There are many ways of determining the sex or gender of a child before conceiving. Although these methods are medically accepted and proofed scientifically, there is still underlying mystery to be unearthed.
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Below are some most popular gender/ sex selection methods in use.
?-Timing of sex – Shettles theory & Billings Method
Shettles theory is of the fact that female sex determiner (x) are healthier,more vibrant and live longer than male sex determiner (y). If there is copulation a day before ovulation, there are higher chances of conceiving a female child. This is because, within 24 hours, the Y chromosome are likely to be less vibrant weak or dead. While the X Chromosome are still full of vitality.
Male Y are lighter in weight and swim faster than female X so are more likely to reach the egg earlier than female . Therefore, copulation on the day of ovulation should increase the chances of conceiving a boy.
Dr Landrum Shettles developed this theory in the United States of America in the 1960s. It’s complemented by the Billings Method, which is about timing sex around the consistency of vaginal mucus (when it’s thin and clear for boys, thicker and stickier for girls). It’s said that couples using this method tend to have boys more than girls.
What’s the success rate? Advocates claim 75% but there’s only a tiny amount of medical evidence in the United Kingdom to support it.
Confusingly, another theory exists based on observations that couples that didn’t live together before conceiving had more girls. They were thought to be less likely to have sex at the time of ovulation, supporting the idea that conceiving four or five days before ovulation was more likely to produce a boy. This still contradicts the Shettles theory.
?- Sexual position. This is another proof of sex determination.The theory holdWs that: Male sperm are more vulnerable and the vagina becomes less acidic closer to the cervix. So if penetration is deep (woman-on-top or man-behind positions), the male sperm will enter a more alkaline environment and are more likely to survive the short journey. Therefore, deeper positions should mean a male child. While shallow penetration should favour your chances of conceiving a girl – the slower female sperm are likely to withstand the acidic conditions at the entrance to the vagina so could make it through to the egg after the male sperm have died off. The success rate is not high, since the theory fails to take into account that the difference in lifespan between male and female sperm is a matter of days, not minutes.
Medical experts say that force of ejaculation and physics of sexual position don’t play a part in getting the sperm to their destination more quickly – that’s determined by the chemistry of cervical mucus.
?- Sexual abstinence. This theory holds that abstaining for a few days before copulation increases the chances of conceiving a boy. The greater the volume of sperm, the more male sperm should be present, so theoretically there’s a greater chance that a male sperm survives and fertilises the egg before a female sperm can reach it. The success rate is not high. Experts say that with more sperm, the chances of getting pregnant may be higher, but there’s no gender factor.
?-Diet. This theory holds that the minerals in diet could affect metabolism and the environment of the eggs. To improve conditions for male sperm there is need for potassium (found in meat, bananas, apricots and celery). To improve conditions for female sperm you need more magnesium-rich food (found in nuts, soya beans and green leafy vegetables).
What’s the success rate? There’s no scientific data on humans to support the potassium or magnesium theories, although experts say diet does seem to play some part in gender selection.
Historical events have shown that famine can result in more boys being born but also that women weighing less than 54.5kg are more likely to have girls. This could mean that the type of food and nutrients available to those people played a part, or that calorie intake has an effect – but a low-calorie diet has a very different effect to malnutrition.
?-Timing of orgasm. This theory holds that when a woman reach orgasm before the man partner, her vagina becomes more alkaline, which creates a better environment for male sperm. Female sperm survive better in the natural acidic environment of vagina, so climaxing first would favour the conception of boys.
What’s the success rate?
Little. Prolonged foreplay has the same effect of increasing vaginal secretions, which could be just as effective at reducing its acidity – but no one has suggested female foreplay as a method of conceiving a boy.
?- Douching theory states that male sperm favour alkaline conditions, so douching (flooding the vagina via a syringe) with a dilute alkaline solution, such as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) before intercourse increases the chances of conceiving a boy. The success rate is that there is small amount of medical evidence that backs up this theory, but some experts warn women against putting sodium bicarbonate into their vagina because they may not know how diluted to make it, and in any case, the acid in the vagina is of necessary protection against infections like thrush.
