1. family and parenting
2. motherhood
3. pregnancy

Contents
HEALTH DISCLAIMER ................................................................................... 7
PART ONE .................................................................................................. 10
So You Want to Choose the Gender of Your Baby? .................................... 10
Introduction ............................................................................................... 10
The Science of Getting Pregnant ................................................................ 12
Ovulation ................................................................................................... 13
Inside the woman's body: How an egg is hatched .................................... 16
Inside the man's body: The making of baby fertilizer ............................... 17
What happens while you're busy having sex ............................................ 18
During the afterglow, sperm fight to the finish ........................................ 19
The Science of Conceiving a Boy or a Girl ................................................... 21
So can we choose the gender of our child? ............................................... 22
Overview: High-tech gender-selection techniques ..................................... 23
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) ................................................ 24
MicroSort .................................................................................................. 28
Ericsson ..................................................................................................... 31
Overview: At home techniques .................................................................. 32
Shettles method ........................................................................................ 33
Whelan method ........................................................................................ 35
Sex-selection kits ....................................................................................... 37
The bottom line: What do the experts say? ............................................... 39
PART TWO ................................................................................................. 40
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How to Conceive a Baby of the Gender of Your Choice .............................. 40
Eating the Proper Foods ............................................................................. 42
Have a healthy diet in pregnancy ............................................................... 43
Eating well when you're pregnant ............................................................ 44
Fruit and vegetables in pregnancy ............................................................ 45
Starchy foods (carbohydrates) in pregnancy ............................................ 46
Protein in pregnancy ................................................................................. 47
Dairy in pregnancy .................................................................................... 48
Foods that are high in sugar, fat or both................................................... 49
Healthy snacks in pregnancy ..................................................................... 50
Preparing food safely ................................................................................ 51
Foods to avoid in pregnancy ...................................................................... 52
Cheeses to avoid in pregnancy .................................................................. 53
Hard cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy ........................................ 54
Soft cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy ......................................... 55
Cooked soft cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy ............................ 56
Pâté in pregnancy ...................................................................................... 57
Avoid raw or partially cooked eggs if you're pregnant ............................. 58
Raw or undercooked meat is risky in pregnancy ...................................... 59
Cold cured meats and smoked fish are safe in pregnancy ........................ 60
Pre-packed meat are safe to eat if you're pregnant ................................. 61
Liver can harm your unborn baby ............................................................. 61
Vitamin and fish oil supplements to avoid in pregnancy .......................... 62
Some types of fish are risky in pregnancy ................................................. 63
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Avoid raw shellfish when you're pregnant ............................................... 64
Sushi and pregnancy ................................................................................. 65
Peanuts are safe in pregnancy .................................................................. 67
Milk and yogurt in pregnancy ................................................................... 68
Ice cream in pregnancy ............................................................................. 69
Foods with soil on them ............................................................................ 69
Caffeine in pregnancy................................................................................ 70
Drinking, Smoking, and Your Pregnancy ..................................................... 72
How Alcohol and Caffeine Can Impact Baby's Health ............................... 73
Drinking for Two........................................................................................ 74
Does a Sip or Two of Alcohol Count? ........................................................ 75
Will Caffeine Hurt a Pregnancy? ............................................................... 76
How Smoking Can Affect Baby .................................................................. 77
Why Smoking Is Still Harmful After Birth .................................................. 79
How to Quit Smoking and Drinking During Pregnancy ............................. 80
Foods to Eat to Conceive a Boy .................................................................. 81
The Have a Boy Diet .................................................................................. 83
Foods to Eat to Conceive a Girl .................................................................. 89
The Have a Girl Diet .................................................................................. 92
Be Careful What You Eat ............................................................................ 97
Assuming the Position................................................................................ 97
Sexual Positions to Conceive a Boy .......................................................... 102
Sexual Positions for Deep Penetration ..................................................... 103
Try it from behind ................................................................................... 103
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Spread your wings ................................................................................... 104
Make a stand ........................................................................................... 105
Try to Achieve Simultaneous Orgasm ..................................................... 106
Sexual Positions to Help Conceive a Girl .................................................. 107
Sexual Positions for Shallow Penetration ................................................. 108
On top of things ...................................................................................... 108
Do it missionary style .............................................................................. 109
Experiment with spooning ...................................................................... 110
Sorry! No Orgasm. ................................................................................... 111
Timing Your Intercourse ........................................................................... 113
How to Understand Your Ovulation Cycle ................................................ 115
Timing to Conceive a the Gender of Your Choice ..................................... 116
PART THREE ............................................................................................. 118
How to Tell When You Ovulate ................................................................ 118
How do I know when I’ve ovulated? ........................................................ 119
Your Basal Body Temperature.................................................................. 120
The Mucus in the Cervix ........................................................................... 122
Staying in Touch with Your Feelings ......................................................... 125
Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs) ................................................................ 128
How to Calculate Your Ovulation Date ..................................................... 132
How to Make Your Own Ovulation Chart ................................................. 135
PART FOUR .............................................................................................. 137
Bringing it All Together ............................................................................ 137
Other Factors Influencing Gender ............................................................ 138
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Occupations / Hobbies Affect Gender .................................................... 139
Age .......................................................................................................... 140
Known Sperm Killers ................................................................................ 142
Overheating............................................................................................. 143
Fevers ...................................................................................................... 146
Laptops .................................................................................................... 147
Varicose Veins ......................................................................................... 149
Cell Phones .............................................................................................. 150
Obesity .................................................................................................... 156
Alcohol .................................................................................................... 160
Reviewing What We’ve Learned .............................................................. 171
To Conceive a Boy ................................................................................... 172
To Conceive a Girl .................................................................................... 174
Some Final Words .................................................................................... 177
Recommended Related Courses: ............................................................. 178
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HEALTH DISCLAIMER
This website and guide is an educational service that provides general health
information. The materials in pickthegenderofyourbaby.com and/or from
Health Online Group are provided "as is" and without warranties of any kind
either express or implied.
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ON THIS WEBSITE, AND GUIDE MEAN THAT YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE
LEGALLY BOUND BY THESE TERMS.
1.
The website' and guides content is not a substitute for direct, personal,
professional medical care and diagnosis. None of the diet plans or recipes
(including
products
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mentioned
at
pickthegenderofyourbaby.com and/or from Health Online Group should be
performed or otherwise used without clearance from your doctor, physician
or health care provider. The information contained within is not intended to
provide specific physical or mental health advice, or any other advice
whatsoever, for any individual or company and should not be relied upon in
that regard. We are not medical professionals and nothing on this guide
should be misconstrued to mean otherwise.
2.
There may be risks associated with participating in activities mentioned on
pickthegenderofyourbaby.com for people in poor health or with pre-existing
physical or mental health conditions. Because these risks exist, you will not
participate in such plans if you are in poor health or have a pre-existing
mental or physical condition. If you choose to participate in these risks, you
do so of your own free will and accord, knowingly and voluntarily assuming
all risks associated with such dietary activities.
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3.
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placed in pickthegenderofyourbaby.com. All data provided in this guide is to
be used for information purposes only. Products and services described are
only offered in jurisdictions where they may be legally offered. Information
provided is not all-inclusive, and is limited to information that is made
available and such information should not be relied upon as all-inclusive or
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6.
Testimonials,
case
studies,
and
examples
found
at
pickthegenderofyourbaby.com and/or from Health Online Group are
unverified results that have been forwarded to us by users of the Pick The
Gender Of Your Baby Program, and may not reflect the typical purchaser's
experience, may not apply to the average person and are not intended to
represent or guarantee that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
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7.
If we have disclosed typical results based on information provided to us by a
manufacturer or other reputable third party source, you should presume
that the typical results as stated are more reliable than the testimonials and
other examples found at pickthegenderofyourbaby.com and/or from Health
Online Group. However, you should always perform due diligence and not
take such results at face value. We are not responsible for any errors or
omissions in typical results information supplied to us by manufacturers or
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PART ONE
So You Want to Choose the Gender of Your Baby?
Introduction
There are many good reasons why you might be looking to have either a girl
or a boy for your next baby. In fact, there are so many good reasons that I
won’t even attempt to list them here. Besides you know your reasons so why
should I waste your time making such a list?
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Therefore, we’ll get right into what you really want: How to maximize your
chances of conceiving either a boy or a girl.
To do this we’ll discuss three factors that you can easily manipulate to help
yourself conceive a baby of the gender of your choice. These three factors
are: your diet (the diet of the mother and father to be), the best sexual
positions to use for intercourse, and the best time to engage in intercourse.
Out of the three factors above, the most difficult to influence is the best time
to engage in intercourse. It’s difficult to know your body (the woman’s body)
well enough to actually have intercourse at the right time.
Therefore we will spend the most time looking at how you can tell when the
best time to engage in intercourse is so that you can conceive either a boy or
a girl.
Before we get into the methods of how you can dramatically increase your
chances of having either a boy or a girl, we’ll first take a look at the science
behind getting pregnant (often what we think we know isn’t true) and the
science behind whether you conceive a boy or a girl.
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The Science of Getting Pregnant
You may think you know all there is to know about how pregnancy actually
happens but you might be wrong. In fact, a majority of people are mistaken
about what exactly happens for pregnancy to occur.
Sure, everyone knows that the man’s sperm has to enter the woman’s egg,
but beyond that there is some confusion. And since it’s important to know
the facts in order to understand the rest of this book (and how to increase
your chances of conceiving a child of the gender of your choice) let’s take a
quick look on how conception actually happens.
For instance, do you know exactly where sperm and eggs come from, or how
these two microscopic miracle-makers find each other and create a new life?
Or that you have only about a 20 percent chance of getting pregnant during
each cycle, even if you time it just right? We'll spare you that awkward talk
you probably got from your parents or middle school health teacher and
instead give you just the facts — the fascinating biological facts about getting
pregnant.
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Ovulation
First things first; a woman has to ovulate in order to get pregnant.
Ovulation is when one of the two ovaries in a woman produces at least one
egg (and usually only one egg) that then has to be fertilized by a man’s sperm.
If an egg is fertilized then pregnancy is the result. Many people wrongly
believe that pregnancy usually or only occurs if intercourse happens during
ovulation. In fact, this isn’t true.
Chances of conceiving are actually the best when having intercourse 1- 5
days before ovulation. Once the actually ovulation occurs, there’s only about
a twelve hour window (sometimes the window is as large as twenty-four
hours) until the egg can no longer be fertilized. Since sperm can live in the
woman’s body for up to 5 days, it’s best to have intercourse well before
ovulation occurs.
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And it’s actually when you have intercourse – how long before ovulation or
during ovulation - that can help determine whether you conceive a boy or a
girl.
Many people also believe that every month an egg is produced by the
ovaries. This isn’t true either.
In fact, it’s fairly common that some months or cycles there is no egg
produced by the ovaries. These cycles are called an ovulatory cycles. They
are cycles that produce no egg and thus there is no chance to get pregnant
during these cycles.
Of course you have no way of knowing whether your cycle produces an egg
or not. You just have to keep trying. Just don’t get frustrated if you don’t get
any results right away. Continue to have intercourse at the best possible time
according to your ovulation and the other factors that influence what gender
you conceive (mainly the man’s sperm).
Every time a man ejaculates during intercourse, around 200 million sperm
are ejaculated. Of these 200 million only about 200 thousand actually make
it past the vagina.
Then of the approximate 200 thousand that make it past the vagina, about
400 sperm are usually all that make into the fallopian tubes. It then takes a
great number of these sperm working together to actually get one sperm
into the egg.
Once one sperm penetrates the egg, no other sperm can get in, which is fine
because the job is done, conception has occurred.
The main reason so many sperm never make it into the fallopian tubes is
because the environment in the vagina is very acidic and therefore many of
the sperm die.
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As we’ll see, these two facts also play a role in whether you conceive a boy
or a girl.
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Inside the woman's body: How an egg is hatched
For women, the possibility of
pregnancy begins in the ovaries,
those two kiwi-shaped balls
attached to either side of your
uterus (see illustration above).
The ovaries are like your
permanent egg cartons, and they
come fully stocked. Every infant
girl is born with about 1 million
eggs — more than a lifetime's
supply — in her ovaries. You will never produce any more eggs. In fact, many
of them begin dying off almost immediately.
But don't worry, you have plenty left for your reproductive years. Altogether,
you'll probably release about 400 eggs, beginning with your first period and
ending when menopause arrives, usually between ages 45 and 55.
Sometime during the middle of your menstrual cycle, most likely between
the 12th and 16th days, an egg reaches maturity in one of the two ovaries, is
released and is quickly sucked up by the tulip-shaped opening of the nearest
fallopian tube. These are two 4-inch canals leading from the ovaries to the
uterus. This release, called ovulation, starts the conception clock ticking. The
average egg lives only 24 hours, so it has to be fertilized soon if a baby is to
be conceived. If your egg meets up with a healthy sperm on its way to the
uterus, the two can join and begin the process of creating a new life. If not,
it ends its journey at the uterus, where it either dissolves or is absorbed by
the body. When pregnancy does not occur, the ovary eventually stops
making estrogen and progesterone, hormones that would help maintain a
pregnancy, and the thickened lining of the uterus is shed during your period.
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Inside the man's body: The making of baby fertilizer
While women are busy maturing a
single egg at the leisurely pace of about
one a month, men are almost
constantly at work producing millions of
microscopic sperm, whose sole purpose
in life is to swim for their lives and
penetrate an egg. While women come complete with all of the eggs they'll
ever need, men aren't born with ready-made sperm. They have to make
them on a regular basis — from start to finish it takes about 64 to 72 days to
create a new sperm cell. Since the average sperm lives only a few weeks in a
man's body and around 30 million to 300 million are set free with each
ejaculation, this fertilization factory is rocking 24/7.
Sperm production starts in the testicles, the two glands housed in the scrotal
sac beneath the penis (see illustration above). The testicles hang outside of
the body because they're quite sensitive to temperature. To produce healthy
sperm, they have to stay a balmy 94 degrees Fahrenheit — about four
degrees cooler than normal body temperature. Once the sperm is created,
it's stored in a portion of the testicle known as the epididymis until it's
scooped up and mixed with semen just prior to ejaculation.
Despite the millions of sperm produced and released in each ejaculate, only
one can fertilize an egg — this is the case even for twins. The gender of the
resulting embryo depends on which type of sperm burrows into the egg first.
Sperm with a Y chromosome will make a boy baby, and sperm with an X
chromosome will make a girl. Plenty of myths about how to conceive a boy
or girl have been circulating for centuries, and some are backed by a bit
of scientific evidence, but on the whole, a child's gender is determined
randomly.
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What happens while you're busy having sex
The big moment has arrived and you're
actually having sex. In addition to all of
the fun, your bodies are building up
tension that you hope will end in orgasm,
that wonderful, pleasurable release that
also has an important biological function.
In men, orgasm propels sperm-rich
semen into the vagina and up against the
cervix at roughly 10 miles per hour. This
process, known as ejaculation, gives sperm a head start on their way to the
egg. A woman's climax also aids conception. Some research shows that the
wavelike contractions associated with the female O help pull the sperm
farther into the cervix. So what's the take-home — or take-to-bed —
message? Let go and have as much fun as you can. It can only help your
chances of getting pregnant.
Many couples wonder if a particular sexual position is best for baby-making.
No one knows for sure, but some experts believe the missionary position
(man on top) or the rear-entry position (man behind woman, both facing the
same direction) are best because they allow for deep penetration. But do
whatever you like. The most important thing about sex is that you're both
having a good time and you're doing it frequently enough that live sperm are
in the woman's reproductive tract during ovulation. That means you should
aim to make love at least every other day during the middle of your cycle.
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During the afterglow, sperm fight to the finish
At this point, you can't do much except cross your fingers and hope, though
some experts say the woman should stay on her back, with a pillow under
her butt, for at least 20 or 30 minutes so gravity can help the sperm get to
the waiting egg.
While you and your partner are enjoying a relaxing post-romp cuddle, a great
deal of activity is taking place inside your body. Those millions of sperm have
begun their quest to find your egg, and it's not an easy journey.
The first obstacle is the acid level in your vagina, which can be deadly to
sperm. Then there's your cervical mucus, which can seem like an
impenetrable net except on the one or two days when you're most
fertile and it miraculously loosens up so a few of the strongest swimmers can
get through. But that's not all — the sperm that survive still have a long road
ahead. In all, they need to travel about seven inches from the cervix through
the uterus to the fallopian tubes. When you consider that they travel at a
rate of roughly an inch every 15 minutes, that's quite a trip.
The fastest swimmers may find the egg in as little as 45 minutes, while the
slowest can take up to 12 hours. If they don't find an egg in the fallopian
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tubes at the time of intercourse, the sperm can wait there in a resting stage
for up to 72 hours.
Only a few dozen sperm ever make it to the egg. The rest get trapped, lost
— perhaps heading up the wrong fallopian tube — or die along the way. For
the lucky few who get near the egg, the race isn't over. They have to work
frantically to penetrate the egg's outer shell and get inside before the others.
If the hardiest of the bunch makes it through, the egg changes
instantaneously so that no other sperm can get in. It's like a protective shield
that clamps down over the egg at the exact moment that first sperm is safely
inside.
Now the real miracle begins. The egg will be fertilized within about 24 hours
as the genetic material in the sperm combines with the genetic material in
the egg to create a new cell that starts dividing rapidly. You're not
actually pregnant until that bundle of new cells, known as the embryo,
travels the rest of the way down the fallopian tube and attaches itself to the
wall of your uterus.
However, you can have an ectopic pregnancy if the embryo implants
somewhere other than the uterus, such as the fallopian tube. An ectopic
pregnancy is not viable, and you either need to take medication to stop it
from growing or have surgery to remove it and prevent rupture and damage
to your fallopian tube.
That final leg of the trip can take another three days or so, but it may be a
few more weeks until you miss a period and suspect that you're going to have
a baby.
If you miss your period or notice one of the other signs of pregnancy, you can
use a home pregnancy test to find out for sure if you have a little one on the
way.
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The Science of Conceiving a Boy or a Girl
Do you have visions of pink or blue in your future? Maybe you see yourself
painting the nursery pastel pink and shopping for flowery dresses? Or
perhaps you can’t wait to get your hands on a baby-blue layette and stock
up on Tonka trucks?
While having a healthy baby is most certainly your top priority, it’s also
totally normal (and quite common) to yearn for a boy to add to your brood
or pine for a girl to go gaga over.
Whichever gender you have your heart set on, there are some ways — both
scientific and silly — that may manipulate Mother Nature and increase your
odds of conceiving a boy or a girl.
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So can we choose the gender of our child?
Yes, choosing the gender of your child is
technically possible thanks to advances in
fertility treatments that allow doctors to
create and identify embryos of a certain
gender. But today's gender-selection options
aren't equally effective, affordable, or
available.
The most accurate gender-selection methods
are usually the most expensive (tens of
thousands of dollars) and often involve
invasive infertility treatments and fertility drugs with side effects.
We don’t recommend you trying these methods, not only due to them being
both costly and invasive but you'll also have to meet strict eligibility
requirements. In some cases you won't be eligible unless you're married and
already have at least one child of the opposite sex you're trying for. Some
clinics also have age limits or require you to take hormone tests to see if
you're still fertile.
And keep in mind that Mother Nature has already tipped the odds a bit in
favor of boys in the gender-selection game. According to data from the
National Center for Health Statistics, approximately 105 boys are born for
every 100 girls.
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Overview: High-tech gender-selection techniques
The following gender-selection
methods draw from two existing
infertility treatments: in vitro
fertilization (IVF) and artificial
insemination (AI).
IVF starts with a round of fertility
drugs to stimulate your ovaries to
produce several eggs for fertilization,
instead of the single egg you
normally release each month.
Fertility drugs may also be used for
AI. For AI, also known as intrauterine
insemination (IUI), your doctor uses a catheter to insert a concentrated
sperm sample directly into your uterus.
For IVF, fertilization occurs outside your body. (In vitro means in glass). Your
doctor gives you an anesthetic and removes eggs from your ovaries by
inserting a needle through your vaginal wall. Your eggs are then fertilized
with sperm in a petri dish.
Three to five days later your doctor places the fertilized eggs – now embryos
– in your uterus by inserting a thin catheter through your cervical canal. The
number of embryos inserted depends on your age, the quality of the
embryos, and your reproductive history. As a general rule, if you're under 35
and the embryos look healthy, no more than two are transferred.
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Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)
What it is
An in vitro fertilization (IVF) technique in which the embryos are tested for
genetic disorders and gender.
When PGD was introduced back in 1989, it was initially used to help couples
or individuals with serious genetic disorders reduce their risk of having a child
with the same condition.
Today PGD is still used for this reason, but it is also used to screen for
embryos with normal chromosomes in women who are at least 35 or have a
history of recurrent miscarriage. There are also a few clinics that offer this
technique for nonmedical reasons, such as gender selection or "gender
balancing."
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Effectiveness
Almost 100 percent effective.
How it's done
During an IVF cycle, eggs are fertilized with sperm in a petri dish. A single cell
or cells are later removed from each of the resulting 3 to 5-day-old embryos
and tested for gender.
In a regular IVF cycle, scientists try to determine which embryos have the
best chance by looking at them under a microscope. But in PGD, the embryos
are tested thoroughly for genetic abnormalities and sex.
By transferring only healthy embryos to the uterus, you're less likely to
miscarry or have a child with a genetic disorder. Prenatal tests such
as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) are still offered if you're
35 or older to check that your embryo doesn't have any genetic
abnormalities.
For IVF, doctors usually transfer more than one embryo to your uterus – the
number depends on your age, the quality of the embryos, and your
reproductive history. (If you're 40 or older, typically three to four embryos
may be transferred.) But in PGD, doctors usually transfer fewer embryos
because they've already weeded out the ones that are unlikely to implant or
to result in a healthy pregnancy.
Pros

