Influencing Your Baby's Gender - Yay or Nay?

We all know that the only important thing about babies is that you have a perfect and healthy one.

There are some people however who would like to have a certain gender at a certain stage, for example a boy first and then a girl.  If this is something you're hoping for, there may be something that you can do at home which may increase your chances of conceiving the gender you'd prefer to have at that moment - and it's called the Shettles method.

When we decided to have a baby I said that I'd R-E-A-L-L-Y like to have a girl...'cause they're cute and you can dress them up all cute and girly and decorate their rooms all cute and girly and I could make cute girly jewellery for her and because girl baby clothes are just sooo much more cute...IMHO. :)  So that's when I got to googling the possibility of influencing your baby's gender, and I came across the Shettles method.

It seems to make sense and to be based on reasonable reason...so who knows, maybe you can sway your preferred gender in your favour.  No harm in trying, right?!  Definitely - it's totally safe and natural and need not involve any external items besides you and your husband.  The only negative side of this method though, is that it could decrease your chances of conceiving, and you'll find out why below - so if you're in a hurry to have a baby or you're taking longer than expected to conceive, then this method may not be something you'd want to try.  Also, as you probably know, there will never be a guarantee that you'll get the gender you've been "trying" for.

Here's how it works!...

There are 2 types of sperm - X-chromosome sperm (aka girl spermies) and Y-chromosome sperm (aka boy spermies).

• Girl spermies are slower than boy spermies, but they're larger and more resilient (ie they live longer) than boy spermies
• Boy spermies are faster, but they're smaller and have a shorter life span than girl spermies

Keeping that in mind, here's what you need to do to increase your chances of conceiving a specific gender:

Trying for a boy:

• time intercourse as close to day of ovulation as possible, ie the day of ovulation but no earlier than the day before ovulation.  Since boy spermies are faster, there's a better chance that more of them will reach the egg first and therefor have a chance to fertilize the egg before the girl spermies
• abstain from intercourse 2-5 days before ovulation - you don't want any girl spermies hanging around when the egg is released - since they were deposited a few days before, they'll already be closer to the egg and any boy spermies deposited on day of ovulation may not make it in time to catch the egg
• have intercourse that allows for deep penetration (eg "doggy style") - this will ensure that the spermies are deposited closer to the cervix, which means the boy spermies have less distance to travel so it increases their chances of reaching the egg.  Also, closer to the cervix the environment is more alkaline, which favours boy spermies
• you (the woman) needs to orgasm before or at the same time as your partner - apparently this releases secretions that are more alkaline, therefor favouring the boy spermies once again

Trying for a girl:  (pretty much the opposite of the above)

• time intercourse for about 2-4 days before ovulation - by the time the egg is released, most of the boy spermies will have expired
• have intercourse that allows for shallow penetration (eg missionary position) - this gives an advantage to the stronger longer living girl spermies, since they can endure the long swim better.
• abstain from intercourse from 2 days before ovulation until 2 days after
• you should avoid orgasm so that the environment remains less alkaline (and more acidic), thereby favouring girl spermies

You've probably already noticed the reason why it may decrease your chances of conceiving by doing the Shettles method...

• if trying for a girl: by not having intercourse close to ovulation, you may completely miss the boat there
• if trying for a girl: by having intercourse so far before ovulation, there may not yet be fertile cervical fluid (ie watery, clear, slippery, stretchy, egg white-like) present, which is needed to help the spermies move easily through the cervix and uterus to the fallopian tubes, and fertile cervical fluid makes the environment more sperm friendly, enabling them to live longer.  Cervical fluid which is not fertile-quality (ie thicker or sticky, or no fluid at all) may actually be hostile to spermies and make it difficult for them to swim to the fallopian tubes
• if trying for a boy: abstaining from intercourse until day of ovulation may cause you to miss the boat again, especially if you don't know exactly when you're ovulating

And there you have it!  Decide for yourself. :)

P.S.  I'm not SO concerned anymore about what gender I have, some switch just went off in my head and I one day thought that it doesn't really matter anymore, although I'd still really like a girl 'cause then I'll have someone to do girly and crafty stuff with! Hehe.

Girl-baby dust to me!!!  :D