For many people, the news of expecting a child elicits an unparalleled joy, followed by a nervous anticipation about the pregnancy and infant. Despite the numerous questions a parent may have, the most common question anyone else asks is, “Do you know what you are having?” In an era in which gender issues have emerged at the forefront of both pediatric medicine and the popular press, this question has become far more complex.

In some regions of the world, sex determination of the fetus has often led to sex-selective abortion; laws have thus been passed in these countries prohibiting ultrasonography for the purpose of sex determination.1 Although this has not been a problem in the United States, there are scenarios in which a sex assignment may later be questioned or reversed, leading to a significant amount of distress. Historically, expectant parents were able to learn about the infant’s genital...

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