When we look at the statistics the chances of having a boy or a girl are almost the same and there's no medical evidence to suggest we can influence this. You may, however, have heard about the 'Shettles Method'. In the 1970s Dr Shettles found that female and male sperm had different characteristics.
Sexual positions
Deep penetration, for example doggy style, means the male sperm that can swim faster start their race closer to the cervix and are more likely to reach the egg first, resulting in a boy. To try and conceive a girl, Shettles suggested avoiding deep penetration, favoring the missionary position.
Therefore, timing intercourse as closely to ovulation as possible means you will have a better chance of conceiving a boy, because a healthy male sperm cell will probably reach the egg first.
Nature is designed to favour the conception of boys from September to November and girls from March to May because of an evolutionary mechanism aimed at keeping the overall sex ratio as near to 50:50 as possible, the scientists said.
The chance of having a girl after two boys was about 48 per cent and the chances of having a boy after two girls was slightly lower, at only 46 per cent. So you are more likely to have the same gender when you already have two of the same.
While historically, there have been about 105 boys born for every 100 girls worldwide — which creates a “sex ratio at birth” of 1.05 — the share of boy babies has increased in recent decades. 2011 data from the World Bank show the global sex ratio at birth is now 1.07, or 107 boys born for every 100 girls.
The ratio of male to female births, called the sex ratio, is about 105 to 100, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This means about 51% of deliveries result in a baby boy.
Men determine the sex of a baby depending on whether their sperm is carrying an X or Y chromosome. An X chromosome combines with the mother's X chromosome to make a baby girl (XX) and a Y chromosome will combine with the mother's to make a boy (XY).
A recent study suggests that carrying a male or female foetus could lead to different immune responses in pregnant women. Pregnant women carrying girls have a greater chance of experiencing nausea and fatigue, according to the results of a study from the USA's Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
The key to conceiving a boy is to do “the deed” close to your ovulation. As Dr Shettles points out, male-producing sperm (Y-chromosome) move faster than female sperm. Male sperm also dies pretty fast, while female-producing sperm (X-chromosome) can stick it out and take their time hooking up with the egg.
High potassium foods might increase your chances of conceiving a boy. Potassium is an essential nutrient that plays a crucial role in your health. Bananas, salmon, and avocado are all foods that contain potassium. Other foods that contain potassium include dried fruits, legumes, potatoes, winter squash, and broccoli.
Morning may be the best time to have sex for conception, at least as far as sperm are concerned. Some studies have suggested that sperm count and quality are slightly higher early in the morning, which may mean better odds of conception if they're deposited right after a good night's sleep.
When sperm are inside women's body, they can live for up to 5 days. If you're a man and you have sex even a few days before your partner ovulates, there's chance they may get pregnant.
For a boy, sperm with the Y chromosome should be deposited as close as possible to the egg because the Y chromosome has a short lifespan and it will not live longer than 24 hours, compared with the sperm with the Y chromosome which will live in a woman's body for up to 72 hours.
It is simply a matter of chance as to which category of sperms fuses with the ovum. If the egg (X) is fused by X-bearing sperm, the resulting combination is XX, i.e. female type, and the child produced is female (daughter).
There are biological reasons why there are slightly more boys born every year than girls. The 'natural' sex ratio at birth is around 105 boys per 100 girls (ranging from around 103 to 107 boys).
There are lots of theories and claims made about influencing the chances of having either a boy or a girl baby, but the scientific facts are absolutely clear. The chances of having conceiving a boy or a girl are almost exactly equal for each and every pregnancy.
There is a clear pattern of births across latitude. Here in the U.S., states in the North have a birth peak in early summer (June-July), while states in the South experience a birth peak a few months later (October-November).
The only true way to select the sex of your baby is by undergoing IVF with preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). IVF is a reproductive treatment in which eggs are fertilized by sperm in a laboratory. When the egg is fertilized, it is called an embryo.
With each pregnancy, a couple has a 50% chance of conceiving either a boy or a girl. It's no different than flipping a coin two times in a row and getting tails each time; the third time, the likelihood of getting tails is still 50%. The previous two coin flips won't influence the outcome of the third.
Created with sketchtool. Later life, boys tend to be more expensive. After age 18, sons are more likely to move back home and more likely to get financial help from their parents, research shows. Whether you have a son, daughter or both, one thing is clear: It's extremely pricey to raise a child in America.