If you do get pregnant, PGD guarantees with almost 100 percent certainty
that you'll have a baby of your desired gender.

Following a PGD cycle, remaining embryos of both genders can be frozen.
These can be used in another attempt if you miscarry or decide you want
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more children. Frozen embryos have a success rate similar to fresh transfers,
but the procedure is less invasive and significantly cheaper.
Cons

A single round of PGD can cost nearly $20,000.

The procedure is invasive and having eggs removed from your ovaries can be
painful.

The fertility drugs you have to take can have uncomfortable side effects such
as weight gain, bloating, swelling, and blurred vision.

As with any IVF pregnancy, you're more likely to have multiple births.
According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, out of all the infants conceived as a result of IVF (and related
procedures involving multiple embryo transfers) about 30 percent were
twins.

About 40 percent of fresh IVF cycles result in a live birth in women younger
than 35 years of age, and that percentage goes down as you get older. (Some
IVF centers report higher success rates with PGD because abnormal embryos
are excluded.)

You'll need to decide what to do with the embryos of the undesired gender:
freeze, destroy, or donate for adoption or research.
Cost
IVF cycles typically cost around $7,500, plus at least $2,500 for medications.
PGD adds an additional $3,000 to $5,000 to the tab. Check with your medical
insurance company – part of the expense may be covered.
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Availability
Most fertility clinics that provide PGD don't allow it to be used solely for sex
selection. You must have a medical reason, such as a family history of genetic
diseases or repeat miscarriages, or be over a certain age (usually about 38)
to be a good candidate for the procedure.
That said, a few centers do allow you to choose the sex of your baby with
PGD, even if you don't have a medical reason to do so:

Genetics and IVF Institute, with facilities in Virginia and Maryland. To qualify,
couples must be married, have at least one child, and desire a child of the
opposite gender.

The Sher Institutes for Reproductive Medicine, with seven branches
nationwide. (Prospective patients are screened on a case-by-case basis, and
couples with no children are not excluded from consideration.)

Reproductive Specialty Center in Newport Beach, California restricts services
to couples with at least one child who desire a child of the opposite gender.
For more information Read the American Society for Reproductive
Medicine's report on sex selection and recommendations for its use.
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MicroSort
What it is
A dye technique that attempts to separate girl-producing sperm from the
boy-producing variety. Sperm of the desired gender is placed into your
uterus using artificial insemination (AI).
MicroSort was introduced in 1995 and was used in a clinical trial that ended
in 2012. (Enrollment is now closed.) The technique may become available
again if MicroSort pursues approval from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA).
Effectiveness
The method was about 88 percent successful in choosing girls and about 74
percent successful in choosing boys. (These rates are per pregnancy, not per
cycle.) As of 2010, nearly 1,400 pregnancies had been achieved using
MicroSort.
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How it's done
MicroSort is based on the premise that girl-producing sperm, which carry X
chromosomes, are bigger than boy-producing sperm, which carry a Y
chromosome.
The procedure involves coloring a sperm sample with fluorescent dye and
then using a laser to illuminate the dye. The bigger X chromosomes absorb
more dye and glow brighter than Y chromosomes. Sperm are then sorted by
supposed gender, and the preferred sex is transferred to the uterus, usually
with AI.
In some cases in vitro fertilization (IVF) is used – which may increase the
likelihood of a pregnancy but is also more invasive and expensive.
Pros

AI poses virtually no health risks and is cheaper than IVF. But you may have
to take fertility drugs, which can cause side effects and increase your chances
of having multiples.

Because the method typically uses AI instead of IVF, you don't have to decide
what to do with extra embryos.

MicroSort can also be used to try to prevent the transmission of X-linked
disorders (diseases that women carry and can transfer to boy babies but not
girls), such as hemophilia and Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. Using
MicroSort lowers the risk of transmitting these disorders but isn't 100
percent effective.
Cons

The procedure has just completed clinical trials and has not yet been
approved by the FDA.
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
MicroSort is a relatively new method, so little is known about possible risks.

MicroSort can't guarantee a specific gender because the technology doesn't
completely exclude sperm of the unwanted sex.

The pregnancy rate for each artificial insemination cycle is modest – 17
percent. With IVF, the pregnancy rate is 35 percent.
Cost
When MicroSort was available in clinical trial, the cost was approximately
$3,000 per treatment cycle if AI was used. Fertility drugs could increase the
cost by another $2,000. IVF added an average of $12,400 to the cost of each
cycle.
Availability
MicroSort recently concluded clinical trials and is no longer available.
Two centers offered MicroSort:
The Genetics and IVF Institute in Fairfax, Virginia. Telephone: (800) 552-4363.
The second clinic is in Laguna Hills, California and operates in partnership
with HRC Fertility. Telephone: (866) 472-4483.
For more information
Visit MicroSort's website.
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Ericsson
What it is
A technique that aims to separate faster-swimming, boy-producing sperm
from slower-swimming, girl-producing sperm. Sperm of the desired gender
are placed directly into your uterus through AI.
Effectiveness
Ericsson claims his technique is 78 to 85 percent effective when it comes to
choosing boys and 73 to 75 percent effective for selecting girls.
How it's done
This technique, which has been around since the '70s, attempts to separate
boy and girl sperm by pouring a sperm sample on a gluey layer of fluid in a
test tube. All the sperm naturally swim down, but the boy-producing sperm
tend to swim faster and reach the bottom sooner.
Once the fast and slow swimmers are separated, you're inseminated with
the sperm that will help you conceive the gender you desire.
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Pros

Inexpensive compared to higher-tech methods.

Noninvasive.

Relatively safe.
Cons

There's no guarantee of success. The technique's pioneer, Ronald Ericsson,
has published extensively and claims a success rate of approximately 75 to
80 percent. But evaluations of the test haven't been published by other
fertility experts or proven independently.

AI is not as effective as IVF, and it may take many cycles to achieve a
pregnancy, depending on your age and fertility.
Cost
Approximately $600 per insemination.
Availability
This technique is available to anyone who wants it at clinics in California,
Michigan, Florida, New Mexico, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York.
For more information
Learn more about this method at Ericsson's Web site.
Overview: At home techniques
These low-tech methods are noninvasive and affordable, and they can be
done in the privacy of your own home. All you need to do is chart your basal
body temperature or use an ovulation predictor kit to determine when you
ovulate. Then time sex accordingly.
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Shettles method
What it is
Timed intercourse on specific days of your cycle.
Effectiveness
Shettles proponents claim the technique is 75 percent effective, but other
experts are doubtful. Keep in mind that you always have about a 50 percent
chance of conceiving the sex you want.
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How it's done
The theory is that sperm bearing a Y chromosome (for boys) move faster but
don't live as long as sperm that carry X chromosomes (for girls). So if you
want a boy, the Shettles method contends, you should have sex as close as
possible to ovulation. If you want a girl, you should have sex two to four days
before you ovulate.
Pros

Requires no drugs or invasive medical procedures.

Free or low cost.

Relatively safe.
Cons

You must use an ovulation predictor kit to figure out when you're ovulating,
or chart your basal body temperature to estimate the best time to have
intercourse.

There's no guarantee of success.
Availability
Anyone can try it
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Whelan method
What it is
Timed intercourse on specific days of your cycle.
Effectiveness
Whelan claims her technique is 68 percent effective for choosing boys and
56 percent effective for choosing girls, but many experts are doubtful. Keep
in mind that you always have a 50 percent chance of conceiving the sex you
want.
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How it's done
The Whelan method directly contradicts the Shettles method. The theory
here is that the biochemical changes that may favor boy-producing sperm
occur earlier in a woman's cycle.
So if you want a boy, you should have intercourse four to six days before
your basal body temperature goes up. If you want a girl, you should have sex
two to three days before you ovulate.
Pros

Requires no drugs or invasive medical procedures.

Free or low cost.

Safe.
Cons

You need to take your basal body temperature every day to figure out when
you're ovulating, or use an ovulation prediction kit.

There's no guarantee of success.
Availability
Anyone can try it at home.
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Sex-selection kits
What it is
These at-home kits are based on the Shettles theory. Separate girl and boy
kits include a thermometer, ovulation predictor test sticks, vitamins, herbal
extracts, and douches that are supposedly gender-specific.
Effectiveness
Kit makers claim a 96 percent success rate, but some medical experts say the
manufacturer's claims are without scientific merit.
How it's done
You track your cycle using the thermometer and ovulation predictor test
sticks (which you urinate on). Following the Shettles method, you have
intercourse two to four days before ovulation if you want a girl and as close
as possible to ovulation if you want a boy.
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The douche is intended to change the vaginal environment to "influence the
chances that either an X-carrying sperm or a Y-carrying sperm will be
successful in fertilizing the egg." Vitamins and herbal extracts are also
included to supposedly boost your odds of getting the gender of your choice.
Pros

Requires no invasive medical procedures.

Convenient.
Cons

The success rate claimed by the makers is questionable.

