When my husband and I first decided to try and have children, we prayed for a son. We were thrilled to welcome a little boy into the world 11 months later. I always wanted a boy first so he could look out for his little sister, that is, if we happen to have a girl in the future. Personally, I believe God designs each little baby he blesses us with, right down to each hair on their little head.
Some people believe that you can control whether you have a girl or a boy through various methods. It’s a controversial topic, to say the least. Each group claims to be right and denounces all opposing views.
The Dr. Jonas Method claims a 97.7% effectiveness rate in selecting gender through natural planning (according to your fertility cycle). The method is based on the assumption that there are certain fertile days when only a girl can be conceived and certain days when only a boy can be conceived. Based on the woman’s cycle, a chart is prepared, and the couple should only attempt to conceive on the appropriate days. The Dr. Jonas Method requires that your purchase their custom conception calendar, which is made specifically for each woman based on her data.
The Shettles method is more popular. You may have heard of this method: it involves timing intercourse according to your ovulation date. The theory is based on the assumption that male sperm swim faster and female sperm live longer. Therefore, the closer to ovulation you conceive, the more likely you’ll conceive a boy. So if you want to conceive a boy, you should not have intercourse 4-5 days prior to ovulation, and then have intercourse on the day you ovulate. If you want to conceive a girl, you should have intercourse 2-4 days before ovulation and abstain on your most fertile days. Obviously this decreases your chances for conception. Shettles claims a success rate (getting the gender you want) of 80-85% for boys and 75-80% for girls.
In addition to timing, some people say the mother’s diet plays a role, as do stress levels, your position on the globe, or which side of the bed you sleep on. Right…
When my husband and I were TTC, we didn’t mess around with selective intercourse and I definitely didn’t follow my MIL’s advice to load up on carbs. Our goal was a healthy baby! We consider it icing on the cake that God blessed us with a boy first, and we hope he will someday have both brothers and sisters to “watch out for.”
What is your take on gender selection?