Choosing Babies Sex Will it be a girl or a boy?

Choosing your babies sex
Dr. Landrum Shettles - Pioneer in in vitro fertilization techniques who conducted some of the first experiments in fertilizing a human egg in a laboratory, who developed the GIFT technique for transplantation of a fertilized egg into the fallopian tube, and who spent many years studying ways for couples to choose the sex of their baby including writing the controversial book 'How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby'. This is an extract from his book. X's and Y's
Basically, men produce two types of sperms, the X (female) and Y (male). According to Dr. Shettles' studies the y-sperms are smaller, weaker, but faster than their sibling x-sperms, which are bigger, stronger, but slower.

Based on this fact, there are several things you can do to 'favor' the conception of boys or girls:

Timing of intercourse
The most important aspect of all is timing of intercourse during the monthly cycle. The closer to ovulation you have sex, the better the chances to have a boy, because the y-sperms are faster and tend to get to the egg first. If you have sex 3 days or more before ovulation, the better your chances to conceive a girl, because the weaker y-sperms tend to die sooner and the x-sperms will be available in greater quantity whenever the egg is released. On the other hand, having sex from 2 days before ovulation, through a few days after ovulation, is better for conceiving a boy. Around the 2-day point -- 48 hours before ovulation -- seems to be the 50/50 mark.

(For those with a precise turn of mind, Shettles clarifies even further [p. 187]: from zero to 24 hours before ovulation, intercourse is more likey to result in a boy; from 24 to 96 hours before, a girl is more likely; and the further away from that 24- hour dividing line in either direction, the better the odds.)

Women's orgasms
Women's orgasms can also be important. This also has to do with pH. When a woman has an orgasm, the body releases a substance that makes the environment more alkaline, favoring boys. Shettles recommends no female orgasms when trying for girls!

Position of intercourse
Position of intercourse and depth of penetration are important, partly because of acidity/alkalinity of the woman's reproductive tract (see sec. (6) below). The closer to the entrance to the vagina, the more acidic the pH of women's tract. Also, deep penetration places the sperm closer to the egg, and gives those aggressive boy sperms a head start :-). So, a shallow penetration will favor girls and a deeper will favor boys. Shettles recommends missionary-position for a girl, and rear-entry (dog- style) for a boy.

The sperm count
The sperm count is another factor. Obviously, a low sperm count to begin with doesn't favor either sex. But a high sperm count favors boys. Shettles recommends three things:

1. When trying for a boy, the man should not have an ejaculation for 3 days before reaching the target date a day or two before ovulation. (Intercourse earlier than 3 days before ovulation should be with a condom only.) For girls, have sex every day from the first day after your period ends, and stop 3 days before ovulation. (No intercourse even with a condom during that time.)
2. Shettles recommends that for boys, the man wear loose underwear only -- that is, men who usually wear briefs or other tight underwear should switch to boxers. The idea is the same as wearing boxers to increase overall fertility -- the testicles need cooler temperatures for sperms to survive, and the Y- sperms, since they are weaker, will be helped more than the X-sperms by this method. However, Shettles does NOT recommend the opposite, that men wear briefs for a girl -- this will just decrease overall fertility.
3. Also, for a girl, the man is supposed to take a hot bath immediately before intercourse. 'Room temperature' is fine for a boy. The idea is the same as the briefs versus boxers -- give the X- sperms an advantage.

Coffee
In trying for a boy, Shettles recommends a nice cup of caffeinated coffee for the man, right before intercourse -- he isn't clear on how or why this works, but apparently it gives the Y-sperms a jolt!

Douching
Concerning douching and the pH of the women's reproductive tract: A more acidic environment favors girls, since it will kill the weaker y-sperms first, leaving a greater quantity of x-sperms available to fertilize the egg. On the other hand, a more alkaline environment favors boys. (Note: Some women are naturally very acidic and have a hard time conceiving boys.)

Shettles *formerly* recommended two douching-methods (involving vinegar or baking soda) to help alter vaginal pH. However, in the most recent update (c. 1989) of his book, he no longer recommends douching at all. His comment (pp. 179-180) is that one can get equally-good results with or without the douches recommended earlier.

Book
Well, these are the big ones. Read the book for other details. If you can determine the time of ovulation and follow the rules presented in his book, Dr. Shettles claims a success rate of 70-75% for girls and 75-80% for boys (better than the 'normal' 50%). As you see, it's not 100%!!!

