Oh boy…it's a girl!

Ultrasound imaging can be used to determine the sex of a fetus during pregnancy. Currently, expectant parents can find out whether they are having a boy or a girl from 20 weeks of gestation in human pregnancy. This short article seeks to discuss why fetal sexing within the veterinary species may be advantageous. A more in depth discussion of this topic can be found at Vet Image Solutions. 

Why would it be useful to know the sex of the impending animal offspring whereby the owner can know whether they are 'feeling blue', or 'in the pink'? If an animal is used for breeding purposes, a specific sex may be required by the eventual owner, whereas with cattle the sex of a fetus can directly impact whether offspring is used for dairy or beef purposes which can therefore have financial implications. Fetal sexing may also aid in detecting the probability of the predisposition of offspring to a particular genetic disease.

Consequently, the increased availability of novel veterinary ultrasound technology has made it easier for the ultrasound practitioner to carry out fetal sexing with greater reliability and accuracy.

This article was written by Dr Melissa Fletcher, Veterinary Image Solutions.