Maybe you’ve always daydreamed about little dresses or wished to raise a self-assured and strong young lady. Or maybe you still have a house full of boys and don’t believe your furniture can handle any more.
Whatever your justification for wanting a baby girl, you might be wondering if there are any ways to improve your chances of getting pregnant with a daughter.
Are there any old wives’ tales about how to get pregnant that actually work? Let’s take a closer look at all of the possibilities for conceiving a girl!
8 Tips To Conceive A Baby Girl During Your Pregnancy!
1) The Shettles Method
Since the 1960s, the Shettles Method has been used to determine gender. It claims to have a 75 percent success rate in helping couples conceive a girl. The most critical thing, according to Dr. Shettles, was timing.
The below are the claims’ basis:
- The baby’s sex is determined by the chromosome-carrying sperm
- Boy sperm swim faster but survive for shorter periods of time than their female producing counterparts
- Girl sperm are stronger and more resilient, but they swim more slowly than boy sperm
- By the time ovulation occurs, only the girl sperm should be left to fertilise the egg.
Few Things To Keep In Mind About This Method:
- You should have sex two to four days before ovulation if you’re hoping to conceive a girl
- You should avoid intercourse when you have clear, egg white-like vaginal mucus, as this is a sure sign of ovulation.
- Avoiding intercourse during this time can reduce your likelihood of conceiving at all
- It can take longer to conceive any baby with this method
If you’re content to conceive a boy or a girl, and you don’t conceive within a few cycles, it might be time to give up on gender selection and switch methods.
However, you must keep in mind this method is just a theory and ways that you can try to conceive a baby girl.
2) High-Tech Alternatives
We accept that certain families want a baby of a certain gender for a number of reasons. Many who can conceive naturally can consider using high-tech gender selection methods to be excessive.
If you need help conceiving, you may want to look at these choices:
a) IVF with PGT (preimplantation genetic testing)
Embryos created through IVF can be genetically tested. This is typically done to check for chromosomal abnormalities but can also provide information about their sex.
b) Sperm sorting
This is less invasive than IVF with PGT and can be done prior to an intrauterine insemination (IUI). It’s more likely to produce the desired sex, compared with natural conception, but less likely than PGT.
Keep in mind, both of the approaches mentioned above are invasive, costly, and not available anywhere. They’re normally reserved for couples who require advanced reproductive technology.
3) The Suitable Sex Positions
Positioning during sex influences which sperm might reach the egg. In this way it affects how close to the cervix the sperm cells are ejaculated.
Positions That You Should Try While Conceiving:
- To conceive a boy, deep penetration during sex is considered to be the key
- For conceiving a girl, shallow penetration is optimal. The missionary position can achieve this by limiting the depth of penetration.
Boy sperm cells will swim very quickly for a brief time before being drained. This will prevent the boy sperm from hitting the egg and fertilizing it by blocking deep penetration.
So, Mummies throw away your favourite position in bed, and get that missionary right to have your baby girl coming through!
4) Sorry Mummies, #No-Orgasm
According to some gender researchers, preventing orgasm may be critical to conceiving a girl. The female orgasm produces an alkaline secretion that may aid in the survival of boy sperm by producing a less hostile environment.
Fun Fact: Boy sperm cells have a difficult time surviving without these secretions and have a lower chance of reaching the egg.
5) More Sex Time!
Instead of limiting your sex life to certain hours, you can aspire to have more sex while you’re trying for a baby girl.
You should have as much sex as possible in the days leading up to the key conception time. This will lower your partner’s sperm count, implying that there will be less fast-swimming boy sperm left to compete in the fertilization race!
6) Eat The Right Food
According to a research, it is believed that eating a vegetarian diet, particularly foods like spinach, nuts, and broccoli, will help you throughout the journey.
Other than that you can also try these food:
- seafood, especially sardines and canned salmon
- beans
- almonds
- dark, leafy greens
- broccoli
- dairy products like milk, cheese and yogurt
- rhubarb
- amaranth (an ancient grain)
- figs
- edamame and tofu
- berries
- okra
- citrus fruits
- oats and oat bran
- eggs
- apples
- seeds, like pumpkin, flax, and chia
- cashews
- spinach
- peanut butter
- fortified breakfast cereals
These are all the foods that are said to be eaten while you’re trying to conceive a baby girl. So, while you’re trying it’s always best for you to increase the food mentioned above.
7) Acid House
Consuming acidic foods in the days leading up to ovulation is another diet suggestion. Surprisingly, in acidic conditions, male sperm cells have a harder time surviving. So, eating acidic foods has been shown to change the pH of the vaginal fluid.
Keep in mind eating too much of acidic food is unhealthy for your body, however if you want to give it a shot, stock up on foods including:
- Soda
- Vinegar
- Chocolate
However, to prevent neural tube defects, it’s more necessary to have a stable baby and enough folate in your body.
8) Minimise Salt Intake
Salt should be minimised if you’re trying to conceive a girl. A low-salt diet is said to boost the odds of getting pregnant with a child.
A diet rich in sodium and potassium favors male sperm, according to the same study that suggests eating more fruits and vegetables helps you conceive a girl.
You should cut out foods such as:
- Salted meats
- Olives
- Blue cheese
- Processed food/fast food
The Bottom Line Of Conceiving A Specific Gender
Well, in my opinion it’s never wrong to try these methods. Unfortunately, to some people it worked and to some it didn’t.
Technically, gender is one of the things that are related to our family backgrounds and genetics. There are certain things that we can’t control, am I right? And one of them is the gender of the baby.
My advice is, no matter what the gender is, baby boy or a girl we would always hope that the baby is healthy and safe!
Sometimes when you’re too obsessed with all of these methods, it might cause stress between you and your husband. Also, it might harm your health!
So, I hope you would enjoy the journey and if these methods work for you, that is wonderful. May the odds always be in your favour!
For more interesting stories and fun recipes, stay tuned to Motherhood Story!