Expensive.
Cost
$199 for a 30-day kit.
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The bottom line: What do the experts say?
High-tech sex-selection methods have stirred hot debate in the medical
community. Some doctors think it's a great way to balance families, while
others think we're heading down a slippery slope.
Mark Sauer, a fertility specialist and the program director at the Center for
Women's Reproductive Care at Columbia University in New York, thinks that
sex selection for family balancing is unethical and has no place in fertility
treatments.
"I can't endorse the destruction of normal human embryos because they
happened to be of the wrong sex," he says.
Not all fertility doctors agree with Sauer. While the American Society for
Reproductive Medicine officially opposes PGD for nonmedical reasons, it
acknowledges that sex selection shouldn't be condemned in all cases and
doesn't favor making it illegal.
Low-tech sex selection has not sparked the same controversy, probably
because these methods are far from foolproof and the assumption is that
couples practicing them are investing less – both financially and emotionally
– in their success. But do they work?
"I tell my patients that if they want to try low-tech methods, give them a go,"
says Brian Acacio, a fertility specialist and medical director of the Sher
Institutes of Reproductive Medicine (SIRM) in Los Angeles. "They probably
won't hurt, and there's a 50 percent chance they'll work."
And we agree.
In part II, we’ll discuss the three ways you can increase your chances of
conceiving a baby of the gender of your choice.
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PART TWO
How to Conceive a Baby of the Gender of Your Choice
Theories abound about how would-be parents can influence the sex of their
future child, from slipping the stork some extra cash to following a certain
diet and using certain sexual positions. And you can even buy a natural
gender selection kit online that claims to be FDA-approved, with 96 percent
success rate—or your money back.
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For centuries, couples have been told that there are secret tricks to
conceiving a child of the preferred sex. The most dangerous—and painful—
method ever proposed was Artistole’s recommendation that a man who
wants to father a boy should tie off his left testicle before sex. The ancient
Greek philosopher believed that the right testicle produces male sperm and
the right produces female sperm, a myth that continued to circulate until the
18th century. Don’t worry, we won’t suggest you do something that extreme.
As we’ve already touched upon, there are three main factors that you can
manipulate to increase the chances of having either a boy or a girl. The three
things are what the mother eats, the positions you use to engage in sex, and
the timing of when you have intercourse.
You should practice and take advantage of all three methods that we are
about to discuss. Doing one alone may work, but doing all three together will
increase your chances of conceiving a baby of the gender you want.
And as you’re about to see, it’s not that difficult to do all three things. It does
take some planning (especially manipulating your diet) and some
communication, but there certainly isn’t anything that we’re about to discuss
that you won’t be able to do.
And not only is it easy to do these things, it’s also a lot of fun. Especially the
last two practices (sexual position and the timing of intercourse) you’re
asked to use to your advantage.
So, let’s get to the good stuff…
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Eating the Proper Foods
Studies over the last several years have shown that what you eat can affect
what type of sperm (male/female) a women’s egg attracts and can help you
conceive a boy or girl.
Eating naturally healthy foods that are not processed such as fish, nuts,
grains, vegetables and fruits (as mentioned in the following pages) play an
important part in a well-balanced diet needed to conceive a healthy baby.
A healthy diet will maximize your cervical mucus for contraception, make
sure your nutritional needs are met and help ensure there are no general
problems that can negatively affect your cervical mucus.
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Have a healthy diet in pregnancy
Before we get into the specifics of the foods you need to take to conceive a
specific gender, let’s first focus on some things you need to do to ensure a
healthy pregnancy. While the following does not sway the odds of conceiving
a specific gender, it does however dramatically reduce the chances of having
a miscarriage as well as well as having a stillbirth. And that’s what matters
most.
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Eating well when you're pregnant
A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle at any time, but is
especially vital if you're pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Eating healthily
during pregnancy will help your baby to develop and grow, and will keep you
fit and well.
You don’t need to go on a special diet, but it's important to eat a variety of
different foods every day to get the right balance of nutrients that you and
your baby need.
It is best to get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat, but when
you're pregnant you need to take some supplements as well to make sure
you get everything you need.
You will probably find that you are more hungry than usual, but you don't
need to 'eat for two' – even if you are expecting twins or triplets.
Have a healthy breakfast every day because this can help you to avoid
snacking on foods that are high in fat and sugar.
Eating healthily often means just changing the amounts of different foods
you eat so that your diet is varied, rather than cutting out all your favorites.
You will need to be careful with your diet if you develop gestational
diabetes – your doctor or midwife will advise you.
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Fruit and vegetables in pregnancy
Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables because these provide vitamins and
minerals, as well as fiber, which helps digestion and prevents constipation.
Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day – these can be fresh,
frozen, canned, dried or juiced. Always wash them carefully.
Cook vegetables lightly in a little water, or eat them raw but well washed to
get the benefit of the nutrients they contain.
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Starchy foods (carbohydrates) in pregnancy
Starchy foods are an important source of vitamins and fiber, and are
satisfying without containing too many calories. They include bread,
potatoes, breakfast cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, maize, millet, oats, sweet
potatoes, yams, and cornmeal.
These foods should be the main part of every meal. Eat whole meal instead
of processed (white) varieties when you can.
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Protein in pregnancy
Sources of protein include:

meat (but avoid liver)

fish

poultry

eggs

beans

pulses

nuts
Eat some protein every day.
Choose lean meat, remove the skin from poultry, and cook it using only a
little fat.Make sure eggs, poultry, burgers, sausages and whole cuts of meat
such as lamb, beef and pork are cooked all the way through. Check that there
is no pink meat, and that juices have no pink or red in them.
Try to eat two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily fish such
as salmon, sardines or mackerel.
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Dairy in pregnancy
Dairy foods such as milk, cheese, fromage frais and yoghurt are important in
pregnancy because they contain calcium and other nutrients that your baby
needs.
Choose low-fat varieties wherever possible. For example, semi-skimmed or
skimmed milk, low-fat yoghurt and half-fat hard cheese. Aim for two to
three portions a day.
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Foods that are high in sugar, fat or both
This includes:

all spreading fats (such as butter)

oils

salad dressings

cream

chocolate

crisps

biscuits

pastries

ice cream

cake

puddings

fizzy drinks
You should eat only a small amount of these foods. Sugary foods and sugary
drinks contain calories without providing any other nutrients, and can
contribute to weight gain, obesity and tooth decay.
Fat is very high in calories, and eating too many fatty foods is likely to make
you put on weight. Having too much saturated fat can increase the amount
of cholesterol in the blood, which increases the chance of developing heart
disease. Try to cut down on saturated fat, and have foods rich in unsaturated
fat instead.
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Healthy snacks in pregnancy
If you get hungry between meals, try not to eat snacks that are high in fat
and/or sugar, such as sweets, biscuits, crisps or chocolate. Instead, choose
from the following nutritious snacks:

sandwiches or pitta bread filled with grated cheese, lean ham, mashed tuna,
salmon, or sardines, with salad

salad vegetables, such as carrot, celery or cucumber

low-fat yoghurt or fromage frais

hummus with bread or vegetable sticks

ready-to-eat apricots, figs or prunes

vegetable and bean soups

unsweetened breakfast cereals, or porridge, with milk

milky drinks or unsweetened fruit juices

fresh fruit

baked beans on toast or a baked potato
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Preparing food safely

wash fruit, vegetables and salads to remove all traces of soil, which may
contain toxoplasma, a parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis – toxoplasmosis
can harm your unborn baby

wash all surfaces and utensils, and your hands, after preparing raw meat
– this will help to avoid toxoplasmosis

make sure that raw foods are stored separately from ready-to-eat foods,
otherwise there's a risk of contamination – this is to avoid other types of food
poisoning from meat (such as salmonella, campylobacter and E. coli)

use a separate chopping board for raw meats

heat ready meals until they're piping hot all the way through – this is
especially important for meals containing poultry
You also need to make sure that some foods, such as eggs, poultry, burgers,
sausages and whole cuts of meat like lamb, beef and pork are cooked very
thoroughly.
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Foods to avoid in pregnancy
There are some foods to avoid or take care with when you're pregnant
because they might make you ill or harm your baby. Make sure you know the
important facts about which foods you should avoid or take precautions with
when you're pregnant.
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Cheeses to avoid in pregnancy
Don't eat mould-ripened soft cheese, such as brie and camembert whether
it's made with cows' or goats' milk.
You should also avoid soft blue-veined cheeses, such as Danish blue,
gorgonzola and roquefort.
This is because soft cheeses are less acidic than hard cheeses and they
contain more moisture, which means they can be an ideal environment for
harmful bacteria, such as listeria, to grow in.
Although infection with listeria (listeriosis) is rare, it is important to take
special precautions in pregnancy because even a mild form of the illness in a
pregnant woman can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in a
newborn baby.
If you're pregnant and showing signs of listeria infection, seek medical help
straight away.
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Hard cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy
You can eat hard cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan and stilton, even if
they're made with unpasteurized milk. Hard cheeses don't contain as much
water as soft cheeses so bacteria are less likely to grow in them. It is possible
for hard cheese to contain listeria, but the risk is considered to be low.
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Soft cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy
Many soft types of cheese are OK to eat provided they're made from
pasteurised milk. These include:

cottage cheese

mozzarella

feta

cream cheese

paneer

ricotta

halloumi

goats' cheese

processed cheeses such as cheese spreads
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Cooked soft cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy
Thorough cooking should kill any bacteria in cheese, so it should be safe to
eat cooked mould-ripened soft cheese, such as brie or camembert, and
cooked soft blue cheese, such as roquefort or gorgonzola, or dishes that
contain them. It's important to make sure the cheese is thoroughly cooked
until it's steaming hot all the way through.
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Pâté in pregnancy
Avoid all types of pâté, including vegetable pâtés, as they can contain listeria.
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Avoid raw or partially cooked eggs if you're pregnant
Make sure that eggs are thoroughly cooked until the whites and yolks are
solid to prevent the risk of salmonella food poisoning. Salmonella food
poisoning is unlikely to harm your baby, but it can give you a severe bout of
diarrhea and vomiting.
Avoid foods that contain raw and undercooked eggs, such as homemade
mayonnaise. If you wish to have dishes that contain raw or partially cooked
eggs, consider using pasteurized liquid egg.
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Raw or undercooked meat is risky in pregnancy
Try not to eat rare meat because of the potential risk of toxoplasmosis.
Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly so it's steaming hot and there is no
trace of pink or blood - especially with poultry, pork, sausages and minced
meat, including burgers.
The Department of Health previously advised that it was fine to eat whole
cuts of beef and lamb rare, as long as the outside had been properly cooked.
As a precaution, this advice has now been removed while a food safety
committee (The Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food)
looks into the issue of toxoplasmosis.
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite that can be found in meat,
soil, cat feces and untreated water. If you are pregnant the infection can
damage your baby, but it's important to remember that toxoplasmosis in
pregnancy is very rare.
Toxoplasmosis often has no symptoms. But if you feel you may have been at
risk, discuss it with your GP, midwife or obstetrician. If you are infected while
you're pregnant, treatment for toxoplasmosis is available.
Wash all surfaces and utensils thoroughly after preparing raw meat to avoid
the spread of harmful bugs. And wash and dry your hands after touching or
handling raw meat.
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Cold cured meats and smoked fish are safe in pregnancy
Cold cured meats include salami, parma ham, chorizo and pepperoni.
Smoked fish includes smoked salmon and smoked trout.
Some countries advise that pregnant women should avoid eating cold cured
meats or smoked fish as there's a small risk of these foods harboring listeria
or the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis.
Currently in the UK pregnant women aren't advised to avoid these products.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is reviewing its toxoplasmosis and listeria
advice to vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, and we'll post the
reviewed advice on this page as soon as it's available.
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Pre-packed meat are safe to eat if you're pregnant
Pre-packed meats like ham and corned beef are safe to eat in pregnancy.
Some other sites (maybe from other countries such as the USA) may
suggest that you avoid pre-packed meats in pregnancy but here in the UK we
do not.
Liver can harm your unborn baby
Don't eat liver or liver products such as liver pâté or liver sausage, as they
may contain a lot of vitamin A. Too much vitamin A can harm your baby.
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Vitamin and fish oil supplements to avoid in pregnancy
Don't take high-dose multivitamin supplements, fish liver oil supplements or
any supplements containing vitamin A.
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Some types of fish are risky in pregnancy
Don't eat shark, marlin and swordfish, and limit the amount of tuna you eat
to:

no more than two tuna steaks a week (about 140g cooked or 170g raw each),
or

four medium-sized cans of tuna a week (about 140g when drained)
These types of fish contain high levels of mercury that can damage your
baby's developing nervous system. Don't eat more than two portions of oily
fish a week. Oily fish includes fresh tuna (but not canned tuna), salmon,
mackerel, sardines and trout.
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Avoid raw shellfish when you're pregnant
Eat cooked rather than raw shellfish (including mussels, lobster, crab,
prawns, scallops and clams) as they can contain harmful bacteria and viruses
that can cause food poisoning. Cold pre-cooked prawns are fine.
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Sushi and pregnancy
It's fine to eat raw or lightly cooked fish in dishes such as sushi when you're
pregnant as long as any raw wild fish used to make it has been frozen first.
This is because occasionally wild fish contains small parasitic worms that
could make you ill. Freezing kills the worms and makes raw fish safe to eat.
Cooking will also kill them.
Certain farmed fish destined to be eaten raw in dishes like sushi, such as
farmed salmon, no longer need to be frozen beforehand. This is because
farmed fish are very unlikely to contain parasitic worms due to the rearing
methods used. If you're unsure contact the Food Standards Agency for
advice.
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Lots of the sushi sold in shops is not made at the shop. This type of sushi
should be fine to eat, because if a shop or restaurant buys in ready-made
sushi, the raw fish used to make it will have been subject to an appropriate
freezing treatment. If you're in any doubt, you might want to avoid eating
the kinds of sushi that contain raw fish such as tuna.
The safest way to enjoy sushi is to choose the fully cooked or vegetarian
varieties, which can include:

cooked seafood, for example fully cooked eel (unagi) or shrimp (ebi)

vegetables, for example cucumber (kappa) maki

avocado, for example California roll

fully cooked egg
If a shop or restaurant makes its own sushi on the premises, it must still be
frozen first before being served. If you're concerned, ask the staff.
If you make your own sushi at home, freeze the fish for at least four days
before using it.
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Peanuts are safe in pregnancy
Go ahead and eat peanuts or food containing peanuts (such as peanut
butter) during pregnancy, unless you are allergic to them or a health
professional advises you not to.
You may have heard that peanuts should be avoided during pregnancy. This
is because the government previously advised women that they may want
to avoid eating peanuts if there was a history of allergy (such
as asthma, eczema, hay fever, food allergy or other types of allergy) in their
child's immediate family.
This advice has now been changed because the latest research has shown
that there is no clear evidence showing that eating peanuts during pregnancy
affects the chances of your baby developing a peanut allergy.
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Milk and yogurt in pregnancy
Stick to pasteurized or UHT (ultra-heat treated) milk – sometimes also called
long-life milk.
If only raw (unpasteurized) milk is available, boil it first. Don't drink
unpasteurized goats' or sheep's milk or eat foods made from them, such as
soft goats' cheese.
All types of yogurt, including bio, live, low-fat etc are fine. Just check with
homemade yogurt that it is made with pasteurized milk - and if not, avoid it.
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Ice cream in pregnancy
Soft ice creams should be fine to eat when you're pregnant, as they are
processed products made with pasteurized milk and eggs, so any risk of
salmonella food poisoning has been eliminated.
For home-made ice-cream, use a pasteurized egg substitute or follow an eggfree recipe.
Foods with soil on them
Wash fruit, vegetables and salads to remove all traces of soil and visible dirt.
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Caffeine in pregnancy
High levels of caffeine can result in babies having a low birth weight, which
can increase the risk of health problems in later life. Too much caffeine can
also cause miscarriage.
Caffeine is naturally found in lots of foods, such as coffee, tea and chocolate,
and is added to some soft drinks and energy drinks. Some cold and flu
remedies also contain caffeine. Talk to your midwife, doctor or pharmacist
before taking these remedies.
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You don't need to cut out caffeine completely, but don't have more than
200mg a day. The approximate amount of caffeine found in food and drinks
is:

