Can you tell based on the shape of the baby bump if the child will be a girl or boy?

We're seeing more gender reveal parties nowadays and while couples have the option of finding out for sure if they're having a boy or a girl simply by asking their doctor, friends and family love a good guessing game. 

Some believe that women are "blooming", i.e. their faces are brighter and more pleasant, if they're pregnant with a girl. Others speculate on the baby's gender based on the shape of the bump. 

Is it true that a rounder belly means that the baby is a girl and that a more angular shape means that it's a boy? 

In an episode of "Pinoy MD", OB-GYNE Dr. Raul Quillamor said that this is nothing but a myth.

"Hindi totoo 'yan na kung patulis ang hugis ng tiyan ni mommy ay lalake ang anak at kung bilog naman ay babae," he said, adding that there is no medical or scientific basis for this belief at all. 

Fun fact: This belief about the shape of the baby bump is not unique to Pinoys.

An article written by Claudia Hammond for BBC in 2012 notes that English people also believe that "a neat bump that sticks out in front like a netball" means it's a boy and it's a girl if the weight is more spread out in the middle. 

Hammond wrote that two factors determine the shape of a pregnant woman's baby bump and they don't involve the gender of the child she is carrying. First is the size of the baby and the second is its position. 

While male babies might be slightly heavier or bigger than female babies, Hammond said that "the small difference in weight does not change the shape of the bump."

The only reliable way of determining the baby's gender is by a medical screening — so it's great that we now enjoy this advancement in science! — Aya Tantiangco, GMA News