The Truth Behind The Theory That Dry Eyes In Pregnancy Mean You're Having A Girl

I'm generally not a fan of the old wives' tales that claim to "reveal" if you're having a boy or a girl. For both my pregnancies, I carried low and everyone, even strangers, would say, "You must be having a boy!" Nope, I have two girls. But when I heard that dry eyes might be a more accurate indicator of what gender you're having, I had to do some digging. If you've ever wondered if dry eyes are a sign you're having a girl, here's everything you need to know.

It's true that your hormones change dramatically when you get pregnant, and your eyes aren't immune to those hormonal shifts, according to Very Well Family. "The same hormones that cause an increase in acne while pregnant can also cause the meibomian glands, or lipid/oil glands to change during pregnancy. The meibomian glands line the upper and lower eyelid margins," explained the Very Well Family article, which added that ultimately, when these glands supply less oil, your eyes can get dry.

It's a bit of a stretch, but if we know that the same hormones are responsible for both pregnancy acne and dry eyes, and there's an old wives' tale that says, "if you break out in acne, you're having a girl," then wouldn't it stand to reason that dry eyes would also mean you're having a girl? Of course, it's pure speculation, but fun nevertheless.

If you take pregnancy out of the equation and just look at the causes for dry eyes in general, hormones are known to be a culprit, according to WebMD. "It does seem that women who take only estrogen are more likely to get dry eye, while those who take a combo of estrogen and progesterone (another female sex hormone) are less likely to get it," reported WebMD, looking at studies on hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Interestingly enough, there's quite a lot of chatter on pregnancy forums about dry eyes. "Oreymom82" on Baby Center community wrote, "I had my annual eye exam today and the [doctor] noticed in my chart that I am 7+ weeks. He asked if my eyes have been more watery or dry lately. He said that when you are carrying a boy, even this early on, the testosterone makes your eyes more lubricated. If you are carrying a girl the extra estrogen can dry out your eyes."

While the idea that dry eyes can predict a baby's gender is nothing but folklore, it still piques my interest when I hear about firsthand accounts that "prove" it right. One mom, "Cambellsmommy" on an Ingender forum wrote, "... I just hate to support old wives tales...BUT I am having a girl and am having the absolute worst time with dry eyes. I cant even wear my contacts anymore...which drives me nuts because I love my contacts! My eyes have completely rejected them with the pregnancy and I did not have this with my boys at all."

I'm going to have to start a straw poll among my preggo friends to see if there's really something to this theory after all.