Picking your baby’s gender: Is it possible?

We all love babies. And for many partners, after confirming the news of the incoming baby, determining the gender of the baby is a close second.

Many others also try to determine the gender of the baby, according to their preferences. And while there are no natural methods that can guarantee the gender of a baby before conception, there are some methods that might help you get the gender of your choice.

Hold on!

Just before we continue, let’s find out what determines a baby’s gender.

How is a baby’s gender determined?

The male gamete (sperm) and female gamete(egg) have one chromosome each. The egg would always have an X chromosome while the Sperm cell can have either an X or Y chromosome. Therefore, If a Y chromosome sperm meets the egg, a boy is formed. On the other hand, if a X chromosome meets the egg, a girl is formed.

What methods help in getting the child’s sex of your choice?

The natural methods

The Shettles Method gender-selection method is based on two premises:

• That girl-producing sperm are slower but are stronger and live longer.
• That male-producing sperm which are faster and have shorter life spans.

If you want a boy, sexual intercourse should be closer to ovulation — since the Y-sperm will be more likely to get to the egg first.

However, if you’re waiting for a girl, you should have sex two to four days before you ovulate — that way the female-sperm will be the only sperm alive by the time the ovum releases the egg.

The release of fluids during orgasm from the vagina and cervix reportedly make the vagina more acidic. This might be important as X-bearing sperm prefer an acidic environment and thus,orgasms can actually help produce boys!

Sex in the missionary position with shallow-penetration may help deposit sperm at the entrance. This should “encourage” the formation of girls as the X-sperm would have died before reaching the point of fertilisation.

Technological methods

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is usually done alongside In Vitro Fertilisation. It is also very controversial. In PGD, doctors extract one cell from the embryo fertilized in the petri dish, check the gender and implant only embryos of the desired sex

Sperm sorting involves separating the sperm which carry the C chromosome (for girls) from those carrying the Y chromosome (for boys) in the lab. The sperm of the desired gender is then inserted into the mom-to-be’s uterus, mostly through In-Vitro Fertilisation.

No matter the outcome, please remember that all babies are equal and should be equally loved and cherished!