Also, Shettles recommends a 'practice' period of 3-6 months, to make sure the couple has all the techniques down properly. A note about overall fertilty
Many of Shettles' methods are also valid (and scientifically accepted) methods for increasing or decreasing overall fertility. It's beyond the scope of this FAQ to cover all aspects of fertility, but paying attention to the following elements is certainly relevant:

• A key to increasing fertility overall is charting time of ovulation during every monthly cycle. The three most common methods for determining ovulation are:
(1) charting basal body temperature (BBT);
(2) charting changes in cervical mucus; and/or
(3) using an ovulation test-kit.

•Regarding sex selection in particular, it is beyond question that having sex very close to the time of ovulation is an important way to increase the overall odds for conception. Other methods that are known to increase odds for conception include: deep penetration at the time of ejaculation; for women, having an orgasm together with or following the man's orgasm; for men, wearing boxers instead of briefs; and for men, avoiding hot baths or hot tubs.

•As you'll note, all of these also correspond with methods that favor boys, according to Shettles. In fact, he cautions that conceiving a girl may take considerably longer than conceiving a boy, *and* may take longer than conceiving using no techniques at all.

The Point: If you have trouble conceiving in general, or think you might have such trouble, the techniques for choosing a girl baby might not be for you -- unless you're willing to be patient!



Comments: Choosing Babies Sex

Comments 1 to 24 of about 69.
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bella78 - 5 days ago.
Hello Everyone we used Shettles with a twist...we did babydance the day before ovulation, from behind, I had O first buuuuuut we also did the same thing the next morning which is a Shettles no no but low and behold we got our baby boy!! Good luck to all!!!

alex76 - 20 days ago.
Sorry this may be TMI but I read somewhere the way you have sex can determine the sex of your baby. I had a girl last time and having a boy this time. Both times tie in with what this article said, they said if you want a boy the female should orgasm first as it makes the vagina less alkaline meaning the male sperm can survive longer as they usually die off quicker then the females. sorry I know its TMI but when I've been asked by friends its the only thing we did different

dandunam - 21 days ago.
Called my insurance yesterday to find out i'm only granted ONE u/s this whole pregnancy. ;-( That's nothing. When I was pregnant with my kids abroad I had so many more. I was prepared to 'only' have 3 this time around, but what on earth am I going to do with ONE???!!! And we wanted to find out the gender.....what if baby doesn't show then??? I have two girls, would like a boy, but am happy to just have a third baby.

dandunam - 21 days ago.
just got this link from Reuters Health Report that basically links a mother skipping breakfast can point towards having a girl......check it out! http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL2284780520080423?feedType=nl&feedName=ushealth1100

lisad11784 - 27 days ago.
fefe- I so think its a girl!!!!! But you will see in time! Congrats and I hope you get what you want!

fefe03 - 30 days ago.
Okay i had a ultrasound done at 13 weeks n 3 days... the tech says she is pretty sure its a girl... she is going to do another in 2 weeks just to make sure... i have two boys already and neither of their ultrasounds looked think this... at 12 weeks you can surly see a little turtle lol... we are wanting a girl very babdly but will of course be happy with what god gives us... please take a look at my U/S picture and let me know what you all think please... http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/feliciadrael/gender-1.jpg

clairelouise - 30 days ago.
I didnt use a chart but looked after and saw it should be a girl. And at my 20 wk scan it was confirmed i was expecting a girl, Born on 29th july 2001, shannon eloise was born at 4.12am, Im now expecting my second baby and the chart says another girl, so we'll see my scan wont be till around july time.

Martina26 - 30 days ago.
I used Shettles method among other things and I have my two boys ;) Good luck ladies

Tashasbabybump - 31 days ago.
I really hope this works! I was talking to my husbands cousin about this and she seems to think it works...she wanted to have all boys and so far she has 4 of them! I have always wanted to have a boy first so here goes...I ovulate today!

pargy - 32 days ago.
Hey, I was wondering if the people who conceived a boy believe in the Shettles method? I am pregnant with a healthy baby girl. My husband and I would like one of each, so we want to try for a boy on the next pregnancy.

mommyrock - 42 days ago.
My husband and I were trying for a boy. We have a beautiful little girl but my husband wanted his boy. The chinese calendar said we were getting our boy, yipee! I had a threatened miscarriage at 15wks 6days and when we had the u/s to make sure the baby was still in there, we asked her to look over the area. There wasn't a turtle head. She was 90% sure we are having a girl. We will confirm it on the 21st. My husband and I don't care now about the boy, we weren't disappointed because we were so happy she was still in utero and heartbeat was a very healthy 152bpm.

tripnstuff99 - 52 days ago.
aejh...20 weeks is the norm. It has something to do with the babys development and the ability to see everything you want to see. I know...waiting sucks! I'm 17 weeks and have my ultrasound scheduled for the 11th of April. It seems so far away but hey...I'm having a great pregnancy and I keep telling myself not to rush it because it will be over before I know it. Good luck! Try to be patient...I KNOW its hard!

aejh143 - 52 days ago.
what's the soonest we can find out what we're having? I'm 15 weeks right now, and our scheduled date for the u/s is April 15th. If I don't have to wait that long I don't want to! Anyone know?

