If you could find out the gender of your baby while you were still in your first trimester, would you? Apparently, you can: A recent study found that a certain type of prenatal blood test is highly accurate at determining fetal sex as early as seven weeks into the pregnancy. That's weeks before other, riskier tests, like ultrasounds and amniocentesis, can make the distinction between boy or girl.

I think this is great news, despite concerns that the availability of this test will lead to an uptick in the practice of prenatal sex selection -- which, for the record, I DO NOT SUPPORT or approve of in any way, shape, or form.

The reason why I think this is a positive development is because finding out the gender of your baby early could be the key to good prenatal care ...

For some pregnant women, the potential risks of getting an amniocentesis (about 1 in every 200 to 400 cause a miscarriage) outweigh the benefits: Detecting possible birth defects like spina bifida, Down syndrome, and cystic fibrosis. Having known someone who had a post-amnio miscarriage, I was too scared to get the test done during either of my pregnancies.

But now that I know getting an amnio could be more beneficial than I thought, I might do things differently if I were to get pregnant again. Especially considering that the test could end up saving my child's life years down the road.

Most pregnant women experience some degree of stress about the possibility of miscarriage; I know I did. But now researchers have figured out a way to predict which pregnancies are most likely to end in miscarriage, meaning ... pregnant women don't have to worry anymore? Not exactly.

Figuring out that a combination of two prenatal factors -- extent of bleeding and hCG levels -- can accurately determine whether or not a pregnancy is viable won't make the experience of going through a miscarriage any less difficult for women.

I've often wondered what pregnancy was like for my mother's generation, and the generations before that. It used to be expectant moms didn't even have the choice of finding out whether their baby was going to be a girl or a boy, never mind analyzing the odds that their baby might have one of the zillions of genetic defects we test for today, from Down syndrome to sickle cell anemia to cystic fibrosis. I'm betting those nine months were a lot less stressful for women back then than they are now, when a major side effect of genetic testing can cast a black cloud over the rest of your pregnancy experience.

What's the side effect? Worry. Endless, all-consuming worry.

Don't get me wrong -- if your doctor recommends genetic testing, then get it done. But more and more couples are going off on their own, without their doctor's advice, to have what's called DTC genetic testing (Direct to Consumer), and I don't think it's a good idea.

I've always felt weird about the super-intimate pregnancy details people share on Facebook. Maybe it's my inherent fear of jinxing a good thing, but every time I see another "here's how big my belly is this month" status update, all I can think of is how painful it would be for the mom to look back on those posts if something were to go wrong, god forbid. So the new trend of women announcing their pregnancies on YouTube, sometimes even before they tell their husbands or other family members, really makes me nervous.

Obesity is a huge problem, especially in the US, since it's often joined by many the health problem (though not all overweight people are unhealthy). We've discovered over decades that obese mothers often have children who are also obese, though there's plenty of argument as to whether that's genetic or lifestyle, but research points to both.

The National Health Service has decided to take 400 non-diabetic but obese pregnant women to see if giving them a drug during pregnancy can help prevent their babies from being obese, since their studies imply that obesity-programming starts in utero.

Um ... oooookay.

You take so many tests when you are pregnant -- the nuchal fold scan, the 20-week sonogram, genetic testing. We all have to do that glucose test. We pee in so many cups, we could have a tea service for 50 at the end of it.

But one thing that isn't often talked about is your thyroid. That gland in the body that regulates a whole mess of things, including how the body handles hormones -- by producing the thyroid hormone that regulates metabolism and a bunch of other stuff. Okay, right, as you can tell I am not doctor, but I know the thyroid is a biggie and if it gets knocked off, that can mean trouble.

There's a new study out saying even before you get pregnant, you should have that thyroid checked out, as 1 in 20 women who give birth go onto have thyroid problems. But, oddly enough, not everyone is sold on this idea...

When you're old enough to start making hanky panky with members of the opposite sex, you're old enough to know that it comes with the risks of makin' babies. Even when you take all the precautions in the world, short of having a hysterectomy, you can get knocked up, or at least have a pregnancy scare.

You'd think a home pregnancy test would be easy. After all, you just ... pee on a stick. And wait a couple minutes. Then look at it. All done! Right?

NOT SO FAST!

The truth is most people suck at following directions. Badly. Horribly. Even when it comes to something as "simple" as peeing on a piece of plastic. There is also the few minutes of angst between peeing and results, and things go wrong. Even when we see it on TV, they tend to do it all wrong, too.

If you're thinking, "Seriously? How hard can it be?" check this out: