Cartilage damage is a relatively common type of injury. It often involves the knees, although joints such as the hips, ankles and elbows can also be affected. Cartilage is a tough, flexible tissue found throughout the body. It covers the surface of joints, acting as a shock absorber and allowing bones to slide over one another. It can become damaged as a result of a sudden injury, such as a sports injury, or gradual wear and tear (osteoarthritis).
While it is still too early to clearly make out boy or girl parts at 12 weeks gestation, apparently the gender can be determined based on the angle of the nub (the genital tubercle). To determine gender based on a 12-14 week ultrasound, a profile view of the genital region is needed.
Most patients undergo an ultrasound at around 18-20 weeks (about four and a half to five months). Normally, at this stage of pregnancy we can determine the baby's sex, but not always. The position of the baby during the ultrasound is the most important aspect in our ability to tell the baby's sex, andthere's no way to influence that. For obvious reasons, it's usually easier to see if the baby is a boy. One reliable method is using amniocentesis to check the baby's chromosomes. This test is usually performed on a mother who is 35 years or older, for the purpose of identifying possible genetic problems.