
There's no single "hardest" month, as challenges vary, but many find the first trimester tough due to nausea, fatigue, and hormonal shifts, while the third trimester (especially the final month) is physically demanding with discomfort, frequent urination, sleep issues, and anxiety about labor, making the last few months incredibly challenging for most. The second trimester often offers relief, but back pain and heartburn can begin, Cleveland Clinic notes.
But do these cravings really predict baby's sex? Scientific studies, including the comprehensive review by Wolfson & Bleich, have found no consistent pattern linking specific cravings to fetal sex.