What Are Ways to Get Pregnant for a Specific Sex?

Updated on July 25, 2007
K. asks from Lake in the Hills, IL
13 answers

My friend is trying to get pregnant and she would like to try for a certain sex of the baby. She knows that it is not 100% but would like some ideas that other woman have tried and successfully had a boy or girl.

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

If she is dying for a certain gender perhaps she should adopt.

There are plenty of children out there, both male and female, who would love nothing more than to be in a stable, loving home.

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B.W.

answers from Chicago on

Tell her not to waste her time. There is no non-IVF way to determine the sex. A lab can extract a sperm, examine the genetic code to determine the sex and fertilize her egg, but that is expensive and usually only done when someone has a gender-specific disorder in their family.

Not to be snippy, but I have to agree with the other person that your friend should be happy with any healthy child. To those of us who have struggled with infertility this type of requests for a specific gender are maddening.

4 moms found this helpful
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S.

answers from Chicago on

not to be mean but having a baby is the coolest thing in the world and your friend should be happy with what god gives her whether is be a boy or girl. Why mess with something like that?

3 moms found this helpful
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N.S.

answers from Chicago on

Woe, this is a heated question as I see. I would tend to agree though with all those of us who have just merely struggled to have one healthy child. Even without struggling, it sounds like she needs to get her priorities straight. Every child born is a greater blessing than can be expressed in words, let alone a healthy one without problems. She is outright being shallow. Please kindly tell her to grow up.
In regard to her silly request, there are plenty of books out there that she can read and then hope for the best, including that whatever gender she wants ends up healthy too. Just a question for her --- would she rather the gender she prefers with tons of issues potentially or the other gender she doesn't prefer with absolutely no issues??? Good luck to your friend.

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T.K.

answers from Chicago on

To try an concieve a girl, do it at the beginning of ovulation and to have a boy towards the end of your ovulation. I have heard this way from my last doctor and from a life magazine article that mentioned a clinic that dyes sperm to weed out boys from girls.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.S.

answers from Chicago on

Biggest thing to know.. Girl sperm lasts longer. So if you want a boy, the boy sperm has to be there right when the egg is released. Girls, you would want it 'waiting' around so that the boy sperms 'die' off, per se.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.W.

answers from Chicago on

I have heard of various ways (foods to eat, positions to use) to try this, but I don't think any of them actually work. There are a lot of myths out there. People may tell you that it worked for them, but really- you have a 50/50 shot. So many people have trouble getting pregnant, it seems kind of silly to only want one or the other.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.

answers from Chicago on

I'm sorry you've gotten such humorless answers to a lighthearted question. Like everyone hasn't wondered at some point? Asking the question doesn't mean the friend won't be perfectly happy with whatever child she is fortunate enough to end up with - she probably just wants to have some fun with it. We did the same thing when we started trying to conceive my second child (we had trouble conceiving that time, and we were happy to end up with the sex we weren't trying for - but it wasn't exactly a high priority in either case, just a little fun.)

I've heard basically the same thing someone else posted - that if you want a boy, you should time it to have sex just before you ovulate, but if you want a girl you should have sex a few days before. I also read somewhere that people having trouble conceiving tend to end up with boys, although I can't remember what the explanation was.

And of course we all know that it's nearly pointless to even try - I've never heard of it working for anyone. My husband's family tends to produce boys (of 15 cousins in this generation, 10 are boys; my husband has 4 brothers and 1 sister.) I think if I really wanted a girl the best bet would have been to marry a guy with lots of sisters. (I'm joking, of course.)

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A.Z.

answers from Chicago on

Well the chances are at least 50-50 no matter how you try. Unless she has lots of money (several thousands) any other methods of sex selection are not as reliable as they try to claim. Even with the expensive procedures, you can't be 100% that it will happen. It can be that you throw thousands and thousands and not get a baby from the method at all. High tech is no romantic way to go.

Least expensive ways are ranging in prices. Some being free other almost as expensive at the high-tech method. Others are just plain not recommended.

I'm really sorry that some have been bashing your friend (or you) because of their own frustrations. If having the "wrong" gender
would cause problems(severe and very strong issues ala abort because the baby isn't the "right" gender), then maybe they shouldn't have kids or at least kids in the "natural" manner.

If they have a preference but understand family isn't just about being blood relatives, adoption might be a better option than the expensive high tech methods. If it is just a mild preference and want a child any way, then they should just try methods that pose no risk to hopeful mom to be.

Not saying it is right or wrong. I have no right to judge.

http://www.in-gender.com/

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K.

answers from Chicago on

The research I've read basically says that the boy sperm swim fast and die young, whereas the girl sperm may be a bit slower to get there, but will hang around a bit longer. So if you had sex 5 days before you ovulate, and not again, you're more likely (maybe 60/40 as opposed to 50/50) to have a girl. Similarly, if you had sex the day before you ovulated but not any of the other preceeding 5 days, you might tip the odds in favor of a boy.

BUT any time you try and time it for sex, you're necessarily decreasing your overall chances of becoming pregnant (for example, unless your cycle is REALLY regular, you might miss the window). So it really depends on how badly your friend wants to be pregnant. Period. as to whether she's willing to wait it out to tip the odds by a small amount.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.B.

answers from Chicago on

There is something called the "shuttles" method that is supposed to increase your chances of getting a certain sex. Google it and you'll find the info :)

1 mom found this helpful
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D.G.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hi K.! I'm not sure if anything works but google the CHINESE CALENDAR. I don't know anyone who has planned according to this calendar 'before' hand but it was dead on for several people I know including myself. It goes by the date of conception and tells what you will have or tells you when to start trying if you want a girl or boy. Sounds crazy but my family/friends had a small baby boom and for fun tried the calendar and it was not wrong, not once.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.J.

answers from Atlanta on

if these type of questions anger you then why do you read them?? are you reading certain questions on purpose so you will ge angry? lighten up everyone. its just a question that should have sparked a few laughs but instead yall went crazy. and ive heard a few people mention doggie style for a boy, but its not true, we had a girl!!!!

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