Articles
The Relationship Between Placental Location and Fetal Gender
(Ramzi’s Method):
Can Placental / Chorionic villi Location be used as Indicator for Fetal Gender
at Six Weeks Gestation using 2-D and Color Flow Sonography?
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
By
Dr. SAAD RAMZI ISMAIL
Ultrasound Supervisor / Instructor
NWHC-High Level Hospital-Alberta
Pobox-1462, High Level, Alberta, T0H1Z0
Canada
Steveramsey2000@hotmail.com
Saa3d@hotmail.com
PhD. Public Health / Fetal Assessments
MSc. Medical Ultrasound
BSc. Diagnostic Imaging
ARDMS, CARDUP, CRGS, CRVS, ASRT, RTR
December 2007
Conflict of Interest Declaration
The author acknowledges no commercial affiliation or financial conflict of
interest.
Acknowledgment
The author wishes to express his appreciation to the project supervisors Dr.
Ali Cadili and Dr. Lincoln M Abney PhD. Special thanks to Mrs. Merle McCann, Dr
Essam Shaaban, Dr. V Bouta, Dr. S. Desilva, Dr. P. Hughes, Dr. A zammit, and
Siti Arabiah Hamid for their help and guidance.
Dedication
This project is dedicated to all those who strive for knowledge and wisdom,
to those who believe in the creator and intelligent design, and to the memory of
my beloved parents and brothers who were killed in Iraq.
Advances in Knowledge
This study contributes to advances in knowledge by understanding the history
of fetal gender and the ethical dilemma of choosing or detecting fetal gender at
first trimester of the pregnancy. It gives new prospective and method to detect
fetal gender as early as possible to better manage some genetic disease which
can be found in male or female fetuses. Thus, gives the parent the choice of
what to do, and gives the gynaecologist’s and genetic counsellors the ability to
manage, discuss and guide the parents to better management of the fetus.
This study might be used in the veterinary medicine to help endanger species
and to increase the probability of conceiving male or female of certain
specious.
It also increases the skills of the sonographers and Radiologists to detect
fetal gender by applying this method. It might also be used as a genetic soft
marker when bilateral pyelectasis is present. This study will opens the door
toward new and radical understanding of the female uterus.
Application to Patient Care
The application to patient care is in the knowledge gained by physicians,
genetic counsellors and researchers that can be applied from the sonographers/sonoliogists
ability to detect fetal gender as early as possible especially in families with
genetic disorders that can be found in male or female fetuses. It will enhance
the sonographer’s ability to correlate the finding with other genetic soft
markers such as renal pyelectasis.
This study may help parents to decide and choose the type of medical
management available in case of inherited genetic problem such as in X-linked
genetic disorder.
This study might not be for all patients but definitely for those who want to
know and prepare their life and finances and for those who have a genetic
problem, which can inflect one gender than the other.
Abstract
The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between placental /chorionic
villi laterality and fetal genders early in pregnancy using 2-D ultrasonography
and color flow Doppler.
Material and Method
This is a multi-center prospective cohort study of 5376 pregnant women that
underwent ultrasonography from 1997 to 2007. Trans-vaginal sonograms were
performed in 22% of the patients at 6 weeks gestation, and Trans-abdominal
sonograms were used at 18-20 weeks gestation, at this time the fetal gender were
confirmed in 98-99%. The fetal sex was confirmed 100% after delivery. The study
also addressed the bicornuate uteri with single pregnancy in relation to
placenta / chorionic villi location. The result was tabulated according to
gender and placenta / chorionic villi location. Bicornuate uteri with single
fetus in different horns were studied and tabulated
Result
Dramatic differences were detected in chorionic villi / placental location
according to gender. 97.2% of the male fetuses had a chorionic villi/placenta
location on the right side of the uterus whereas, 2.4% had a chorionic villi/placenta
location to the left of the uterus. On the other hand 97.5% of female fetuses
had a chorionic villi/placenta location to the left of the uterus whereas, 2.7%
had their chorionic villi/placenta location to the right side of the uterus.127
cases were found to involve bicornuate uteri with single foetuses, most male
fetuses were located in the right horn of the uterus and showed right placental
laterality (70%). Most female fetuses 59% on the other hand, were located in the
left horn and showed left laterality (59%).Moreover, most of the males located
in the left horn exhibited right laterality (89%). Also most females located in
right horn exhibited left laterality (976.4%). In addition this research
indicated that there was a possible link between renal pyelectasis and placental
location, and it might be used as a genetic soft marker.
Conclusion
Ramzi’s method is using placenta /chorionic villi location as a marker for
fetal gender detection at 6 weeks gestation was found to be highly reliable.
This method correctly predicts the fetus gender in 97.2% of males and 97.5% of
females early in the first trimester. And it might be helpful to use as a
genetic soft marker in relation with fetal pyelectasis.
Continue to Introduction
