|
Choosing The Gender Of Your Baby
Some parents like to know the gender of their baby as soon as they can. Others rather be surprised while other couples actually try and choose the gender of their baby. Although it has not been totally proven, there is some evidence to suggest that timing is everything when it comes to conceiving and choosing your baby’s gender. The theory is that male sperm swim faster and die off faster than female sperm. Female sperm are slower but don’t die off as quick. So if for example, you want to try and have a girl, you should have intercourse a few days before you ovulate. This way the sperm will be there when the egg is released. If you’d like to have a boy, you should have intercourse as close to the day of ovulation as possible. This method of gender selection is referred to as The Shettles Method. It was developed in the late 80’s by Dr. LB Shettles. Besides the timing of intercourse, Shettles believes there are other factors that help to influence each gender. According to him, the ph of a woman’s vagina is important in the overall outcome. Cervical mucous that is acidic is more favorable of female sperm and alkaline cervical mucous is more favorable for male sperm. Also sexual position plays an important role. The more shallow penetration the more likelihood a girl will be produced. The deeper the penetration, the higher chance of it being a boy because it places the sperm closer to the cervix and egg, which helps the male sperm reach the egg faster. Although there is no real scientific facts based on the Shettles Method, many people choose to try it. Some claim there is more than a 75% success rate using this method. For those that suffer from infertility, the Shettles Method may not be a good route because it may take several months of trying to actually become pregnant.
There is another more controversial way to select the gender of your baby. It involves fertile couples going through in vitro fertilization. After the embryos are formed in the lab, some cells are extracted to determine the gender. Only the gender that is preferred is implanted back in the woman. This procedure was first developed to test for different types of genetic problems. It can cost almost $20,000 to have the procedure done.
Some people argue that any type of gender selection is like playing God and should not be done. Human life is a miracle. The journey form conception to birth is long and in between there can be so many problems and complications. Is it important to have the gender that you want or is it more important you have a healthy baby? Only you can decide.
|