one mug of instant coffee: 100mg

one mug of filter coffee: 140mg

one mug of tea: 75mg

one can of cola: 40mg

one can of energy drink: 80mg

one 50g bar of plain (dark) chocolate: around 50mg

one 50g bar of milk chocolate: around 25mg
So if you have, for example, one bar of chocolate and one mug of filter coffee,
you have reached almost 200mg of caffeine. Don't worry if you occasionally
have more than this amount – the risks are small. To cut down on caffeine,
try decaffeinated tea and coffee, fruit juice or mineral water instead of
regular tea, coffee, cola and energy drinks.
It's important to eat a variety of different foods every day to get the right
balance of nutrients that you and your baby need.
It is best to get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat, but when
you're pregnant you need to take some supplements as well to make sure
you get everything you need. You can find out more about vitamins and
supplements in pregnancy.
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Drinking, Smoking, and Your Pregnancy
If you have unsafe health habits during pregnancy, your baby does too.
Here's why you should stop now.
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How Alcohol and Caffeine Can Impact Baby's Health
A glass of wine or a puff on a cigarette is a part of many women's social lives.
But if you're pregnant, whatever you take into your body reaches your baby
too. Smoking and drinking can hurt your baby, so it's important that you
change your habits.
The best time, of course, is before you and your partner decide to start
trying. A baby's brain and other organs start to develop before you even
realize you're pregnant. But even if you're expecting, you can reduce the risk
to your child if you kick these habits now.
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Drinking for Two
When you lift your glass, make sure it's filled with grape juice, not wine. The
reason? When you drink, alcohol passes through the placenta to your
growing fetus. Because a developing baby's body breaks down alcohol much
more slowly than an adult's, a fetus's blood alcohol level can rise much higher
than its mother's and stay elevated longer. The damage can be long lasting
and severe, ranging from mental retardation to heart damage.
Unfortunately, according to the National Academy of Sciences, 20 percent of
women who drink alcohol continue to do so during pregnancy. And about 1
in 29 women who know that they're pregnant report dangerous levels of
drinking (defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as more
than seven drinks in a week or five and above on one occasion).
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Does a Sip or Two of Alcohol Count?
Resist the urge to take a small sip, even
for a toast, because research has shown
that occasional drinking may be harmful
too. A recent study at Wayne State
University, in Detroit, found that women
who consumed as little as one drink a
week during pregnancy were about three
times as likely as nondrinkers to have a
child
diagnosed
with
behavioral
problems such as aggression and
difficulty paying attention. Preschoolers of women who drank moderately
(one to three drinks a day) sometimes fare worse. In fact, a number of studies
have found that these children have an increased risk of learning
problems and decreased IQ in addition to significant behavioral problems
later on.
The list of potential health and developmental problems doesn't end here;
drinking heavily throughout pregnancy increases your risk of having a
baby with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS, which affects about 1 in 1,000
babies in this country, is one of the most common causes of mental
retardation and central nervous system problems, abnormal facial features,
and, often, heart defects. Even if they're not mentally retarded, these
children may have problems with learning, memory, attention, speech, and
hearing, as well as severe behavioral problems.
In addition, past studies have shown that women who consume three drinks
per week in their first trimester are more than twice as likely as nondrinkers
to have a miscarriage.
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Will Caffeine Hurt a Pregnancy?
Wondering if coffee can be dangerous during pregnancy? The experts
disagree. While some studies have linked heavy caffeine consumption during
pregnancy with an increased risk of miscarriage, most have found little or no
risk with moderate consumption (one or two cups a day).
Until we know more about how much caffeine is completely safe in
pregnancy, the wisest choice is to try to cut it out of your diet or limit your
intake to 300 milligrams a day, the amount in two 8-ounce cups of coffee. If
you're a tea drinker, remember that some brewed teas may contain nearly
as much caffeine as coffee, although amounts vary greatly. Keep in mind that
other foods and beverages -- chocolate and colas, for example -- also contain
caffeine, so read labels carefully.
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How Smoking Can Affect Baby
You know that cigarettes aren't good for you, and they aren't good for
your growing baby either. In fact, smoking nearly doubles your risk of having
a low birth weight baby, whose odds of serious health problems and even
death are greater. The good news: If you quit smoking by mid-pregnancy,
you're no more likely to give birth to a low birth weight baby than a woman
who never smoked. Even quitting late in pregnancy can increase your baby's
birth weight. A new study at Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland,
found that women who quit by their 32nd week reduced their risk of having
a low birth weight baby to levels similar to nonsmokers.
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Smokers also face an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy (when the embryo
implants outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube) and placental
complications. Placenta previa, in which the placenta attaches too low in the
uterus and covers part or all of the internal opening of the cervix, is at least
twice as common in smokers as in nonsmokers. So is placental abruption, in
which the placenta separates from the uterine wall before a woman's
delivery. If you smoke, you are also more likely to have your water break
before labor begins (called premature rupture of the membranes). When this
situation occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy, it often results in the birth of
a premature baby.
Babies of smokers may face even more problems after birth. A study
at Brown University suggested that babies of mothers who smoke
throughout pregnancy may experience withdrawal-like symptoms (such as
being jittery, sad, or difficult to soothe) similar to those seen in babies of
mothers who use drugs. Smoking may also increase a baby's risk of
various birth defects, including cleft lip, cleft palate, and clubfoot. Even more
frightening is research suggesting that babies whose mothers smoked during
pregnancy are more likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
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Why Smoking Is Still Harmful After Birth
It's also important to stay smoke-free after your baby is born. Babies who are
exposed to smoke suffer from more respiratory illnesses, asthma, and ear
infections than do other babies. In fact, infants whose mothers smoke are 38
percent more likely to be hospitalized for pneumonia during their first year
of life than are babies of nonsmoking mothers.
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How to Quit Smoking and Drinking During Pregnancy
Now that you know all the facts, it's time to call it quits. If you're having
trouble abstaining from alcohol, you may have a drinking problem and need
help. Call the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, or check
your local phone book for an Alcoholics Anonymous chapter in your area.
These organizations can help you control your problem.
Smoking is also a tough habit to kick. If you have tried and failed, contact
your doctor. She may recommend medication or techniques to help you quit
or at least reduce your habit. You may also contact the American Cancer
Society or the American Lung Association for further assistance.
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Foods to Eat to Conceive a Boy
As I already mentioned, certain foods can cause your eggs to attract either
male or female sperm. This is because products of the earth give off a natural
electrical charge.
Scientists now seem to agree that the foods you eat can also impact the
gender of your child. If you want to have a boy, a diet rich in foods containing
sodium and potassium is essential. While you don’t want to overdo the
sodium, small amounts can be helpful when you are trying to conceive a boy.
Where did those conclusions come from? They’re actually from a rather new
research conducted at the universities of Exeter and Oxford. The scientists
examined the diets of a large number of calories were more likely to conceive
a boy. Seems like there are more nutrients needed to conceive a boy rather
than a girl.
There is no 100% guarantee that you will be able to conceive a boy using
these methods, but it does increase your chances significantly. No matter
what gender your child ends up being, the important thing is that they are
healthy. It’s fun to try and naturally select the gender of your child, but at
the end of the day there are many different factors that will ultimately decide
their sex.
If you are keen on having a baby boy then start thinking about eating things
that are most favorable for having a baby boy. If you are constantly having
visions and thoughts of blue, you can eat different kinds of food that can
increase your chances of conceiving a baby boy. The authors of ‘Prenatal
Classroom: A Parent's Guide for Teaching Your Baby in the Womb’ are F. Rene
Van de Carr and Marc Lehrer who explain that you stand a good chance of
having the gender you want if you have the appropriate diet for a baby boy
minimum three months before getting pregnant.
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The two authors suggest that eating food high in potassium and sodium is
more likely to enhance the chances of baby boy. You need to deliberately
include food items rich in potassium and sodium to your diet daily to better
the diet and make it work for you. It is not too difficult to increase the sodium
intake in your daily diet because there are number of sources of sodium in
the usual ingredients. Consume more canned soups, table salt, ham,
seafood, sausage, eggs, luncheon meats and crackers for increasing the
amount of sodium in your diet. You can eat more quantities of peanut butter,
apricots, beans, mushrooms, baked potatoes with the skin, spinach, squash
and avocados to increase the regular Potassium intake. If these are included
in your diet daily it will serve the purpose.
Jennifer Merrill Thompson is the author of Chasing the Gender Dream and
according to her; the Boy Diet will tends to decrease the amount of calcium
and magnesium you consume in your diet. This will also increase the chances
of your having a baby boy. To achieve this, your diet should not contain
certain foods. For instance, it is great idea to stop having any of the dairy
products in your regular diet as they are normally quite high in calcium
content. You may try to consume lesser amount of egg yolks as well as nuts
as they have high amounts of magnesium.
Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel are the authors of ‘What to Expect Before
You're Expecting,’ explain that consuming high-energy foods are likely to
enhance the chances of conceiving a baby boy. It requires you to eat a lot of
cereal, such as Cheerios or Wheaties just when you are trying to have a baby.
Other foods which contain a lot of energy in terms of calories is also
something you can concentrate on. Such foods include energy bars and
peanut butter. If you include such foods and the above mentioned
information you are likely to have a baby boy.
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The Have a Boy Diet
I will give you the menu of the diet that you have to eat when you want to
conceive a boy. This diet recommends you to avoid acidic foods in quest of a
more alkaline (less acidic) environment for the boy-bearing sperm to thrive.
In fact, it doesn’t mean that you have necessarily shun acidic foods. Also, a
recent study suggests that maintaining higher levels of glucose – which
means sustaining a high intake of food throughout the day – will increase
your chances of having a little boy.
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This diet will consist of the following foods:
Meats
Meats is also included among the foods one should consume regularly of
increasing their chances of getting pregnant with a baby boy, so if you’re
looking for natural ways to conceive a boy, this is one accessible and tasty
solution. A serving of beef steak contains very large amounts of vitamin B –
mainly B6 and B12, as well as zinc, sodium and potassium.
However, given that meat- regardless of the way it’s cooked – is an acidic
food, you should limit the intake of such dishes to one or two servings per
week, as a too acidic environment considerably lowers the odds of having a
baby boy. Also, avoid eating this is combination with foods high in
carbohydrates, as your stomach will have a hard time digesting it and the
unpleasant effects will outweigh the benefits.
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- Sodas
- Rice
- Cereals
- Pretzels
- Chips
- Bananas
- Salty Fish
- White Flour
- Pasta
- Fresh Fruit
- Certain Vegetables
- Drinking Water Daily (2 L to 1 Gallon)
Among women with the highest calorie intake before pregnancy – 56 percent
had boys. Women who had boys also ate an additional 300 mg of potassium
daily! Breakfast, is particularly important, so never skip it!
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In order to improve the odds of having a baby boy, avoid the following foods:
- Salad
- Vegetables
- Fruits (excepts for bananas, tomato, apple)
- Breads
- Dairy
- Milk
- Yoghurt
- Cheese
- Nuts
- Chocolate
- Shellfish
It does seem that male sperm prefer an alkaline vaginal environment, which
is where the correlation between diet and gender selection comes in. But
whether or not eating a less acidic diet makes a difference is still open to
debate. But it probably does no harm.
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To encourage the egg to attract the male sperm, both partners should eat
foods that are high in potassium and sodium. You should begin eating these
foods at least six weeks before you plan on conceiving. This will give your
body plenty of time to absorb the necessary potassium and sodium.
Foods that are very high in potassium include:
 Meat and fish (particularly salmon and tuna)
 Fruits – apricots, avocados, bananas, cantaloupes, honeydews, kiwis,
oranges (including orange juice), dates, nectarines, and prunes
 Vegetables – lima beans, potatoes, spinach, and tomatoes, and winter
squash;
 Vegetable juice
 Milk
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Foods that are high in sodium include:
 Meat (including some fish) – anchovies, bacon, caviar, dried beef, chipped
beef, corned beef, ham, bacon, Canadian bacon, canned meats, lunch meats,
pepperoni, sardines, and smoked salmon.
 Cheese
 Canned and dried soups (including broth)
 Tomato products – tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato juice
 Snacks and party foods – chips, dips, salted nuts, salted popcorn, and salted
pretzels.
 Vegetables – lima beans, frozen peas, pickles, olives, sauerkraut, and any
other vegetable prepared in brine.
 Chinese food prepared with MSG
Again, fill your diet with any foods, such as the ones listed above, beginning
at least six weeks before you plan to conceive a baby, and you will greatly
increase your chances of having a baby boy nine months after conception.
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Foods to Eat to Conceive a Girl
It could be quite tricky to conceive a girl if there are chemical imbalances in
the body. And certain foods help create the proper chemical balances to get
pregnant with a baby girl. Foods that have high levels of magnesium and
calcium, are often consumed by women. For example milk, eggs and butter
have a high calcium content and crucial to take. All kinds of legumes and nuts
are high in magnesium and need to be part of your diet. So it is necessary to
put more emphasis on your diet, if you want to have a girl.
By making small changes in your diet, either leaving out foods or adding
certain foods will raise your pH level or lower it. Please note that changes in
your diet need to be made at least a month before trying to conceive in order
to increase the odds of conceiving a girl. Even the smallest dietary changes
can have a potentially significant impact on the conception process, so the
sooner you alter your diet the better. Every little thing you do, will increase
your chances, so you should not neglect any technique.
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Mothers who want a baby girl should cut out bananas and go on a diet of
beans and hard cheese, scientists claim. They have discovered that a
combination of the right food and the timing of sex are the key to the nursery
being painted pink rather than blue.
The trick, the scientists say, is to refrain from eating sodium and potassiumrich foods, such as anchovies, olives, bacon, salami, smoked salmon, prawns,
savory rice, blue cheese, potatoes, processed meats, bread and pastries.
Instead they should concentrate on foods rich in calcium and magnesium.
Foods containing high amounts of calcium include yoghurt, hard cheese,
canned salmon, rhubarb, spinach, tofu, almonds, oatmeal, broccoli and
oranges. Brazil and cashew nuts, whole wheat cereals, figs and beans are rich
in magnesium. The scientists, from Maastricht University in Holland, claim
that the father’s diet has no effect on what sex the baby will be.
If prospective mothers want a daughter, the scientists also recommend
having regular sex – but not on days immediately prior or after ovulation.
Their conclusions follow a five-year study involving 172 Western
European women aged from 23 to 42. The women had all previously given
birth to boys – in one case, four of them – and wanted girls. They were told
to cut out salt and eat at least a pound of dairy products a day. Their diet also
included bread, vegetables, fruit, meat, rice and pasta.
Although many of the women dropped out of the survey because they failed
to adhere to the strict dietary requirements or rules on when to have sex, 21
women stuck it out to the end. Of the 21, 16 gave birth to daughters – an
astonishing success rate of almost 80 per cent.
“The results show that both diet and timing methods increase the probability
of a girl – the impact of the diet being the most pronounced,” said a
spokesman for the scientists.
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“It shows a substantial success rate when both methods are applied
correctly.”
Other studies claim that sperm carrying the female gene is stronger and likely
to last longer than the lighter, faster but more short-lived male sperm –
hence the need to avoid sex around the time of ovulation when the male
sperm will be more dominant.
This is the first time that humans have allowed themselves to be guinea pigs
for such experiments. Previous tests have been carried out on marine
worms, dairy cattle, pigs and rats, although some studies of women who
have only ever given birth to boys indicated that their diet had contained
mainly potassium and sodium-rich foods.
Such is the desire of some families to predetermine the sex of their offspring
some resort to IVF treatment to ensure girls, but as the Dutch scientists
acknowledge, “many parents find that these techniques are just one step too
far in meddling with nature.”
Others rely on old wives’ tales, which say that a woman wanting to conceive
a girl should make her partner take hot baths or drink cups of strong coffee
prior to intercourse.
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The Have a Girl Diet
The most recent study focused on the ideal diet and timing of intercourse to
conceive a girl. Of the thirty two women in the study who combined the
prescribed maternal diet with timing of intercourse, 81% of them conceived
a female baby.
The diet was started 9 weeks before planned conception and lasted until a
pregnancy home test provided proof of pregnancy. It included ample
amounts of dairy products- about 500 grams per day, which is equal to 17
ounces. One serving of milk is 8 ounces, cheese is 1 ½ ounces, and 1 egg is 1
¾ ounces.
These dairy products provide plenty of calcium and magnesium in the
diet. Intake of potatoes was limited due to their high potassium content, and
no salt was added during food preparation. This diet was supplemented by
400-600 mg of magnesium, 500-700 mg of calcium and 5-7.5 micrograms of
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vitamin D depending on the initial amount of these minerals found in the
woman’s blood.
The have a girl diet recommends a woman consume daily:

3 glasses of milk (milk and cheese are prohibited on the “boy diet” because
they are very good sources of calcium)

2 milk products such as yogurt, custard, or pudding

Only sodium-free or small servings of low sodium cheeses

Eggs (though preparation must be considered, for example no cheese
omelet’s due to high sodium content of the cheese)

Mineral water: Evian and Perrier

1 very weak cup of coffee or tea due to high potassium content

Salt-free breads and crackers (must be less than 1% salt)

Brown or white rice

Semolina, tapioca, corn-flour, puffed rice cereals (whole wheat bread is not
allowed as it is richer in potassium and contains phytic acid which lowers
calcium absorption in the intestine)

8-10 eight ounce servings of water daily to aid in calcium absorption
This diet is safe to follow for up to a few months before conception, but a
wholesome diet containing all vitamins and minerals should be re-started
afterwards to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Women should also discuss this
diet with a registered dietitian and physician before starting it. The preselection diet will entail a few months of strict diet adherence and will-power
for many women. But as research suggests, if your gender preferences
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match up with your taste preferences, you’re chances of conceiving your
desired gender may be easier than you think.
In addition, the following details the types of foods that your diet should
consist of:
 Breads
 Potatoes
 Carrots
 Onions
 Garlic
 Green Beans
 Eggplants
 Fruit (avoid bananas)
 Honey
 Milk
 Sour Cream
 Yogurt
 Cheese
 Eggs
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In order to conceive a girl you should consume foods high in calcium and
magnesium, while at same time avoiding foods high in sodium and
potassium. In other words, avoid the following foods:
 Fried Foods
 Salty Foods
 Soft Drinks
 Meats
 Fish
 Dairy
 Blueberries
 Pickled Vegetables
 Pineapple
In order to greatly increase your chances of conceiving a girl, you both
partners should eat plenty of foods that contain calcium and/or magnesium.
Once again, you should begin this diet at least six weeks before you plan to
conceive your baby girl.
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Here are some foods high in calcium:
 Vegetables – bok choy, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, collard greens, kale,
mustard greens, turnip greens and white beans.
 Dairy products – American cheese, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, ice
cream, pudding, and yogurt.
 Orange juice (especially fortified orange juice)
 Tofu (if processed with calcium sulfate)
 Brazil nuts
Here are some foods rich in magnesium:













