How to Conceive a Girl

From LoveToKnow Pregnancy

If you’ve been dreaming of pink baby booties, you may be wondering how to conceive a girl. Unfortunately, nature offers no method to ensure that you’ll give birth to a baby girl. With the exception of artificial insemination, gender selection is a 50/50 proposition. However, there are many theories on how you can tip the odds in your favor.

Is it Right to Have a Preference?

While many people insist that the only thing that matters is giving birth to a healthy baby, one recent survey of prospective parents found that almost 80% admitted to a preference for one specific gender. In fact, nearly 84% of parents who decided to have an ultrasound to determine the baby’s gender said dealing with any potential disappointment before the birth was a significant factor in their decision.

As you might expect, women tend to prefer daughters, while men often express a greater desire for sons. However, couples who already have a child of one gender often wish for the opposite gender on the second pregnancy to create a more “balanced” family.

How is My Baby’s Sex Determined?

Contrary to popular belief, a woman does not determine the sex of her child. Every woman has eggs that contain X chromosomes. If the sperm that fertilizes one of these eggs contains another X chromosome, the result will be a baby girl. However, if the sperm that fertilizes the egg contains a Y chromosome, the woman will give birth to a baby boy.

When a man ejaculates, between 200 and 400 million sperm are released into the woman's vagina. Some of these sperm contain X chromosomes, while some contain Y chromosomes. However, only one sperm is needed to fertilize an egg. All theories regarding at-home gender selection and how to conceive a girl are based on the belief that couples can create an environment that gives an advantage to the sperm containing the X chromosome.

How to Conceive a Girl: Techniques to Try

The Shettles Method

Based on the theory that sperm containing Y chromosomes move faster than X chromosome bearing sperm, the Shettles method of gender selection recommends couples wondering how to conceive a girl have sex every day from the end of the woman’s period until approximately three days before ovulation.

While the Shettles method says the time of intercourse is most important, Dr. Shettles also recommends couples make love in the missionary position to deposit sperm closer to the entrance of the of vagina. In addition, he cautions against women having an orgasm during sex because he believes this makes the vaginal environment too alkaline.

To learn more about how to conceive a girl using the Shettles method of gender selection, you can read Dr. Shettles’s book How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby: The Method Best Supported by Scientific Evidence.

The O+12 Method

The O+12 method, developed by a mother who was trying to conceive a baby girl after giving birth to six sons, recommends intercourse about 12 hours after ovulation to conceive a girl. She had followed the Shettles method during her previous pregnancies with no success. Instead of becoming frustrated, she used her data to develop her own gender selection hypothesis. On her seventh and final pregnancy, she gave birth to the daughter she had so desperately wanted.

The Whelan Method

In addition to being less popular than the Shettles method, the Whelan method of gender selection offers advice that contradicts what you’ll read in Dr. Shettles’s best-selling book. According to Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, the Shettles method bases its assumptions on research related to artificial insemination. She believes that couples who conceive the old-fashioned way will be more likely to have daughter when intercourse is timed closer to ovulation.

To learn more about how to conceive a girl using this method of at home gender selection, you can read Dr. Whelan’s book Boy or Girl?.

Chinese Conception Chart

The Chinese Conception Chart, also known as the Chinese Gender Chart or Chinese Birth Chart, is another popular method of at-home sex selection for couples wondering how to conceive a daughter. First discovered in a royal tomb near Beijing more than 700 years ago, the chart cross-references the baby’s month of conception and the mother’s age to predict gender. Some studies claim the chart is more than 90% accurate, but there is still no conclusive proof this method is superior to other techniques.

If you’d like to use the Chinese Conception Chart to conceive a daughter, it’s important to remember that the mother’s age is calculated using her lunar age and the month of conception is calculated by using the Chinese lunar month. Depending upon when you were born, your lunar age can be as much as two years more than your chronological age. Lunar month calculations can also be off by several months.

To learn more about how to conceive a girl using this method, you can review our LoveToKnow Pregnancy article on the Chinese Birth Chart.

Dietary Supplements and Over-the-Counter Medications

There are many people who believe certain dietary supplements and over-the-counter medications can help you conceive a baby girl. For example, Lydia Pinkham's Herbal Compound is thought to help women conceive daughters, since it creates an acidic environment that makes it harder for sperm containing Y chromosomes to survive in the vagina. Another theory regarding at-home gender selection says that women who wish to conceive daughters should take calcium and magnesium supplements in the months before conception. There are others who believe taking Sudafed the day before intercourse will reduce cervical mucus to create an environment more favorable to sperm containing X chromosomes.

If you decide to use dietary supplements or over-the-counter medications to help you conceive a baby girl, it’s a good idea to discuss your plan with your healthcare provider. Many over-the-counter supplements can cause unintended side effects or interactions with other prescription medications.

Urban Legends

Although most experts insist urban conception legends are false, there’s really no harm in trying some of the following tips if you have your heart set on a baby girl:

  • Make love in the afternoon.
  • Schedule your lovemaking for the even numbered days of the month.
  • Try to have sex during the full moon.
  • Eat lots of fish and veggies, following by a chocolate dessert.
  • Surprise your partner! Legend says women who initiate sex are more likely to give birth to daughters.

Additional Information

If you’re interested in learning more about at-home gender selection, check out the following resources:

If you’ve been trying to conceive a girl and just discovered you’re giving birth to a baby boy, check out the following resources:


 


Comments

Antoinette,

you can always ask your physician for another ultrasound as a double check since these can sometimes be wrong, but a baby is more likely to be incorrectly identified as a girl since sometimes the penis might not be seen. There really isn't a definite way to designate the gender of your child when you conceive, unless you are using assisted reproduction.

There are some links in the article above that address gender disappointment that may help you.

-- Contributed by: HollySwanson

I am 25 yrs old. Have 2 boys already. 18 wks pregnant and i found out its a boy. I wanted a girl and i am very upset. My extended family is well balanced. Why do i get boys.could my scan be a mistake

-- Contributed by: Antoinette christopher

Dv Joe, there isn't any successful way to conceive a girl, unless you go through a fertility clinic and have the embryos preselected for gender. For some ideas on how to influence the gender, check out our articles:

-- Contributed by: HollySwanson
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