Conception is akin to playing roulette with the difference that the chances of achieving the desired result are higher. Until today, there is only one exact method for planning the sex of future offspring - in vitro fertilization. And that is not of any kind.
The cost of such a procedure is high and growing every year, and is it advisable to carry out such cunning and costly manipulations, if there is an opportunity to conceive on your own? The technique is indicated for couples who have problems with the natural onset of pregnancy.
The Internet and specialized publications, women's magazines are full of tips on how to plan sex. The vast majority of recommendations are divorced from reality and have nothing to do with the truth. However, there are ways, although they do not give a 100% guarantee. You can only increase the likelihood of the desired outcome.
What methods for gender planning of a child exist?
There are several ways:
- Accounting for the cyclic process in the body of a woman. Empirically, during observation and special, targeted studies, it was found that the ideal moment for conception is, in principle, on days 10 to 17. Plus or minus, depending on the individual characteristics of the body, the moment of onset of ovulation. At this time, the concentration of specific hormones of the female body reaches a peak, the egg leaves the ovary and is ready for fertilization. The duration of ovulation is 1-2 days on average. The peak of the process is an ideal moment for the fertilization of the egg and the conception of boys. Spermatozoa carrying the Y chromosome are more mobile, therefore they are more likely to fertilize the egg than the heavier X-sperm, which, when fertilized, forms a female embryo. It is important to correctly calculate the period of ovulation. It falls approximately at the middle of the cycle, but there is the likelihood of significant discrepancies in a few days.
To determine the time of onset of ovulation, one should not rely on subjective sensations like pains in the lower abdomen, nausea, vomiting, worsening of the general condition. These are unreliable signs. It is recommended to use special tests, also regularly measure basal temperature. As you approach the moment, the thermometer readings rise sharply. If possible, it is better to trace the pattern of temperature changes at the planning stage of conception. Any time when a woman is healthy is suitable for this.
- Choosing the right posture for sexual intercourse. Spermatozoa carrying the female chromosome are not so mobile, but women live much longer in the genital tract. Therefore, with insufficient penetration depth, if most of the germ cells carrying the Y chromosome die, the probability of conception of a boy will be minimal.
- As said in vitro fertilization also allows you to plan the gender of the unborn child. But, firstly, the technique is expensive, and secondly, harmful to the body of a woman to a greater extent than natural fertilization. There is a hormonal malfunction, it is likely that pregnancy will occur with complications and after the birth of a child there will be difficulties with the repeated onset of pregnancy. Therefore, it is advisable to conduct IVF only if there is no other option and pregnancy without external assistance is impossible.
- The controversial method is diet. According to an established opinion, the consumption of dairy products, mainly a vegetarian diet with a minimum amount of meat and animal fat, protein leads to the conception of a girl. The consumption of meat, foods rich in potassium, calcium and sodium increases the likelihood of a boy becoming pregnant. At the same time, you need to adhere to a diet for 1-2 months. There are no reliable data on the effect of nutrition on the sex of the child. However, a reasonable change in diet will certainly not be superfluous. We can consider measures to correct the menu as a way to improve the body, a measure to ensure the health of future offspring.
What methods are not scientifically proven and do not give results?
There is a group of folk methods that have a pseudoscientific basis:
- Testicular cooling before intercourse. In practice, there is no sense in such an event. Changing the temperature of the testicles will provoke a spasm of the small ducts that provide the ejection of the seed, so there is a high probability of a decrease in the number of sperm. This will affect the overall probability of conception in a negative direction.
- There is also the exact opposite recommendation for heating the testicles. There is no practical sense from this recommendation either. An increase in temperature does not affect the quality of the seed, its rate of release.
Numerological and other methods are not taken into account, because they are unscientific and cannot be confirmed or disproved. As well as prayers, conspiracies, other "grandmother" methods. It is not forbidden to resort to such ways if there is a desire. But seriously counting on a positive effect does not make sense.
Methods based on Asian calendars (Japanese and Chinese) are more than controversial. Using them is also not prohibited, but there are no guarantees.
What is the result?
When planning a child’s gender, only scientific data should be considered. That is, the features of ovulation, the menstrual cycle, also a pose for conceiving a child. Other unscientific ways can be applied at will, if there is a belief in their effectiveness. The main thing is that they are safe. So, it is impossible to strictly limit the diet, you can not use folk herbal remedies, because the effect will be unpredictable, but definitely not the same as expected. In any case, natural conception is accompanied by a great deal of chance. Therefore, no method other than IVF will give guarantees, but this is a completely different topic.
Planning a child’s gender as such is not possible when it comes to natural pregnancy, conception without the help of doctors. The calculation of ovulation, accounting for these data, the choice of posture, these methods increase the likelihood of a positive result. But they do not provide an absolute guarantee.