Buckwheat flour
Raw oat bran
Wheat Flour
Dairy – canned condensed milk, low fat yogurt
Unsalted nuts – almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, pine nuts
Beans – black, navy, white
Artichokes
Chickpeas
Spinach leaves
Raw broccoli
Pumpkin
Zucchini
Almonds
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Be Careful What You Eat
As you can see there are foods in each category that are very similar and that
is because a lot of foods (e.g. bananas) are high in more than nutrient.
In order to have a well-balanced diet you are still going to need to consume
calcium and magnesium if you want a boy and sodium and potassium if you
want a girl. This is fine to do and important.
It is about dominating your diet with foods that are predominantly high in
the necessary and recommended nutrients that you need to attract either
the male or female sperm.
Refer to the recipe book for recipe ideas and additional foods to consume.
Assuming the Position
As I mentioned a few pages ago, there are differences between the so called
male and female sperm. That is, sperm containing the Y chromosome is
physically different and moves differently that sperm containing the X
chromosome.
If you remember, male sperm or sperm containing the Y chromosome is
smaller, lighter, quicker, and more fragile.
Female sperm or sperm containing the X chromosome is larger, heavier,
slower, and tougher.
Below are the distinctive characteristics for male and female sperms
respectively.
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Boy (Y) SPERM
Characteristics of
boy sperm
What this means to you
Are identified as
looking like a Y
Nothing really, just an interesting
point.
Are
not
as
resilient or strong
as girl sperm.
Interesting but nothing more.
Have short bursts
of power before
they fizzle out in
energy.
This affects the timing of sex to
coincide with ovulation; don’t expect
them to hang around.
Are not capable of
fertilising the egg
past 24 hours
after they have
left the man’s
body.
Timing sex to coincide with the day of
ovulation may help slightly to increase
the odds of having a boy.
Move at high
speed
towards
the egg.
Interesting but out of your control.
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The Y-Chromosome sperm are smaller and contain less genetic material.
Although they move at a rapid pace through the woman’s reproductive tract,
they are weaker and less resilient. They typically only survive 1-2 days in a
woman’s reproductive system. The Y-chromosome sperm are also more
susceptible to heat and can be damaged or killed by it.
This means that the boy producing sperm in not only faster, but also more
fragile than girl producing sperm. Since woman’s reproductive tract tends to
be slightly acidic, male sperm will have a tough time surviving for a longer
time.
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Girl (X) SPERM
Characteristics
of girl sperm
What this means to you
Are identified as
looking like an X.
Interesting – some people remember
the differences because they claim
that the extra arm on the x indicates
more strength.
Are
more
resilient and live
for longer than Y
sperm.
This
means they can
still fertilise the
egg 4-5 days
after they have
left the man’s
body.
You don’t need to be so particular
about timing sex to coincide with
ovulation. Female sperm can wait
around for longer until the egg is ready
to be fertilised.
Require
less
‘nurturing’
to
find their way to
the egg.
Interesting, but you don’t need to do
anything consciously to look after
them. Just don’t douche.
Move
more
slowly than Y
sperm but retain
their energy.
Again, you don’t need to do anything
in particular.
The X-chromosome sperm is around three times bigger than the Ychromosome sperm. It carries more genetic material and also moves at a
slower pace through the woman’s reproductive tract. Although it moves a
lot slower than Y-chromosome sperm, X-chromosome sperm, X-
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chromosome sperm is a lot more resistant and can survive anywhere from 35 days in the woman’s reproductive system.
So how do we make sure there will be more X sperm around than Y when
you ovulate? One thing we do know about them is that Y sperm can swim
faster than X sperm because they are lighter. However, X sperm do have the
advantage of being able to live longer as they are stronger and more resilient.
This kind of method is called The Shettles Method.
Knowing that these characteristics exist, we can take it a step further and
know that the male sperm will rush to fertilize the egg (if possible) while the
female sperm will be slower to travel up and fertilize the egg.
However, while the male sperm is faster it will also die quicker.
Therefore, we know that the female sperm will live longer and will have a
longer duration when it’s possible for the sperm to fertilize the egg.
There are two ways that you can use this knowledge to your advantage. The
first way is to change the “finishing” position you use to have intercourse.
Let’s take a look a couple different positions that will favor either conceiving
a boy or a girl.
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Sexual Positions to Conceive a Boy
Whether you're absolutely dying for a baby boy your first time around or are
just hoping to add a little guy to your brood of girls, experiment with these
sex positions, as well as diet and timing tips, to help up your odds of
conceiving a boy.
So now we know more about the male sperm. Two of the male sperm’s most
important characteristics – they’re quicker and more fragile and are
important to helping us conceive a boy. If given the right environment, the
male sperm should be able to beat the female sperm to the egg and fertilize
it. When that happens, then you’ve successfully conceived a baby boy.
The vagina is naturally acidic and therefore not very hospitable to sperm and
unfortunately the acidic nature of the vagina has a bigger effect on male
sperm than female sperm because the male sperm is the most fragile. In
other words, the female sperm have a much better chance of surviving than
do the male sperm.
So, what does this tell us?
It tells us that we need to give the male sperm the best chance of surviving.
So to do this we need to try to get the male sperm as high in the vagina as is
possible. That means you want to have the man’s penis penetrate as far into
the woman as possible.
That way you can hopefully get the sperm above the neck of the cervix. This
is where it’s less acidic and the sperm (primarily the male sperm) have the
best chance of surviving.
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Sexual Positions for Deep Penetration
Try it from behind
Also known as "Doggie Style,” this position is highly recommended to couples
hoping to conceive a boy, says Stacy Rybchin, founder of My Secret Luxury.
Why? "Because it allows for deeper penetration, and consequently, during
ejaculation, the male sperm get deposited closer to the cervix.” In general,
male sperm are faster, but they don't live as long as females do, so the less
distance they have to travel, the better!
If you’re not familiar with this position, ‘doggie style’ is when the woman is
on all fours and the man enters her vagina from the back. The woman can
also be standing and bend over to allow the man to enter her vagina from
behind.
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Spread your wings
Another position you can try is the “spread eagle.” With this position the
woman lies on her stomach and spreads her legs as far apart as possible.
Then the man enters her vagina from behind. He then can either place his
weight on the woman or he can hold himself up on his hands or elbows.
This position puts the man in control and allow for deep penetration of the
penis. The man being in control helps because he knows exactly when he is
about to ejaculate and can thrust his penis deep into the vagina while he
ejaculates. It’s important that the man ensures deep penetration as he
ejaculates so that the sperm gets up above the neck of the cervix.
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Make a stand
Apparently to conceive a boy, all you gotta do is have sex standing up! This
position, like doggie style, enables deep penetration and is also thought to
give the faster male sperm an advantage seeing as sperm must swim against
gravity to get to the egg. While not backed by science, it's worth a shot if
you're hoping for a male.
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Try to Achieve Simultaneous Orgasm
When the woman achieves orgasm, the body naturally reduces the acidity in
the vagina in order to make a friendlier environment for the male sperm.
Since it’s important to do everything possible to keep the fragile male sperm
safe when you’re trying to conceive a boy, then you should try to orgasm
simultaneously. That way the male sperm have a good environment to
survive in.
Hopefully you and your partner already know what to do to get you (the
woman) to orgasm. If not, you should openly discuss how you want him to
touch you and what you want him to do in order to make you orgasm.
Often the best position for a woman to orgasm is with the woman on top
(“the astride position”). This allows the woman to be in control and to move
how she needs to move to achieve the greatest pleasure, which will hopefully
lead to orgasm for both partners.
The other advantage “the astride position” gives you and your partner is that
your partner has his hands free to touch you how and where you prefer. A
great many women are helped toward orgasm by having their breasts and
nipples fondled. From this position your breasts can also be licked and
sucked on by your partner. All of this often helps a woman achieve orgasm.
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Sexual Positions to Help Conceive a Girl
You've been dreaming of having a little girl ever since you were one yourself,
but now that the time has finally arrived to start trying for a baby, you're
wondering how the heck you increase your chances of conceiving a female.
As we know, the female sperm is bigger, heavier, slower, and tougher. So
you want to take advantage of the female sperm being slower and tougher
in order to increase your chances of conceiving a girl.
Instead of trying to get the sperm ejaculated above the neck of the cervix,
you want to ejaculate the sperm at the mouth of the cervix. In other words,
you only want shallow penetration. This will cause the sperm to need to
travel farther to fertilize the egg and will give the female sperm a much
better chance of surviving all the way to fertilize the egg.
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Sexual Positions for Shallow Penetration
When trying to conceive a girl, you want to force the sperm to travel as far
as possible. Therefore, you only want shallow penetration by the penis.
On top of things
One position that can be used that puts the woman in control and allows for
deep penetration is with the woman on top. This is sometimes referred to as
“the astride position.” For this position the man lies on his back and the
woman sits astride him with her legs on each side. The woman then lowers
herself to the man so that his penis penetrates her vagina.
Dr. Ava Cadell, spokesperson for The Experience Channel and renowned love
and sex therapist, says that to have a girl, the woman should be on top so
that she can control the depth of penetration. Instead of "going deep”, your
partner should ejaculate as close to the opening of your vagina as possible.
This will make it much more difficult for the male sperm to reach your egg,
since they have a shorter lifespan than female sperm do.
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Do it missionary style
The missionary position is the ‘traditional’ way of having sex. It’s done with
the woman lying on her back and the man being above her, facing the same
way as her. The man can either hold himself up on his hands or elbows or he
can rest his weight on the woman.
Turns out, good old-fashioned sex could be your golden ticket to getting
pregnant with a girl. "Some believe that the best position to conceive a girl
is the missionary position,” notes Stacy Rybchin, founder of My Secret
Luxury. "Sperm with the X-chromosome (female sperm) travel slower and
can survive up to five days.” Because penetration isn't typically as deep in
this position, the sperm have a longer way to go, giving the females a clear
advantage.
Though the missionary position lends itself to shallower penetration, the
man still has to be careful not to thrust inward as he ejaculates. Remember,
the goal is to have the sperm deposited as close to the mouth of the cervix
as possible. Therefore, the man should pull back slightly as he ejaculates.
Obviously the man doesn’t want to pull out all together. However, given the
choice of accidentally pulling out completely or ejaculating deep inside the
cervix, pulling out completely would be best. After all, it would just mean you
have try all over again. And there’s nothing bad about that!
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Experiment with spooning
The second position that involves shallow penetration is “the spooning
position”. “Spooning” is done by the woman lying on her side and the man
lying beside her with his front pressed to her back.
Obviously with this position the penis will be entering the vagina from
behind. By the nature of this position, it will be tough for the penis to be
thrust deep into the woman and therefore the sperm will almost certainly be
ejaculated at the mouth of the cervix.
The spoon position also lends itself to slow, sensual lovemaking. So take your
time and enjoy yourself with this position. Not only will it be great at the time
but it will also be great practice for when you’re pregnant. (Many women
prefer this position for making love when they are in their third trimester of
pregnancy). And what girl doesn't love to spoon, right!?
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Sorry! No Orgasm.
Okay, now comes a bit of bad news. But it doesn’t have to be as bad as it
sounds.
You (meaning the woman – of course) don’t want to orgasm. At least not
right away. As unfortunate as this may sound - not having an orgasm will help
you conceive a girl.
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Again, the female sperm are tougher than the male sperm. The vagina is
naturally acidic and harsh on the sperm. However, during orgasm the vagina
becomes much less acidic in order to make a better environment for the
sperm. So you don’t want to orgasm because you don’t want to make a
better environment that’s more likely to allow the male sperm to live longer.
This also doesn’t mean that you just want the man to have an orgasm first
and then you can orgasm immediately after. You should allow the sperm
time to either travel past the neck of the cervix (the female sperm) or to die
out (the male sperm).
However, all hope is not lost.
If having an orgasm is that important to you (and why wouldn’t it be?) and/or
your partner (there are plenty of men out there that feel a need to make
their partner orgasm) then you can douche the vagina with water and
vinegar just before having sex. This will cause you vagina to be more acidic,
which will usually cancel out any good the orgasm will do. With the water
and the vinegar you can orgasm if you want, but it’s still not recommended.
The other option you have is to communicate with your partner and decide
on another time when you will be able to orgasm without sperm being
ejaculated into your cervix. There is any number of ways you can make this
happen. And I’m sure you don’t any help coming up with great ways.
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Timing Your Intercourse
So now you have two pieces of the puzzle: you know what you should eat to
conceive a baby of the gender you want and you know what sexual positions
you should use to have the gender of your choice.
Now it’s time to talk about the timing of your intercourse.
The most effective time to have sex is during your fertile window, which can
last up to six days every month. These six days are the five days leading up
to, and the day of, ovulation, when your body releases an egg.
Your egg will survive for about a day once released. But sperm can survive
for up to a week. Hence there is a six-day window for sperm to meet an egg.
You are most likely to conceive if you have sex one or two days before
you ovulate. However, it's tricky to pinpoint the exact day or two just before
ovulation. So if you don't want your sex life to be ruled by the calendar, your
best bet is simply to enjoy sex every two or three days.
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If you want to be more precise, though, you will need to work out when you
will ovulate. When you'll ovulate in any given cycle depends on:

the length of your menstrual cycle

how regular your periods are
A menstrual cycle can be as short as 22 days or as long as 36 days. On
average, a woman gets her period between 12 days and 14 days after she's
ovulated.
If you have a 28-day menstrual cycle, you're likely to ovulate around the
middle of your cycle. If you have a short cycle, you could ovulate within days
of your period ending. A long cycle could mean that you won't ovulate until
two weeks after your period has ended.
Nearly half of women have a cycle length that varies by more than seven
days. If your menstrual cycle is different from one month to the next, your
fertile window may also vary by about a week between each period.
That's why it's best to have sex every two to three days throughout your
cycle. It's more effective than focusing your efforts only on the days you think
you're about to ovulate. Also, sex every two to three days improves
the quality of sperm compared to daily sex.
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How to Understand Your Ovulation Cycle
The last stage is when the fertilized egg attaches itself to the uterus. A
hormone called human Chorionic Gonadotropin will then be produced. This
hormone will send a signal to the ovary to continue producing progesterone.
If this signal is missed, 9 to 10 days later the uterine lining will shed, or the
woman will menstruate. On the first day of menstruation another ovulation
cycle begins.
The important thing to think about with each individual cycle is to know
when the most fertile time is. The egg has the potential to live up to 20 hours
after it is released from the ovary.
It is also good to know that you can have an ovulation cycle without
ovulating. This usually happens with girls who have just started to
menstruate, women who breastfeed, women going through menopause, or
women who have longer cycles than 35 days.
On a side note, ovarian cancer can also be induced by the demands of a
woman’s cycle. With the constant rebuilding of tissues and new cells, there
is a large strain put on the body. That is possibly why women who have
children have a lesser chance of developing ovarian cancer.
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Timing to Conceive a the Gender of Your Choice
Since the male sperm reaches the egg faster and since they are fragile, if you
want to conceive a boy then you should have intercourse as close to when
you ovulate as is possible.
In fact, to increase your chances of conceiving a boy you should have sex
either the day before or on the day of ovulation. This will allow the male
sperm to be the only ones with the time to fertilize the egg and it will also
ensure that the male sperm don’t die before ovulation. To conceive a girl,
you want to have sexual intercourse well before you actually ovulate, a
recommended time been 3-5 days before ovulation.
In fact, you should have intercourse as much as four days before ovulation
and as little as two days from ovulation. This will give the female sperm time
to travel to the egg and it will also ensure that the more fragile male sperm
will no longer exist to fertilize the egg. Whilst this might make perfect sense
(and it should) it can be very difficult to know exactly when you ovulate.
Of course, if you have perfect twenty-eight day cycles all the time then
knowing when you ovulate should be very easy.
You almost always ovulate fourteen days before your period. So if you always
have your period on day twenty-eight then you know that you always ovulate
on day fourteen.
So using the perfect twenty-eight day cycle, if you want to conceive a boy
then you should have intercourse either on day thirteen or on day fourteen.
But if you want to conceive a girl, and you have a perfect twenty-eight day
cycle, then you want to have sex anywhere from day ten to day twelve.
It’s very simple, right?
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Well, unless you’re like most women and you don’t have perfect cycles.
Without perfect cycles it can be difficult to know when you ovulate. But have
no fear. It still can be done very effectively.
However, it will take a little bit of work on your part. And the better you know
your body and your partner knows your body, the easier it will be to know
when you ovulate.
As you’ll see in Part Three, you can get very good at telling when you’re
ovulating and about to ovulate by keeping track of your temperature,
analyzing the consistency and the amount of the mucus in your cervix, and
staying in touch with your own feelings.
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PART THREE
How to Tell When You Ovulate
As I mentioned at the beginning of this book, many people wrongly believe
that ovulation occurs on the fourteenth day of a woman’s cycle. This is only
true when the woman has perfect twenty-eight day cycles.
To be correct, most women almost always ovulate fourteen days before their
next period. So if the woman has a thirty-day cycle then she would ovulate
on day sixteen, not day fourteen.
Many women don’t have regular cycles – one cycle may be twenty-eight days
while the next cycle may be thirty-two days and then the next thirty days.
These irregular cycles, which many women have, make knowing when
ovulation is going to happen a lot like trying to predict the future.
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In fact, it is predicting the future.
Unless you know about - and use - the three methods for knowing when
ovulation takes place and when it’s about to take place. The three methods
are charting your body temperature, analyzing your cervical mucus, and
staying in tune with you feelings.
How do I know when I’ve ovulated?

