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:

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.)
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.
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 18 of about 18.
1

Finallyababygirl - 38 days ago.
almost 30 weeks, expecting my lil girl... after carefully following the shettles method. i already have 2 boys.

calik73 - 54 days ago.
I have an eleven month old little girl, we tried the suggested method for a girl and got the girl we wanted. I have a friend who followed the advice for conceiving a boy and they are expecting a boy any day. So these methods seem to work pretty well! Good luck! I would like another girl next time around and will be trying the same method.

waitingfornumber2 - 68 days ago.
This seems hard to follow! We have a boy, and want a girl now, i guess we will try it but we'll see what happens!

christilynn - 75 days ago.
trying to conceive-want a girl! Any suggestions?

Sas-Jd - 266 days ago.
It would seem i shal be having a boy from reading that lol! we will see if correct. Thing is ive been wanting a boy and i have a feeling it is but i cant just say i am having a boy till i get the all important ultrasound to tell me either boy or girl which isnt to far away. Xx

Diegirl - 266 days ago.
Well, I guess following the methods recommended worked. After three boys we are having a baby GIRL! So excited!

annie - 269 days ago.
Hi there ladies, all i will say on this matter dont believe everything you read, we tried everything to get a boy, yes we got a boy and his twin sister aswell........Dont get me wrong i wouldn't change my lot for the world, still shocked and they are 17 months now, but i am wishing you all the best in your efforts and hope that you conceive what you desire, :o)

jennllewis - 281 days ago.
Hi Ladies, For all of you new mommies who are planning on staying at home, I have found this great website where you can earn a few extra bucks while staying home...check it out. Best thing of all its FREE! http://cashcrate.com/1105198

NeverPreggers - 339 days ago.
we're trying for a boy so we're doing everything possible to increase chances of a boy but it is turning into a huge ordeal because I am having trouble timing my ovulation. I am using the fertile focus microscope but I can't tell if I am actually ovulating or I am just fertile like right before I ovulate. I don't know what to think so we're just going to start BDing once the ferns show up on the microscope. Has anyone else used this method?

mom22to2boys - 340 days ago.
Yay Finally got the test strips and Guess what my body is very acidic at the moment so no douching and just straight gettin down to the BABYduSTiN!! Anyone else tryin for a girl?

Diegirl - 341 days ago.
My husband I just followed the methods recommended to conceive a girl. We are now 8 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I guess time will tell if the methods worked. :o)

Southernmom - 341 days ago.
me and my dh already have 2 girls so we are gonna try anything possible to get our lil boy

Angel-Baby - 349 days ago.
After losing our little boy after 9 days of life, we are ready to start trying again and we would love another little boy so we are trying everything they tell us about having a boy.. Hopefully, it works!! Good luck to all you ladies trying!!

elliey1985 - 353 days ago.
Hi everyone my husband and i are going to ttc next month and he;s agreed we can try specifically for a girl - we have one boy already whos now 7 months and love him to peices - really wanted a boy and i got one (although i didnt specifically try for one though we just got lucky). trying for a girl sounds fun if a little hard work however as we have our baby boy and i am still breastfeeding we're in no rush so doesnt matter if it takes longer. Hope eveyone is getting on well ttc'ing their favoured flavour!

cassie82 - 356 days ago.
Oohh!! This page was really informative! My husband and I want to have a girl when we actually conceive (of course we will love the baby either way). He wants to be one of those over-protective dads that meet the girl's dates on the porch, sitting in an old wicker chair, cleaning a shotgun. haha

supermompj - 370 days ago.
i wish i would have read this page before! we have three girls, i am very acidic as i ALWAYS have yeast infections which is a little disheartening thinking we might have our 4th while my husband is praying each night for a boy. however we did it doggie style the night we concieved and it was toward the end of my cycle. i actually thought i wasn't ovulating anymore. and because we were going to try the next month we didn't have sex for the five days prior to this conception....so chances might be good for us.

mom22to2boys - 371 days ago.
yAY people writing here!!!! ive got lots to say on how to have boys b/c I have two lol! Now I need to get my girl trying everything under the sun to have a little girl im currently waiting onmy ph test strips to find out if im too alakline or if im acidic enough tohave a girl! making a girl is certainly more challenging then making a son!

veesalazar - 371 days ago.
I went by my ovulation chart and tried for a boy, hubby had a red bull 30 mins before, we used Doggy style, we did it 1 day before and 1 day after and we both had an O. Needless to say I am expecting a boy! Good Luck!!