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PARENTHOOD Stages Infertility Health & Wel

How to Have a Boy: Is It

Possible to Influence the
Sex of Your Baby?
Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M.D. — Written by
Catherine Crider on May 27, 2020

Is it possible? Methods to try

Medical interventions Takeaway

Are you wanting to expand your family and

have your heart set on having a little boy?
While it may seem taboo to admit you have a
preference for the sex of your unborn child, it’s
OK to admit your dreams. We won’t share your
secret with anyone!

If you haven’t yet conceived, you may have

heard rumors about things you can try to
influence the sex of your baby. Perhaps you
just started searching for ideas to help you
have a baby boy. What are some things you
can try? Are some methods more effective
than others?
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Is there a guaranteed way to

have a boy?
We understand that “sex” and “gender” are
terms that are evolving in our world, so before
going any further, we’d like to clarify that when
we talk about the sex of a baby in this article,
we’re only talking about the baby’s
chromosomes, the XY combination that is
thought of as male.

Thus, the “sex” mentioned in this article is

determined by the sperm contributing a Y and
the egg contributing an X.

As to whether there’s a guaranteed way to

influence your chances have a boy — no, there
isn’t. Short of medically implanting an embryo
that is known to be a boy, there are no
guarantees when it comes to the sex of your
baby.

In general there is approximately a 50/50

chance of having a boy or girl if things are left
to nature. It all comes down to which sperm
wins the race, and millions of them are racing.

That’s where the idea the influencing the sex

of your future child comes in. Some argue that
by using timing, position, diet, and other
methods you can alter the odds in favor of the
male sperm.

Interestingly, one 2008 study of 927 family

trees indicates that whether you’ll have boys
or girls may actually be determined by the
father in more ways than one. Not only do
chromosomes in the sperm dictate the sex of
the baby, but some fathers may be
predisposed to have more boys or girls.

According to this study, men may inherit a

tendency to have more boys or girls from their
parents, which may mean that some men
produce more Y or X chromosome sperm.
Thus, if a man has more brothers, he may also
have more sons.

What can you do to increase

your chance have a boy?
If you really want a boy, there are suggestions
that some parents will tell you worked for
them. None of these suggestions are
scientifically proven to guarantee results, but
people try them hoping to improve the odds in
their favor.

Diet

For starters, you may want to consider what

you’re eating as you try to conceive. While this
concept has not been widely studied or
substantiated (so take these suggestions with
a grain of salt), researchers in a 2008 study of
740 women found an association between
taking in more calories and conceiving a boy.

Now, this doesn’t mean you should wildly

increase your portion sizes and nosh
throughout the day as you try to conceive.
Keep in mind that healthy eating habits now
(whole foods, fruits and vegetables, low-sugar
snacks) will help you continue to take in the
appropriate number of calories when you’re
pregnant.

The women studied also consumed higher

levels of potassium. (Want to eat more
potassium? Try bananas, sweet potatoes, and
white beans.)

The study also noted that “Women producing

male infants consumed more breakfast cereal
than those with female infants.” So go ahead
and pour yourself a bowl!

The Shettles method

Another suggestion to increase your chances

of having a boy is a conception plan called the
Shettles method, which was developed by
Landrum B. Shettles around 1960.

Shettles studied sperm to determine what

might impact the speed of the sperm. (After all,
the sperm that wins the race and fertilizes the
egg determines the gender.) He considered
timing of intercourse, positions, and the pH of
body fluids to see which may have an impact
on gender.

Key points of the Shettles method include:

sex close to ovulation

sperm deposited close to the cervix

using positions allowing for deep
penetration

alkaline environment in the vagina

woman having an orgasm first

How effective is the Shettles method? Well, it

depends who you talk to. Shettles claims an
overall 75 percent success rate in the current
edition of his book, and there are plenty of
people who claim that they successfully
conceived a boy or girl using his method.

On the other hand, some older research found

that sex 2 to 3 days after ovulation may not
lead to pregnancy at all. And another (also
dated) study suggested & that X and Y
chromosomes do not have the meaningful
shape differences Shettles believed existed.
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Are there medical interventions

to have a boy? 
Looking for more reliable ways to increase
your odds? Depending on your circumstances
and the availability of these options, there are
medical interventions you can try.

However, these treatments can be expensive

and mentally and physically taxing. They also
come with risks, from surgical complications to
miscarriage and ovarian hyperstimulation
syndrome (OHSS). Therefore, they’re generally
not suggested for sex selection without a
medical need.

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) allows

people to conceive a child through
medicalized procedures. Some of these
methods include: in vitro fertilization (IVF),
gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), and
zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT).

Through a process called preimplantation

genetic diagnosis (PGD) or preimplantation
genetic selection (PGS) it’s possible to use IVF
to create embryos, test these embryos for their
sex, and implant an embryo with the desired
sex into the uterus.

This essentially guarantees that if all goes well

with the pregnancy you’ll have the little boy (or
girl) you’ve been dreaming of.

Considerations for sex selection

It’s important to note that while PGD/PGS is

allowed in the United States, this process is
illegal in many other countries like the United
Kingdom and China unless there is severe
medical grounds.

While it’s possible for people to travel to

another country to have the procedures done
(and many people do so), the high cost and
extra complications involved may make it less
appealing.

One reasons lawmakers have given for making

PGD/PGS illegal is a fear that parents will
choose to have a disproportionate amount of
boys or girls. Having a population with too
many male or female babies could result in
problems with future population growth.

In countries that ban sex selection, one

suggestion has been to limit PGD/PGS to
medical issues and “family balancing.” This
would require families to have a child of the
other sex before they could decide on a future
child’s sex.

Perhaps an even greater reason lawmakers

have seen to limit PGD or make it illegal are
the ethical concerns involved. This is a
complex and emotionally-charged subject. It’s
important to explore your own feelings and
discuss your options with your doctor.

Takeaway 
It’s natural to imagine your future child, and
have hopes for what they’ll be like. However,
it’s important to keep in mind that determining
the sex of your baby is not usually within your
control.

Remember every child is unique. Just because

you have a little girl does not mean that you
have to give up hopes of the fun things you
imagined doing with a son. Likewise, just
because you are successful in your quest to
have a little boy does not mean life will be
exactly what your imagination predicted.

If you find yourself feeling extreme

disappointment, resentment, or struggling to
bond with your child for any reason, it’s
important to talk to your healthcare provider or
a trained therapist to help you work through
your feelings.

Last medically reviewed on May 27, 2020

Parenthood Becoming a Parent

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