Many women develop a distinctive pain on one side of their lower pelvis,
which occurs mid-way through their monthly cycle.

Changes in the cervical mucous. Fertile mucous is clear, watery and stretchy
– it appears similar to egg white. The cells change to encourage the smooth
passage of sperm upwards through the cervix towards the fallopian tubes.
Fertile mucous is also less acidic than non-fertile mucous and this
environment favors the sperm rather than killing them off.

You could try using an ovulation testing kit. These detect hormonal changes
which occur at ovulation, particularly an increase in Luteinizing Hormone.
But there is still some disagreement over their effectiveness. Kits cost
anywhere between $ 25.00 – $ 40.00.

You may feel different. Women who have ovulated and are at their most
fertile often experience and increase in their libido, they appear more
attractive and are more relaxed.
An increase in your basal body temperature. This is the lowest temperature
which is attained by your body during rest and sleep. Just before ovulation
occurs there is a rise in the temperature by a couple of degrees. If you are
trying to conceive a specific gender, then it would be useful to chart your
basal body temperature for a few months so you’d know your peak times of
fertility.
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Your Basal Body Temperature
We’ll cover this method first because it’s the most confusing and the hardest.
Many women are unable to commit to taking their temperature and charting
constantly. So, if you read this chapter and think to yourself, “There’s no way
I’m doing this.” Then don’t worry about it. You’re not alone.
However, I don’t want to dissuade you from doing it either. You may be the
type of person that loves numbers and is organized and driven enough to do
this. If so, all the more power to you.
As you can probably guess by the title of this chapter, this method of
predicting when you ovulate involves you taking your temperature every
single day and then charting the results you get.
The temperature you take is actually called your Basal Body Temperature
(BBT) and your temperature is taken with a Basal Body Thermometer.
Every morning when you wake-up the first thing you have to do, before you
get up or even sit up in bed, is take your temperature. Then record that
temperature. Every day you will then chart all your temperatures so you can
analyze them all together.
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Just after you ovulate your temperature will rise about a half a degree. In
other words, your BBT will be lower the first half of the month (until you
ovulate) and then it will rise dramatically to let you know that you have
ovulated.
So you might be thinking: What good is it going to do you to know you
ovulated after the fact?
Well, it won’t do you any good for at least three or four months. But if you
chart your BBT for three or four months, you might notice a definite pattern
of when you ovulate every cycle. And then you might be able to predict with
great accuracy when you will ovulate the next month. If that’s the case then
you’ll be all set to plan your sexual intercourse to conceive either a boy or a
girl.
Of course, if you’re cycles aren’t somewhat regular then you may find that
this method is not for you. Again, that’s up to you to decide.
This method does work very well for some people so I would be wrong not
to include it here. And please don’t automatically think that you shouldn’t do
it. Taking your BBT could very well be a perfect way to determine when you
ovulate and you should definitely consider giving this technique a try.
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The Mucus in the Cervix
You have probably noticed that during your monthly cycle there are changes
in your cervix mucus. The moisture that you sometimes feel is your cervical
mucus and the amount of mucus is relative to where you are in you are in
your cycle.
Observing your mucus helps in aiding or avoiding conception and is said to
be 98.5% accurate in determining a women fertile or infertile times in a
monthly cycle.
It is also important to note that outside influences such as stress, travel,
dieting and medication can affect your mucus.
Depending on what stage you are in your cycle your mucus will be different
colors, textures or not present.
How can you observe your mucus?
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There are three ways to do this:
1. Toilet paper- observe your mucus after wiping
2. Externally- with your fingers by feeling for mucus in the opening area of your
vagina
3. Internally- by checking the mucus from your cervix by inserting your index
and third finger into the vagina and sweeping the cervix
Between your thumb and index finger press them together and stretch the
mucus and take note of what it does (this can be done in your basal
temperature and cervix mucus chart).
Some things to look out for:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Does it stretch?
Is it tacky?
Is it slippery?
Is it clear, yellow or cloudy?
The below details the types of mucus and what it means in relation to your
cycle.
Infertile:
After your period is finished you will notice that there is no mucus meaning
that you are dry, this can last for a few days. This is your stage of infertility;
if you do notice mucus it will be sticky and come out in a blob and will not
stretch or move if pressed in between your fingers.
Slightly fertile:
After your stage of infertile mucus, you will experience slightly fertile mucus
and is in response to high levels of estrogen. Mucus at this time will feel
sticky, damp, more in quantity and only allows a slight chance of
contraception as sperm finds it hard to move through the mucus. Mucus may
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also be yellow or white and if put between your fingers and will not stretch
or move much.
Fertile:
Fertile mucus usually signals the impending arrival of ovulation. If you are
hoping to avoid contraception at this time (e.g. you are wanting a boy) avoid
unprotected sex. Your mucus should change to a wet, slippery and watery
state and is likely to be clear with a possible cloudy/ white color to it.
Highly Fertile or Egg White Mucus:
This is the time when you will notice what is called Egg White Mucus (EWM).
EWM is stringy and it will appear in smaller amounts in a watery mucus state.
Not all women experience EWM, however, Evening Primrose Oil can increase
this. If you put EWM between your fingers, you will notice that it stretches
and will keep its shape. Sperm can easily swim through this and creates an
ideal environment for sperm to reach the egg.
Keeping track of your mucus along with keeping your BBT will nearly
guarantee an accurate prediction of ovulation.
But the mucus alone is a good indicator too. And it’s actually very easy to
keep track of.
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Staying in Touch with Your Feelings
Nature has a very funny way of making sure that all living things procreate.
And human beings are not left out by nature and the grand plan to ensure
life continues. That’s why your body acts in certain ways before you ovulate
and while you’re ovulating.
Wonder what I’m talking about?
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Well, for one thing, many women feel the need to have sex just before and
while they are ovulating. Some women feel very aroused around this time.
Of course the degree to which each woman is drawn to have sex varies but
it almost always increases around the time of ovulation.
This is nature’s way of ensuring human’s continue to have babies. If you can
recognize when this happens to you then you will know when you’re
ovulating. All you have to do is stay in tune with your sexual desires and
urges.
There are other clues that will help you know you’re ovulating too.
About one in five women (twenty percent) can actually feel it in their
abdomen when they are about to ovulate. Some women describe it as a
twinge, discomfort or slightly painful and is similar to very light menstrual
cramps.
However it’s described, what the women are feeling is actually the ovary
releasing the egg. So this is a sure sign of ovulation.
But regardless of exactly how it feels, try to pay attention to your own
feelings and find out if you’re with the approximate twenty percent of
women who are able to know they’re about to ovulate. If you are then trying
to conceive a certain gender will be a lot easier.
Another change that occurs within a woman’s body happens to the cervix.
The cervix actually opens up and prepares a pathway to make it easier for
sperm to travel up to the egg. Of course the change is minimal but some
women can actually feel it happening.
You can also tell when the change is occurring by checking your cervix (with
one or two fingers) every single day. Keep track of what is happening with
your cervix.
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Just after your period you’ll notice that your cervix is hard, closed, and low.
As you get closer to ovulation you will then notice that the cervix gets a little
higher, a little softer, and opens up a small amount. When these changes
occur then you are about to ovulate.
While the position of your cervix may seem a little tough to monitor, if you
couple it with either your BBT, your cervical mucus or both then you can
really predict when you’ll ovulate with a great degree of accuracy.
A couple other signs some women experience when ovulating and/or just
before ovulating include tenderness of the breasts and an increased sense of
smell, vision, and taste.
Odds are fairly good that if you pay attention to your body, you’ll soon
discover that you can know with some level of certainty when you ovulate.
However, if you can’t (or even if you can but you’d like to be even more
certain) then you have one more option: You can use an ovulation predictor
kit (OPK).
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Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs)
Experts agree that the best way for you to track ovulation is to keep track of
your body signs yourself. However, if you need a little help or added certainty
then you may very well want to use an ovulation predictor kit.
One to two days before you ovulate your body experiences what is known as
an LH surge.
LH stands for Luteinizing Hormones. These hormones are always present in
a woman’s urine but they increase twenty-four to forty eight hours before
ovulation. In fact, it’s the LH surge that causes an increase in the amount of
estrogen, which in turn causes the egg to be released into the fallopian tubes.
Ovulation predictor kits can tell you when the LH surge occurs. This means
that when the ovulation kits pick-up an LH surge, ovulation will then occur
within twenty-four to thirty-six hours later.
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You will have to know roughly when you are mid-cycle so that you can begin
using the ovulation predictor kits. Of course you can test every single day
following your period but this can get be quite cumbersome and could be
expensive (depending which type of test you use). So, most women prefer to
begin testing a couple days before they expect to ovulate.
There are two different types of tests that you can use to predict when you
ovulate. One requires your urine and the other requires your saliva. The one
requiring your urine is the more common and the easier of the two tests to
use.
Unlike pregnancy tests, when you use the OPK that requires your urine you
don’t want to take the test first thing in the morning. LH is synthesized in
your body in the morning and usually won’t appear in your urine until the
afternoon. Therefore, the best time to test is between noon and eight o’clock
in the evening.
Regardless when you decide to take the test, you need to make sure you’re
taking the test at the same time each day. This will ensure that you’re getting
accurate results each and every day. Also, you want to limit the amount of
liquid you take in for at least four hours before you take the test. This will
help ensure your urine isn’t diluted to the point where your LH surge doesn’t
show up at all.
Taking the OPK that requires your urine is similar to taking a pregnancy test.
You will need to urinate on a stick and wait five minutes for the results and
check at exactly the five-minute mark. Reading the results are very easy, just
make sure to read the instructions carefully before taking the test.
With the urine tests you only know when you are about to ovulate (about a
day away) or already ovulating. Therefore, the urine tests only work the best
when you’re trying to conceive a boy.
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The other type of ovulation predictor kit requires you to use your saliva.
These kits contain a microscope that will allow you to analyze a drop of your
saliva to see if you are ovulating or not.
For this test, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. You never want to do
it just after eating, drinking, smoking, or having anything else in your mouth.
All you have to do is place a drop of your saliva on a slide and then wait for
it to dry. (It takes about five minutes for the saliva to dry.)
Then look at the sample under the microscope that was provided with the
kit. You will be able to tell your ovulation cycle by analyzing the saliva sample.
Again it is important to read the instructions carefully so an accurate result
can be given.
While the saliva kits are more expensive initially and while the results are a
little bit more difficult to analyze, there are many more advantages to using
these tests.
First of all, if you plan on testing often then these kits can be used for up to
a year. So although the initial cost is more, you’ll actually end up saving
money because it’s a one-time cost.
Also, these saliva kits aren’t as messy as the urine kits and they can be used
anywhere at pretty much anytime.
The final advantage is that the saliva test is more accurate in displaying when
you are a few days from ovulation. This will help you try to conceive a girl.
One word of warning about the ovulation test kits: Not every woman is able
to get accurate results from them. There are many women who can’t get
accurate results for any number of reasons.
The two main reasons why the ovulation predictor tests don’t work is
because of medication and because of irregular cycles. If you think a
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medication you’re taking might interfere with accurate results (many fertility
drugs and some prescription drugs do interfere) then you should consult
your doctor or a pharmacist.
As with the other methods of determining when you ovulate, using the
ovulation predictor kits with one or more other methods (as discussed
earlier) to determine when you ovulate is the most effective means to
determine when you ovulate.
Consulting a doctor is also recommended to assist in predicting your
ovulation cycle.
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How to Calculate Your Ovulation Date
For practically all women, this is around the time that you ovulate. Figuring
out your ovulation date doesn’t take a whole lot of rocket science. We’ll
cover some of the ways that you can figure this out.
First of all, during ovulation, a mature egg is released from the ovarian
follicles into your uterus. If the egg is not fertilized within 12-24 hours after
it is released, it will begin to deteriorate within the fallopian tubes.
If the egg is fertilized, it will travel down the fallopian tubes and implant itself
in the uterine wall. This is when you are considered to be pregnant.
Trying to get pregnant can be really frustrating, especially if you don’t
understand your monthly cycle. For this reason, it is important to know what
your body is doing so that you can schedule intercourse when you are most
fertile.
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As you learn how your body works and know when your ovulation date is,
you will have a better chance of getting pregnant.
The calendar method is a pretty common way of figuring out your ovulation
schedule. This is used by counting the amount of days in your monthly cycle.
Most women will ovulate between days 12 and 16. To figure out the best
time to get pregnant using this method would be to count back 12 to 16 days
from your next expected period.
This method can be rather faulty though because all women aren’t the same
and don’t have the same length of ovulation cycles. For this reason, you will
want to use another method in addition to the calendar method.
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You can also gage how much cervical mucus you have and how it changes.
When you are most fertile, you will recognize that you will have more mucus
and it will be thinner.
The thinner mucus helps the sperm travel to its destination. When you are
most fertile, your mucus will be slippery and clear.
To collect a sample of mucus, you can simply insert your finger in your vagina.
You should wash your hands before doing this.
Another way to figure out your ovulation date is to take your basal body
temperature. If your basal body temperature increases anywhere between
0.5 and 1.6 degrees, you will be ovulating soon.
To get a reading that specific, you will need a good thermometer or a basal
thermometer. You may want to create a chart of your temperatures over the
