Sneak Peek Test: Gender Reveals at 7 Weeks

There’s nothing like the feeling when you see that positive pregnancy test. Nothing.

Your world has suddenly changed forever. But waiting for the 12-week NIPT or the 20-week anatomy scan to find out the gender also feels like forever. Whether you’re inpatient (like me) or just plain filled with anxiety (also like me), one thing you can do between your positive test and your first OB appointment is find out the baby’s gender through Sneak Peek, which offers at home blood test kits that are 99.9% accurate.

(Note: This is not a paid or sponsored article. We bought and used this ourselves. This is our raw experience.)

The Science

Surprisingly, the science behind this test is pretty simple. If the baby is a boy, their DNA will contain a Y chromosome. If the baby is a girl, they'll will have two X chromosomes (and no Y chromosome will be present.) Fetal DNA mixes into the mothers DNA by 7 weeks.

"SneakPeek is a DNA-based test that looks for male chromosomes in the fetal DNA found in mom’s blood. If male chromosomes are present, the baby is a boy. If none are found, it’s a baby girl. The gender predictor test is 99.9% accurate at 7 weeks into a woman’s pregnancy."

Sneak Peak

The Test

Sneak Peak offers two options for their blood sample collection, the Finger Lancet (finger prick) or the Snap device.

I’ve done Sneak Peak for two pregnancies. We opted for the finger lancet with our first and the snap device with our second. I strongly prefer the snap device for two reasons.

1. Zero pain. I didn’t believe the Sneak Peek advertisements when they said this, but I was shocked. I was expecting it to feel something along the lines of a blood draw – Not even close. I did feel something touching me, but I can 100% say that I felt absolutely no pain. I would say this is 1/100th of even the easiest of blood draws or shots I’ve ever received, and I would highly recommend this for anyone that struggles with needles.
2. Snap Device Has a Lower Risk of Contamination. Before you collect your blood sample you go through a pretty rigorous scrubbing process on your arm, then you attach the snap device. Truly, I’m not sure how this sample could get contaminated with Y chromosome if you follow the directions. Once the area has been prepped and the snap device has been put in place, the area is completely covered, and the blood never has to be touched.

The blood is also collected from your upper arm, an area that probably comes into contact with less Y chromosomes generally, especially compared to a fingertip.

In contrast, the finger lancet is on your finger and while there’s also a rigorous cleaning process with the finger lancet, your fingertip still touches everything and everyone all day long. The blood also has to be squeezed out of your fingertip. This not only hurts, but requires a lot more exposure to skin on your hand where you could’ve missed a spot containing a Y chromosome, leaving you with a false positive result for a boy.

Risk of Incorrect Results

An incorrect result can happen in two ways. First, taking the test too early – so make absolutely sure that you’re at least 7 weeks.

Second, is contamination of the Y chromosome. This can happen accidentally. For example, the first time we did Sneak Peek my husband was trying to help with a Band-Aid when he accidentally brushed his arm against the open blood sample tube. (Safe to say we waited to announce the gender until we had an ultrasound to confirm. But our results were correct on Sneak Peak)

Just be sure the guys aren’t around when you take this test, and you should be good.

If for whatever reason the results do come back incorrect, Sneak Peek does offer a full refund if their test is incorrect.

Why Sneak Peek?

This is by far the earliest way you can find out the gender of a baby. While NIPT tests are often offered around 12 weeks and can tell you the gender, they are only covered by insurance for high-risk pregnancies and often cost anywhere between $400-$1800 out of pocket. Sneak Peek ranges from $60-$150 depending on the kit you choose. So, if you're not needing the additional genetic screening that comes with NIPT, Sneak Peak is definitely the way to go.

Why did I want to find out so early? Finding out our first baby was a boy helped me more clearly visualize our future, plan a nursery, and shop clothing sales almost a full year in advance (Clearly, I’m an obsessive planner). But also, coming from a family who has a long history of miscarriages, I always had in the back of my mind that if, heaven forbid, my pregnancy ended that way, I would at least be able to grieve without the question mark of whether I had lost a son or a daughter – and that was important to me.

My Recommendations

•  If you choose to do Sneak Peek, do it with a female friend there to help you. It's difficult to follow their lengthy instructions while collecting the sample at the same time.
•  Read all of the instructions before you start.
•  Don't have any males sitting within about 10 or so feet – I've learned from experience that's it's easy for them to want to jump in and help.
•  If you do mess up the test, don't panic! Go ahead and send in your sample, Sneak Peek's customer service team will reach out to you if they can't process it, and they'll send you another kit completely free.

You can pick up Sneak Peak here.

If you have any other questions be sure to reach out to Sneak Peek directly or check out their FAQs here. They go into detail about shipping times, different test kit options, what to do if you're having twins, and more.