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Is it harder to have a boy or girl?

When we look at the statistics the chances of having a boy or a girl are almost the same and there's no medical evidence to suggest we can influence this. You may, however, have heard about the 'Shettles Method'. In the 1970s Dr Shettles found that female and male sperm had different characteristics.

clearblue.com - Boy or girl? Can you influence the sex of your baby? - Clearblue

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What makes your baby a boy or a girl?

Whether your baby is a boy or a girl is determined by the chromosome it inherits from its father. The egg from its mother always contains an X (female) chromosome, but the sperm contains either an X (female) or a Y (male) chromosome. When the egg is fertilized the chromosomes come together and if they are XY a baby boy is conceived and if they are XX a baby girl is conceived.

Can you choose to have boy or a girl?

When we look at the statistics the chances of having a boy or a girl are almost the same and there’s no medical evidence to suggest we can influence this. You may, however, have heard about the ‘Shettles Method’. In the 1970s Dr Shettles found that female and male sperm had different characteristics. He believed that identifying these differences may help couples to try to conceive a boy or a girl.1

When to have sex

It’s all about a race to the egg…

Shettles found sperm containing a Y chromosome were smaller, would swim faster and have a shorter life span than the sperm containing an X chromosome. He believed that if a couple had sex around the time of ovulation the male sperm would be more likely to reach the egg before the female sperm. If the egg fertilized the couple were more likely to conceive a baby boy. Female sperm were found to be slower, fitter and would live longer than male sperm so making love earlier in the fertile window meant they would still be alive to fertilize the egg, and more likely to conceive a baby girl. Whilst it’s a fascinating theory, studies since then have shown that the timing of sex in relation to ovulation doesn’t actually influence whether you conceive a boy or a girl.2 Whether you are interested in conceiving a boy or a girl, it’s still important to remember that there are only a few days in every cycle when you can get pregnant. Clearblue Digital Ovulation Tests identifies your 2 most fertile days so you can be confident you are trying at the right time.

Sexual positions

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Shettles also suggested that the sexual position at the time of the father’s orgasm may help the chances of conceiving a boy or girl. Deep penetration, for example doggy style, means the male sperm that can swim faster start their race closer to the cervix and are more likely to reach the egg first, resulting in a boy. To try and conceive a girl, Shettles suggested avoiding deep penetration, favouring the missionary position. It’s another interesting theory, but again there’s nothing to support this idea. Dr Michael Thomas MD (fertility specialist) actually advises that there are no methods to affect the sex of your child, including sexual position.

Eating certain foods

Cervical mucus is most sperm-friendly at the time of ovulation, when it is more alkaline. Prior to ovulation the mucus is more acidic which is not ideal for sperm and only the fittest can survive. Shettles suggested that making the vagina more acidic means the fitter female sperm are more likely to survive and a baby girl is conceived. A more alkaline environment is better for the faster male sperm and a baby boy is conceived. You could try different foods to influence your vaginal pH, but we haven’t been able to find any evidence that this works.

Can I get pregnant with twins?

Twins happen when more than one baby develops in the womb. There are 2 types of twins: non-identical (when more than one egg is fertilized) and identical (when one single fertilized egg splits in early pregnancy). Twins have become more common over the past 20 years – largely due to the use of fertility treatments.

There is no way you can choose to have twins, but some factors can make it more likely to happen:

clearblue.com - Boy or girl? Can you influence the sex of your baby? - Clearblue