course of a couple of months to learn how your body is working.
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How to Make Your Own Ovulation Chart
An ovulation chart is an important tool to use to understand your monthly
cycle. This will help you make sure you know when to try to conceive.
You can find a variety of charts online or in stores, but they are actually pretty
easy to create on your own. This article is designed to help you make your
own in the comfort of your own home.
First of all, if you want to get pregnant, it is important to know your body.
The average monthly cycle for women lasts 28 days.
This means she will start her period on day one, usually ovulate on day 14
and be ready to start a whole new cycle on day one again. A normal cycle
length can be anywhere between 23 days to 35.
As a rule of thumb, most women will ovulate 14 days before her next
menstrual cycle. Since I have a longer cycle, usually lasting between 33-35
days, I will ovulate later (between days 19-21).
The egg only survives 12 to 21 hours after it has been released from the
ovary. Sperm can live in a woman’s body up to 2 to 3 days.
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To be able to track your most fertile days, it is essential to have an ovulation
chart.
It is really easy to make ovulation charts. If you only want to keep track of
your monthly cycle and are extremely regular, you are more than welcome
to just use a calendar.
If you want to create a graph-like chart, you may want a piece of graph paper
to help you make columns. You will first want to make a column for the days
that you have your menstrual cycle.
Day 1 will be the day you start bleeding. The last day of your cycle is the day
before you start bleeding again.
Next, you will use the lines going horizontally to track your basal
temperature. You may want to purchase a basal thermometer to do this.
Make sure you are checking your temperature before you get out of bed.
This is your ultimate resting temperature.
At the bottom of your chart, you should also create horizontal lines to track
cervical mucus. Right before your period you will normally have some light
discharge.
Just right before ovulation, your cervical mucus will thin. You may also want
to keep track of how you are feeling, such as breast tenderness, moodswings, restlessness, etc.).
It is also important to keep track of emotions you are feeling because that
could alter your cycle length. For example, if I have a bought of depression,
my cycle usually lasts 35 days instead of 33.
By pulling in all these methods of determining ovulation through an
ovulation chart, you will be able to figure out what days are the most fertile
for you. Hopefully, you can use this tool to help you achieve your goals.
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PART FOUR
Bringing it All Together
So now you’ve learned about what it takes to conceive a child of the gender
of your choice. You also know about the differences between male and
female sperm and how you can use the differences to your advantage in
order to influence gender.
We will review everything that you’ve learned in just a few pages. However,
before we wrap things up, we should discuss a few other factors that
influence the gender of your children.
Unfortunately you cannot influence these factors. However, knowing about
them is still important. And probably the most important reason to know
about them is because a lot of these factors actually serve as evidence for
proving what we’ve already discussed in this book.
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Other Factors Influencing Gender
There are choices in life we all make that affect what type of gender can and
will be conceived by us. Certain occupations and hobbies can actually lead a
person to be more likely to conceive a certain gender.
Also, other life factors and life choices figure into the equation – factors such
as age and ‘artificial’ methods of getting pregnant.
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Occupations / Hobbies Affect Gender
Men who fly a lot, deep-sea dive and work around toxic chemicals or have
been exposed to toxic chemicals have more girls than boys.
Of course this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to conceive a child of the
gender of your choice. Using the three methods already discussed could very
well overcome these factors.
But what does flying and deep sea diving and toxins have to do with
determining the gender of your child?
All the factors described above put a certain amount of stress and strain on
the body. This affects the male sperm directly as it is more susceptible and
weak compared to the female sperm.
It’s the female sperm that are tougher and able to survive, which is why more
girls are born to people who fall into one or more of these categories.
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Age
The fact is, that men can go on fathering children into their 50s, 60s and 70s.
Just take a look at Bruce Willis, Hugh Grant, Michael Douglas and Paul
McCartney.
There's quite a bit of literature and information which indicates that a
woman's fertility and egg quality changes and deteriorates as she ages. This
is probably where the phase "my biological clock is ticking" comes from. Only
recently have there been similar studies on the quality of a man's sperm as
he ages.
There have been studies which indicate that, much like a woman's egg, the
quality of a man's sperm lessens as he ages. In other words, like women, men
who are older have a greater chance for fertility issues and genetic issues.
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Younger men have a higher sperm count than older men. Similarly, younger
women have a friendlier environment in their cervix to welcome sperm.
So, before you read ahead: Guess which gender younger people tend to
conceive?
If you guessed boys then you got it right.
Why?
Since there is a higher sperm count, there are more male sperm that are
around to fertilize the egg. Also, with the friendlier environment the male
sperm are able to survive. When given an equal chance to fertilize the egg,
the male sperm will almost always win.
So, if you and/or your partner are not young anymore, you might be at a
slight disadvantage to try to conceive the gender of choice.
However, do not despair. Again, if you follow the three methods listed in this
book, you can easily turn the odds back into your favor.
It should also be mentioned here that men with a lower sperm count tend to
have more girls than boys. That’s because the male sperm are the first to die
because of how fragile they are.
Once again, if your partner has a low sperm count, recognize that the odds
are not in your favor but you can shift the odds back to your side.
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Known Sperm Killers
The chances of having a successful conception also lie within the quality and
quantity of the sperm being produced. The following are some of the things
that you need to take into consideration if you’re looking to improve both
the quality and the quantity of your partner’s sperm count and quality.
Though the following does not sway the odds to a particular gender, it does
however increases the likelihood of a successful conception. An important
first step you must take in realizing your ultimate goal of having a baby of a
gender of your choice.
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Overheating
There is a grain of truth in the myth about hot tubs preventing pregnancy.
‘Wet heat’ isn’t good for the testes and according to a study published in
2007, even 30 minutes in a Jacuzzi or hot tub can temporarily decrease sperm
production. Findings from a three-year study support current advice that
men should avoid 'overheating' their sperm.
Sperm counts in five of 11 men with fertility problems soared by 491% after
they stopped having baths or using the hot tub for a few months.
The researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, said
although it had been believed for decades that 'wet heat' could damage
fertility, there had been very little research.
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Men attending a fertility clinic who were exposed to more than 30 minutes
per week of 'wet heat' through hot baths, Jacuzzis or hot tubs, were recruited
to the study.
After three to six months of staying out of the bath, just under half the men
showed dramatic five-fold improvement in sperm count. Sperm motility
increased from 12% to 34% in the men who responded to cutting out baths.
Five of the six men who showed no improvement were chronic smokers,
which the researchers said could have influenced the lack of response.
Sperm are known to develop best in cool surroundings which is why the
testicles are situated outside the man's body within the scrotum.
Study leader, Dr Paul Turek, director of the UCSF Male Reproductive
Health Center said, "These activities can be comfortably added to that list of
lifestyle recommendations and 'things to avoid' as men attempt to
conceive."
He added that if men could improve their fertility through avoiding hot baths,
couples may be able to avoid IVF or choose less invasive treatment.
"Couples really prefer having kids at home and not with technology. This is a
way to help them do that."
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According to Dr. Turek, the only other published study looking at the link
between hot baths and fertility was done in 1965.
After exposing men to 'wet heat' for 30 minutes on alternating days,
researchers found a temporary decline in sperm production but did not look
at sperm quality before and after the study.
Dr. Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield said
it seemed intuitive that hot baths could contribute to reduced numbers of
sperm but it was unclear whether it actually contributed to fertility.
"Ideally, this study needs to be repeated with a much larger number of
patients, and with a clearly defined control group, before we can be certain
that hot baths are a genuine risk factor for male sub-fertility.
"Changes in sperm quality are one thing, but it is pregnancies that matter.
However, it would do no harm for men who are concerned about their
fertility to take a shower instead of a bath."
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Fevers
"When I know that a man hasn’t been in a hot tub, smoking dope, or wearing
bicycle pants, and that the collection technique for his semen analysis was
good, my first question is, 'Were you sick three months ago?'" says Kurt
Wharton, MD, a San Francisco ob-gyn specializing in infertility. Often, he
says, these men will acknowledge a recent virus.
A high fever can have the same effect as ‘wet heat’ on a man’s sperm—with
the same lasting effects. And depending on the timing in the sperm
production process, sperm concentration can decrease by up to 35%
following a fever, according to a 2003 study.
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Laptops
Using a laptop computer as the name suggests may not be good for male
reproductive health, according to a study. There is little that can be done
about it, aside from using the laptop on a desk.
In a recent study, thermometers were used to measure the temperature of
the scrotums of 29 young men balancing a laptop on their knees. Even with
a lap pad under the computer, the men's scrotums overheated quickly.
Within 10 or 15 minutes their scrotal temperature is already above what we
consider safe, but they don't feel it. According to the American Urological
Association, nearly one in six couples in the United States have trouble
conceiving. About half the time this is due to male infertility, and that
millions of men are using laptops now, especially those in the reproductive
age range.
Under normal circumstances, the position of the testicles outside the body
keeps them a few degrees cooler than the inside of the body, which is
necessary for sperm production.
No studies have yet researched how laptops affect male fertility and there is
no strong evidence that it would. But earlier research has showed that
warming the scrotum even more than one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees
Fahrenheit) is enough to damage sperm.
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Though both general health and lifestyle factors such as nutrition and drug
use can affect reproductive health, holding a laptop on the knees, though,
requires keeping the legs still and closed. After one hour in this position, the
researchers found that the men's testicle temperature had risen by up to 2.5
C.
A lap pad kept the computer cool and meant that less heat was transmitted
to the skin, but be warned it didn't do much to cool the testicles and might
give a false sense of security.
This is not to say that if someone starts to use laptops they will become
infertile, but frequent use might contribute to reproductive problems
because the scrotum doesn't have time to cool down.
When the men sat with their legs spread wide -- made possible only by
placing the computer on a large lap pad -- they could keep their testicles
cooler. But it still took less than 30 minutes before they began overheating.
So no matter what you do, even with the legs spread wide apart, the
temperature is still going to be higher than what we call safe.
Can a laptop computer really affect a man’s ability to reproduce? According
to researchers at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, there is a
direct correlation between laptop use and increased scrotum temperature—
up to 35˚ in certain positions!
This increase has a well-documented harmful effect on spermatogenesis (the
process of male gamete formation), so if you’re trying to conceive, leave the
laptop on the desk.
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Varicose Veins
Approximately 15% of men have varicoceles, or enlarged varicose veins in
the scrotum, usually in the left testicle. When a man is experiencing a low
sperm count, doctors may recommend varicocele repair, a procedure that
repairs enlarged varicose veins in the scrotum surgically or via percutaneous
embolization, a nonsurgical procedure using a catheter.
Though it’s not clear, a varicocele may interfere with sperm production by
interrupting blood flow, overheating the scrotum, or causing blood to back
up in the veins supplying the testes. Though there is little proof that fertility
improves after varicocele embolization, some doctors believe
the surgery may improve semen quality.
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Cell Phones
Phones Carried on Belt or in Pants Pocket May Harm Reproductive Health
Although most scientific and public attention on the issue of the safety of
cell phone radiation has focused on evidence suggesting an increased risk
of brain tumors, a little-noticed but growing body of research points to a new
concern – sperm damage.
In a comprehensive review of the published scientific literature, the
Environmental Working Group found 10 human studies that have identified
a startling variety of changes in sperm exposed to cell phone radiation. In the
most striking findings, men who carried their phones in a pocket or on the
belt were more likely to have lower sperm counts and/or more inactive or
less mobile sperm.
Collectively, the research indicates that exposure to cell phone radiation may
lead to decreases in sperm count, sperm motility and vitality, as well as
increases in indicators of sperm damage such as higher levels of reactive
oxygen species (chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen), oxidative
stress, DNA damage and changes in sperm morphology.
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Many men who talk on a cell phone using a Bluetooth device or other
headset keep the phone in a pants pocket or clipped to a holster. This
exposes their reproductive organs to cell phone radiation, and several
studies have found lower sperm count and/or poorer sperm quality in men
who use their phones this way than in those who do not.
Scientists have yet to identify a mechanism by which cell phone use might
cause such effects. However, the research appears to rule out the possibility
that the changes are caused by simple heating, which is considered to be a
possible source of some radiofrequency radiation-related health problems.
The findings are particularly significant in light of the fact that infertility
affects approximately 15 percent of couples of reproductive age, and nearly
half of these cases are linked to male fertility. The number and consistency
of the findings raise the possibility that cell phone radiation could be
contributing to this significant public health problem and demand further
investigation.
Studies linking cell phone exposure to harmful effects on sperm have been
done in the United States, Australia, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Turkey and
South Africa, using diverse methodologies. In some, scientists compared
sperm counts and sperm health in men who wore cell phones on the hip with
those who carried them elsewhere on the body or did not use cell phones at
all. In others, researchers exposed sperm to cell phone radiation under
laboratory conditions. In still others, scientists examined whether there was
a correlation between sperm health and the intensity of cell phone use
among men undergoing evaluation for infertility.
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Among the findings:

Men who carried a phone in a hip pocket or on the belt had 11 percent fewer
mobile sperm than men who kept a phone elsewhere on the body.

Men who carried a cell phone on the belt and used it intensively during a
five-day test period had a 19 percent drop in highly motile sperm from their
previous levels.

Men who talked on the phone for more than an hour a day had 17 percent
fewer highly motile sperm than men who talked less than 15 minutes a day.
Laboratory studies on the effects of cell phone radiation on rats, rabbits and
other animals have found similar effects on reproductive health.
All these studies found statistically significant correlations between cell
phone radiation and sperm health, and many found that the adverse changes
increased with the amount of radiation exposure. Opinions differ as to the
possible mechanism by which cell phone radiation might produce these
changes.
Given the backdrop of increasing infertility rates, the research findings
should be a wake-up call to male cell phone users who are trying to have
children or may want to in the future.
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Even as scientists continue to gather new data on health risks from cell
phone radiation, the findings underscore that we all should practice simple,
precautionary safe-cell-phone-use habits, such as keeping the phone away
from the body, in order to protect their health and fertility. Men, in
particular, should avoid carrying a cell phone on the belt or in a pants pocket
when in use.
Cell Phone facts
 Men who carried a phone in a hip pocket or on the belt had 11 percent fewer
mobile sperm than men who kept a phone elsewhere on the body.
 Men who carried a cell phone on the belt and used it intensively during a
five-day test period had a 19 percent drop in highly motile sperm from their
previous levels.
 Men who talked on the phone for more than an hour a day had 17 percent
fewer highly motile sperm than men who talked less than 15 minutes a day.
Using a Bluetooth device or other headset may actually make things worse
because you’re likely to keep your device on your belt or in your pocket while
using the phone. This means that although the head is not exposed to
radiation when the phone is in use, the sperm are being constantly
exposed. According to the EWG report, several studies have found lower
sperm count and poorer sperm quality in men who use Bluetooth devices or
headsets compared to men who put their phones to their ears.
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Men just need to take simple precautions to reduce potential harm from cell
phone use.
 Men can carry their cell phones in their pockets if they keep them turned off,
and turn the phone on periodically to check for messages.
 Men should always remove their cell phone from their pockets when making
a call using a Bluetooth or headset as most electromagnetic radiation is
emitted from the phone when talking on the phone.
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What About Women's Health?
There are no published studies examining the effect of cell phone radiation
on reproductive health in women. Such studies are much more difficult to
carry out, since they often require invasive techniques. However, several
recent articles suggested that cell phone radiation might be harmful to the
developing fetus.
For example, a 2009 study in Turkey found that after pregnant rats were
exposed to cell phone radiation for 15 minutes twice a day during the entire
gestation period, their female pups had fewer ovarian follicles. A 2012 study
by researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine found that mice
exposed to cell phone radiation during gestation were hyperactive and had
impaired memory.
There have been similar findings in two human studies. UCLA researchers
reported that cell phone exposure during pregnancy and after birth was
associated with behavioral problems in young children. This line of research
is just beginning, but a recent review article emphasized that cell phone
radiation might impact reproduction and development in both men and
women
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Obesity
Male obesity in reproductive-age men has nearly tripled in the past 30 y and
coincides with an increase in male infertility worldwide. There is now
emerging evidence that male obesity impacts negatively on male
reproductive potential not only reducing sperm quality, but in particular
altering the physical and molecular structure of germ cells in the testes and
ultimately mature sperm.
Recent data has shown that male obesity also impairs offspring metabolic
and reproductive health suggesting that paternal health cues are transmitted
to the next generation with the mediator mostly likely occurring via the
sperm. Interestingly the molecular profile of germ cells in the testes and
sperm from obese males is altered with changes to epigenetic modifiers.
The increasing prevalence of male obesity calls for better public health
awareness at the time of conception, with a better understanding of the
molecular mechanism involved during spermatogenesis required along with
the potential of interventions in reversing these deleterious effects.
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Young men who are obese may have a lower sperm count than their normalweight counterparts, a new study suggests.
The findings, reported in the journal Fertility and Sterility, add to evidence
tying obesity to relatively poorer quality sperm.
A number of recent studies have found that compared with leaner men,
obese men tend to have lower sperm counts, fewer rapidly mobile sperm
and fewer progressively motile sperm, which refers to sperm that swim
forward in a straight line rather than moving about aimlessly.
But age is a "confounding" factor in examining the relationship between
obesity and sperm quality. Older men tend to have lower sperm quality than
younger men, and they also tend to have more body fat.
However, among the more than 2,000 men in the current study, obese men
between the ages of 20 and 30 generally had a lower sperm count than
normal-weight men in the same age group.
What all of this might mean for an obese younger man's chances of becoming
a father is unclear. Studies have so far come to conflicting conclusions as to
whether obesity actually impairs a man's fertility.
And these latest findings do not reveal whether the difference in sperm
count between obese and normal-weight men would be enough to also
make a difference in their fertility, according to lead researcher Dr. Uwe
Paasch, of the University of Leipzig in Germany.
For their study, Paasch and his colleagues used information from a database
on men who had come to their fertility clinic for a semen analysis between
1999 and 2005. The 2,157 men included in the study were 30 years old, on
average, and had no known infertility problems.
Overall, obese men had a relatively lower average sperm count than normalweight men, but were still within what's considered the normal range. That
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range is between 20 and 150 million per milliliter of semen, according to the
National Institutes of Health.
In an email, Paasch told Reuters Health that "we do not know in detail"
whether the difference in sperm count between obese and lean men would
affect their fertility. But, he added that the relationship between weight and
sperm count offers young men another reason to try to maintain a normal
weight.
It is not entirely clear why obesity is related to sperm quality. Some studies
have found that obese men tend to have altered levels of testosterone and
other reproductive hormones compared with thinner men. In this study,
though, hormone levels correlated with age, but not with body weight.
In other research, Paasch noted, he and his colleagues have found that high
levels of body fat are associated with changes in the collection of proteins
that allow sperm to survive and function.
The current study had a number of limitations, including the fact that the
men were patients at a fertility clinic rather than a sample from the general
population.
The researchers also point out that weight categories were based on body
mass index, or BMI, a measure of weight in relation to height. The problem
is that BMI does not precisely reflect a person's level of body fat.
Other studies have suggested that body fat, and abdominal fat in particular,
is more closely related to sex-hormone levels than is BMI.
"Obesity has been associated with increased production of female
hormones (estrogen), decreased sperm counts, sexual dysfunction,
and infertility," says Daniel A. Potter, MD, of the Huntington Reproductive
Center in California, who is a fellow of the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
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Compared to normal and overweight men, obese fertile men have reduced
testicular function and significantly lower sperm counts, according to a 2009
study by the World Health Organization.
While it is becoming clearer that male obesity has negative impacts on
fertility, sperm function and long-term impacts on the health burden of the
offspring, it is equally clear that simple interventions such as changes to diet
and/or exercise can reverse both the disease state and the offspring
outcomes. There is emerging evidence that intake of selenium enriched
probiotics by obese rodents improves both their metabolic health and
fertility measures (sperm count and motility).
To date there is little information about the impact of diet/exercise
intervention in obese men with regard to semen parameters in the human.
The largest study to date examined 43 obese men during a 14 week
residential weight loss program and demonstrated significant improvements
to both total sperm count and sperm morphology in men who lost the
greatest amounts of weight.
However, a recent case report of three patients who underwent bariatric
surgery to achieve drastic weight loss demonstrated that sperm parameters
worsened. These parameters remained poorer two months post-surgery in
all patients and only one patient had minimal improvements after two years.
However, the impact of nutritional deficiencies that might persist even after
surgical intervention, and metabolic health of these men were not studied.
The full potential of diet and exercise interventions to restore the fertility of
obese men and improve embryo and offspring outcomes are yet to be fully
characterized.
Bottom line: Although obesity does appear to reduce sperm count, only
extreme levels of obesity may negatively influence male reproductive
potential, according to a 2009 study.
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Alcohol
Alcohol affects reproduction in both men and women in a number of ways.
The more you drink, the greater the effect it can have on your fertility – that
applies to men and women.
While many of alcohol’s effects on reproduction are temporary, continuing
to regularly drink over the government’s daily unit guidelines can lead to
serious infertility problems. And the drinking you do in your late teens and
early twenties can affect your fertility later in life. So, if you’re thinking of
starting a family it’s time to keep an eye on what you’re drinking.
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Drinking Can Make a Woman Less fertile
Alcohol can affect men’s and women’s reproductive systems, and damage
fertility. For women it causes imbalances in the hormonal system that
controls reproduction. Even small amounts of alcohol can affect a woman’s
menstrual cycle and reduce the chance of conceiving. Long-term heavy
drinking can cause women to have irregular periods or stop ovulating.
Periods can stop altogether or they can have an early menopause. Heavy
drinkers who do become pregnant are more likely to have a miscarriage.
Although alcohol can inhibit fertility, it is certainly not a form of
contraception: drunken one-night stands can and do lead to unwanted
pregnancies. ‘Binge’ drinking (consuming eight or more units in a single
session for men and six or more for women) may also increase the likelihood
of having unprotected sex and getting sexually transmitted infections
including Chlamydia, which in turn can cause infertility.
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Alcohol affects male fertility too
It’s not just women who need to worry about alcohol and fertility. Alcohol
can reduce a man’s testosterone levels, leading to loss of libido. It can also
damage the quality, structure and movement of sperm by stopping the liver
from properly metabolizing vitamin A, which is needed for sperm
development.
Alcohol is toxic to the testes. This can harm sperm when they’re produced
and stop them developing properly or reaching the egg.
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The healthiest option is not to drink when you’re trying to
conceive
This is why official advice issued via the Department of Health is that women
trying to conceive should avoid alcohol altogether.
If a woman trying to conceive does choose to drink, the government’s advice
is not to have more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week
(two units is the equivalent to a 175 ml glass of wine), and not to get drunk.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is the
independent organization responsible for providing national guidance on
promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health. NICE
additionally advises that the risks of miscarriage in the first three months of
pregnancy mean that it is particularly important for women not to drink
alcohol at all during that period.
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Heavy drinking now can affect fertility later
Many of alcohol’s effects on reproduction are temporary, and the
reproductive system will return to normal when you stop drinking. But
continuing to regularly drink over the government’s daily unit guidelines can
lead to serious infertility problems for both men and women. This includes
heavy drinking in your late teens and early twenties.
In men, excessive long-term alcohol consumption can result in testosterone
deficiency and shrink the testicles. This can lead to impotence, sterility,
growth of breasts, loss of facial and body hair, and growth around the hips.
Women who drink heavily may stop having periods or have an early
menopause. Heavy drinkers who do become pregnant are more likely to
have a miscarriage.
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Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and other health
problems
If you drink alcohol when you’re pregnant, it passes to your unborn baby
across the placenta to the foetus via the bloodstream. Your unborn baby’s
liver isn’t fully formed, so it can’t metabolize (break down) the alcohol
quickly enough. At this stage, the baby has a high blood alcohol
concentration. It therefore lacks oxygen and the nutrients needed for its
brain and organs to grow properly. This can affect a baby’s development,
leading to facial deformities, poor memory or a short attention span and
mental health problems, such as alcohol or drug addiction. Problems like
these are called Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), an umbrella term
for life-long alcohol-related conditions caused by alcohol exposure before
birth (4).
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Miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and small birth weight are other
conditions associated with a mother’s binge drinking – consuming more than
six units on one occasion. Drinking between one and five drinks a week can
reduce your chances of conceiving. Heavy drinking (10 drinks or more)
decreases the likelihood of conception further still.
Tips and advice
Here are a couple of ways to keep your drinking under control if you’re trying
for a baby.
1. Start slowly. If you are trying to conceive, try cutting down your units
gradually. Start off by reducing your drinking each day, and then try having a
few alcohol-free days a week.
2. Get support. Ask your partner to help you by cutting down their drinking
as well. If you are trying to conceive this is vital, as drinking impairs sperm
count and heavy drinking can cause temporary impotence.
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Smoking
Smoking damages sperm, making them less likely to fertilize eggs -- and
making the embryos they do manage to create less likely to survive.
The finding comes from a study of sperm from 53 heavy smokers and 63
nonsmokers among male partners of couples seeking help for infertility.
Previous studies show that men who smoke are less fertile than men who
don't smoke. Now a research team led by Mohamad Eid Hammadeh, PhD,
professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of the Saarland,
Homburg/Saar, Germany, have learned why.
Human sperm cells carry two tiny, highly charged proteins called protamine
1 and protamine 2. Nature keeps them in a perfectly balanced one-to-one
relationship. But in smokers, Hammadeh and colleagues find, sperm cells
carry too little protamine 2. This imbalance makes them highly vulnerable to
DNA damage.
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"The DNA alphabet of these sperm has one or two letters missing. And this
cannot be repaired," Hammadeh tells WebMD. "When we inject these
damaged sperm into an egg cell, the sperm is not capable of fertilizing the
cell. And even if it does, the [miscarriage] rate is very high."
What appears to be happening is that smoking-damaged sperm lose much
of their ability to fight off destructive oxygen molecules -- free radicals -- in
the seminal fluid. Interestingly, in addition to making sperm cells more
sensitive to oxidative stress, smoking itself increases the concentration of
free radicals in the seminal fluid.
"Free radicals can cause sperm DNA fragmentation as well as issues with
sperm motility and fertilization," reproductive endocrinologist Adam Griffin,
MD, of the University of Rochester, N.Y., tells WebMD. Griffin was not
involved in the Hammadeh study.
In earlier work, Hammadeh and colleagues showed that men with fertility
problems have higher levels of free radicals than fertile men.
Both Hammadeh and Griffin advise men and women with fertility problems
to stop smoking.
"We tell couples seeking treatment for fertility to stop smoking at least three
months before we attempt in vitro fertilization, because sperm needs at least
that much time to be produced from germ cell to full sperm," Hammadeh
says.
Griffin notes that smoking also affects female fertility. And even if only one
member of a couple smokes, secondhand smoke tends to affect the fertility
of his or her partner.
Hammadeh and Griffin suggest that in addition to quitting smoking, couples
with fertility problems should take antioxidants supplements to reduce the
oxidative stress in their bodies.
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"I usually tell people there is no magic bullet as far as supplements are
concerned, but taking antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E can do no
harm and may provide some marginal benefit," Griffin says.
If your partner has plenty of sperm, smoking may or may not make a big
difference in his ability to help you get pregnant. But if his sperm is only
borderline quality, it can make a difference in helping you conceive. Either
way, since there are a ton of health risks associated with cigarettes, helping
him quit smoking now will be one of the smartest ideas and biggest gifts he
can give to both you and your soon-to-be-developing family.
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Tobacco and Alcohol Facts
 Tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana can impair sexual function. We recommend
that you limit or avoid all of these when trying to conceive.
 Alcohol abuse negatively affects semen quality and production, while
cigarette smoking impairs sperm’s motility.
 In addition to slowing sperm down, other studies show that cigarette
smoking can damage sperm DNA and increase erectile dysfunction.
 Marijuana isn’t safe either. Smoking pot has been shown to reduce sperm
count, sperm function, and overall male fertility.
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Reviewing What We’ve Learned
So now you have all the knowledge you need to go out and conceive either
a boy or a girl. However, you still need to realize that there will always is a
certain amount of chance involved when making a baby.
Remember that any child is a gift and in the end, boy or girl, the baby will still
be precious.
But with everything we know about how pregnancy occurs and everything
we know about sperm, you can dramatically tip the odds in your favor that
you’ll conceive a child of the gender of your choice.
So now let’s take a quick look at exactly what we’ve learned. Let’s look at
what you should do to conceive a boy and what you should do to conceive a
girl.
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To Conceive a Boy
Remember there are three main factors you can manipulate to conceive the
gender of your choice. These factors are what you eat, the positions you use
for sexual intercourse, and the timing of when you have intercourse.
To conceive a boy you should eat a diet rich in foods with potassium and
sodium. This includes things like fish, meat, chocolate, and salt.
You should begin this diet at least six weeks before you plan to conceive a
child.
To conceive a boy you should use sexual positions that allow the penis to
penetrate deep. You want to deposit the sperm as high up in the cervix as
possible. Three good sexual positions to use are “doggie style”, “spread
eagle”, and “astride position”. All three of these positions allow for deep
penetration.
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Also, you should try to achieve orgasms at the same time (the woman should
orgasm as the man ejaculates). If this is too difficult, the woman should at
least achieve orgasm during the sexual encounter to help the male sperm
survive.
Finally, to conceive a boy you want to have sexual intercourse as close to
ovulation as possible. You should have sex either the day before or the day
of ovulation. This gives the male sperm (faster but more fragile) the best
chance for fertilizing the egg first.
Remember we also discussed different ways you can tell when you ovulate.
The ways we discussed include Basal Body Temperature (BBT), keeping track
of your cervical mucus, and keeping track of the signs and signals that your
body gives.
We also discussed ovulation predictor kits (OPKs). These kits are very helpful
for conceiving a boy. This is because they’ll tell you when you are about to
ovulate or when you are ovulating. That’s the perfect time for having
intercourse when you want to conceive a boy. So the minute you get a
positive test result from the ovulation predictor kit, you can go right to the
bedroom and get started trying to conceive a boy.
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To Conceive a Girl
Again, the same three main factors influence whether or not you conceive a
girl: diet, sexual positions, and the timing of intercourse.
To conceive a girl you want to have a diet heavy with calcium and
magnesium. You want to eat foods like milk, cheese, nuts, beans, and cereals.
And you want to begin this diet at least six weeks before you plan to conceive
a baby.
Since we know that the female sperm are tougher and can survive longer,
you want to deposit the sperm as close to the mouth of the cervix as possible.
Therefore, you want to use sexual positions that don’t allow for deep
penetration with the penis.
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Two sexual positions that are good for shallow penetration are the
‘missionary position’ and the ‘spooning position.’
With the “missionary position” the man should try to pull out a little bit while
he ejaculates to make sure his penetration is not at all deep.
Remember it’s best to mistakenly pull out altogether than to ejaculate deep
into the cervix.
Unlike trying to conceive a boy, when trying to conceive a girl the woman
should not achieve an orgasm. This is because an orgasm would help the
male sperm survive.
Finally, to conceive a girl you want to plan your intercourse two to five days
before ovulation. This will give the slower female sperm time to swim up and
it will also give time for the more fragile sperm to die.
We discussed many methods for you to tell when you ovulate. One of the
methods we discussed are the use of ovulation predictor kits (OPKs).
Ovulation predictor kits are obviously easier to use when you want to
conceive a boy (especially when using the ones that require your urine).
However, they shouldn’t be completely discounted for trying to conceive a
girl. There are two ways you can have the OPKs be very helpful to you.
First of all, you can use the ovulation predictor kits to help you know when
it’s too late to have sex. You should have a decent idea of about when you
ovulate. So you can take the tests and if you aren’t close to ovulating then
you can go ahead and have sex since it would still be a good time to have a
girl.
Also, you can use the OPKs for a few months and chart when it is that you
ovulate. Hopefully you’ll be able to recognize a pattern so that you can more
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closely predict when you will ovulate in the future and then you can plan
your intercourse accordingly.
Of course you will want to use more methods than just the OPKs to help
predict when you will ovulate. This will help you be more certain about when
the time is right to have intercourse.
Of course it may take a little more work to plan to have a girl but don’t let
that discourage you in the least.
Remember too that ovulation predictor kits that use your saliva can also help
you predict when you are a few days away from ovulation.
So if you are sure about the results you’re reading then you can use the OPKs
to directly help you conceive a girl.
If you want to have a girl the odds are already in your favor. Because female
sperm are tougher, you’re automatically slightly more likely to have a girl
than a boy. So with a little planning you can really tip the scales of chance
into your favor.
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Some Final Words
Now you know everything you need to know to go and conceive a child that’s
the gender of your choice.
You know what you should eat, what positions you should use to have
intercourse, and when you should plan to have intercourse. You also know
plenty about how to tell when a good time to have intercourse is.
So you know everything you need to know.
In this last section we did discuss a few things that you can’t control that
might play a factor in the gender of your child (life factors, age, etc.). While
this might discourage you and make it seem like you shouldn’t even try to
conceive a child of the gender of your choice, it should do exactly the
opposite.
If you know that the odds are you’ll have a child that isn’t your preferred
gender then that’s all the more reason why you need to use the methods in
this book.
Also, if you’re serious about selecting your child’s gender then you’ve
probably heard about labs that will scientifically help you conceive a child of
your choice.
Well, I’m not here to tell you that you shouldn’t do that – it’s your choice –
but I will tell you that the process is very, very expensive and the results
aren’t much better than you will get with this book.
Everything in this book is proven to work. These methods have worked for
countless numbers of couples and these methods can work for you too.
With a little planning and a few changes of your habits, you can easily
increase the chances that you will have a child of the gender of your choice.
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I would wish you good luck but I honestly don’t think you need luck – the
three methods in this book are all you need.
So I will leave you by simply wishing you well, and I’d also like to congratulate
you on your upcoming pregnancy.
So be well and congratulations!
Recommended Related Courses:
The Getting Pregnant Plan
www.AboutGettingPregnant.com
Do you often ask yourself "Why can’t I get pregnant!?" I remember asking
myself this same question month after month. I thought I was doing
everything right, I tried relaxing more, not thinking about it so much,
exercised more, saw specialists and yet I wasn’t pregnant.
Each month would end in heartbreak; the tears would flood down no matter
how hard I tried to stop them, no matter how much I tried to be positive
about the new month ahead. I’d spend two weeks every month imagining
that every little twinge my body made was different to the last month, that
they were signs I was pregnant, that this month was my month… only to have
the month end in devastation.
Not one to give up easily and certainly not one to take someone’s word for
things, I set about digging up everything I could about getting pregnant.
What I discovered over the course of twelve months of research surprised
me, amazed me but most of all a lot of what I discovered angered me.
I was angry when I found out things I had been doing were working against
my goal of getting pregnant. I was angry after discovering that the hundreds
of dollars I’d paid a ‘specialist’ were for half-truths! But I’ll never forget the
day I found out something that absolutely sent me over the edge.
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Read More of Michelle’s Story Here & Stop Hoping You Fall Pregnant
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Pregnancy Using An Effective Natural Remedy! Safe for the Mother and the
Baby. The Guide Demonstrates Quick And Easy Acupressure Techniques That
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Drugs.
2. Sign Language for Babies and Beyond! Learn How To Communicate With
Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Speak Using American Sign Language!
Includes Video Of 250 Signs!
3. Personalized Baby Newspaper Business. How To Start Your Own
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