Sex and Your Baby's Gender

Have sex when the moon is full and you’ll conceive a girl. Eat lots of red meat and a boy is in your future. Sound ridiculous? That’s because determining the gender of your unborn child based on old wive’s tales generally IS ridiculous. But if you’re like 83% of hopeful moms, you DO have a gender preference, and may wonder if it’s possible to tip the odds in favor of a boy or girl. According to a 40 year old theory created by Dr. Landum Shettles, determining the gender of your child is as easy as having sex on a schedule. On the other hand, most modern research suggests that influencing your baby’s gender based on the timing or type of sexual intercourse is statistically very unlikely to make any difference. To understand the Shettles Method, remember biology 101, where you learned that a woman’s egg contains one X chromosome. Meanwhile, a man’s sperm can contain either a Y chromosome, which joins with the egg to make a boy-or an X chromosome which joins with the egg to make a girl. According to Shettles, boy-making Y chromosomes move more quickly in a woman’s body, BUT are also less hardy and die faster. On the other hand, girl-guaranteeing X chromosomes don’t swim as strongly, HOWEVER, they live longer in a woman’s body. Based on that idea, Shettles explains that it’s vital for a woman to know when she is likely to release an egg. This can be tracked by taking one’s basal body temperature daily, by watching the cervical mucous, or by using an ovulation kit. Once ovulation has been predicted, couples who want a girl should make love two to four days BEFORE the woman releases her egg. For girl results, it is also recommended that the male penetrate shallowly in the missionary position. The idea here is to give the slower, more resilient female sperm a chance to reach the egg when it is released. To make a boy, just reverse the terms-have sex as close to ovulation as possible, and do so using deep thrusting positions, like rear entry. This will put the short living, fast swimming male sperm even closer to the already available egg. Proponents of the Shettles method swear that it’s 75% accurate-but remember that nature provides a 50% chance of having one’s desired sex anyway! Additionally, it can be very hard to track an ovulation schedule, which can be thrown off by changes as subtle as a new medication or an increase in sexual activity. Because of this, the medical community doesn’t put much stock in using sex to INFLUENCE sex. However, many doctors encourage eager couples to give it a go anyway, as it absolutely can’t hurt to try!