AnOddBatch - 54 days ago.
When I told my mom (who has three kids) that I was 11 weeks pregnant and that I'd had an u/s at 8.5 weeks her first response was, 'Really? So have you found out if it's a boy or a girl?' I was kind of stupified. Shouldn't my mom know that you can't tell that early? Weird. To be honest, my dad asked the same thing when I told him later that night...but I figured that was a little more understandable.

kewald - 61 days ago.
I have 2 girls already. On my last child (who is now 12 months old) we were told it was FOR SURE a boy up until the 18-19 week sonogram. We had to do fertility, so we had at least 7-9 sonograms before the 18-19 week one. All the different techs told us boy. Now I am pregnant with twins. Again, they said 2 boys FOR SURE until the 16 week one. Then at 16 weeks it was boy/girl twins. Then at 19 weeks we were told 2 girls! Since it is twins I get a sonogram every appointment and it is definately 2 girls. Be weary of those early sonograms!!!! I would say nothing is for sure until 18-19 weeks!

M.M.Masi - 75 days ago.
I would wait if I were you before buying anything blue. I also had my scan at 13wks 4 dys and was told that I was having 2 boys. They didn't look like your pic. I'm waiting for my next scan at 18 wks to be sure.

crazylife85 - 75 days ago.
Ladies, i need your help... i had a scan yesterday that measures 13 weeks.. and the U/s Tech said that it might be a boy how accurate do you guys think this is ..........?

axmoexloixa - 79 days ago.
I had sex the day I was ovulating and conceived a boy!

Martina26 - 101 days ago.
I conceived on th eday I began ovulating, missionary, had O--of course-- and held in for thirty min--Got my Boy. Oh yea and I consulted the chinese sex calendar ahead of time. Good luck ladies ;)

sexymama021 - 101 days ago.
Well, I had gone off the bc pill in June, started trying in august, got pg in Sept. I know the evening I conceived. I had sex about 3 days before ovulation, missionary position, I had no 'O', and laid in bed propped up for 30 mins. My hubby didn't know but I was trying for a girl...and I had my u/s jan 25th, it's a girl! :) I am thrilled. It worked for us!

denee85 - 112 days ago.
For me,I think alot of the decision of baby's gender comes from the timing of intercourse..both my boys (19w preg and 3 1/2 yo) were concieved on THE DAY of Ovulation...I was tracking my cycles and both times I got pregnant was the exact day I ovulated...I guess if I want a girl I'll have to try to have sex a couple of days BEFORE ovulation.....lol

inkjunkie - 131 days ago.
I have two girls and am now 14 weeks pregnant and really would like a boy but i dont believe in all the science, coffee and loose briefs nonsense as it makes no sense really!! We will have whatever sex god has decided to bless us with. I will love him/her no matter what sex it is xxx

binmoon - 131 days ago.
i used this method to get my baby boy after 3 amazing girls i really wanted to know what having a little man was all about i was so excited in my ultrasound when we were told it was a boy my hubby didnt believe it until he arrived but wow are boys different to girls........lol his a handfull...

juniperberry - 133 days ago.
{Kristin1369} 'Happy New Year' Well, I had a gutt feeling that my baby was going to be a boy (picked out a name for him, i could even picture what he looked like) when everyone asked I told them undeniably it was a boy (that's how much I felt it) at my 20wk scan, found out it was a girl(they weren't 100% positive tho). I did cry for the loss of my baby-boy I was SO sure I was having...but I was just happy in the fact that she was happy & healthy. I asked again at a scan I had 2wks ago & the sonog said 'it's a girl!'. but just to be sure...i'm asking again in 5wks! lol

Kristin1369 - 134 days ago.
I hope I am right too. His Daddys says he'll be happy for a girl too but every man wants his little boy. He is really looking forward to teaching the baby to play sports. Hes a sports nut so probably he will teach all our kijds in the future but He hasnt had to much in his life to get exited about and I figured a little boy with his name would make him happy. That and he'll need somone to help him keep an eye on our girl when we have one lol. If we have a girl now shell never get out. He says she isnt dating until she is married haha. So I think we need a boy to distract him from that.


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