The moment a home pregnancy test shows a positive result, many moms-to-be can't wait to start shopping for baby clothes and decorating the nursery — and get the go-ahead to buy lacy dresses or an adorable newborn-size suit and tie. No wonder you can find all sorts of ways online to predict your baby's gender.

One that you may come across out there is the Ramzi theory. But is this method accurate, or it is an old wives’ tale like many other ways to guess your baby's sex?

What is the Ramzi theory?

The Ramzi theory or Ramzi method is based on the notion that the position of the placenta can predict if you're carrying a boy or girl as early as week 6 of pregnancy. 

Dr. Saad Ramzi Ismail developed this theory by examining the development and location of the placenta, specifically its finger-like projections known as the chorionic villi. 

Supposedly, his data showed that a placenta developing on the left indicated that the baby was a girl, while a placenta developing on the right meant it was a boy. 

When can you try the Ramzi theory to find out your baby’s sex?

You can use the Ramzi theory starting when you’re about 6 weeks pregnant, when the first ultrasound is sometimes done. 

However, many practitioners don’t recommend having your first ultrasound until your second trimester, between weeks 18 and 22 of pregnancy.

Is the Ramzi theory accurate?

If you asked Dr. Ismail, he'd tell you that his theory is accurate. But his results have not been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. And members of the medical community — including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) — do not endorse this method. 

Initial studies on the Ramzi method do not support that idea that the location of a women’s placenta in the first trimester canpredict a baby’s sex.  Most trials have used small population samples, and any correlations were not significant. 

It's also important to know that your baby's sex organs don't begin to develop until about week 7 or 8 of pregnancy. Therefore, it's difficult to predict how a baby's reproductive system will develop before or around that time.

Can I try the Ramzi method to find out my baby’s sex in the first trimester?

That said, as long as your obstetrician okays an ultrasound in your first trimester, you can certainly ask where your placenta is and try the Ramzi method to predict your baby's sex. Just keep in mind that the odds your Ramzi theory results will be right are about the same as chance: 50/50.

For a more accurate way to determine your baby’s sex, you’ll need to wait a few more weeks (we know it's hard, but you can do it!).  Between 10 and 13 weeks, doctors can perform a chorionic villus sampling (CVS), a diagnostic test that analyzes your baby’s genetic makeup, including sex. 

Or as early as 10 weeks, a quick blood draw can be analyzed for common chromosomal disorders. This noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) also reveals your baby’s sex. 

However, these tests are more common with higher-risk pregnancies, so your provider may not recommend them. If you are lower risk, you may have to wait until week 13 of pregnancy, when a nuchal translucency sonogram is sometimes done, or the second trimester ultrasound, which typically happens between 18 and 22 weeks, to learn your baby's sex. 

It's common to want to know your baby's sex ASAP. But if you decide to try the Ramzi theory, hold off on buying paint for the nursery. The Ramzi method is not proven to work, so there’s only a 50 percent chance that the results will be accurate. As tough as it is, it's better to wait until a later ultrasound to confirm if your little one is a boy or a girl.