Do you wish for a baby boy? Certain cultures especially the Chinese, getting a baby boy is almost a must. This is because the boy or son will carry the father’s surname into the next generation. If it turns out to be a girl, she will eventually grow up and get married whereby her children will take on the spouse’s surname instead.

Under these kind of circumstances, couples aiming for a baby boy may seem to be embarking on an all important mission. Find out the tips on getting a baby boy which covers folklores or old wives tales, advice or techniques from older generation being passed on and plus modern day scientific methods.

Baby boy tips
• The male partner should practice a sedentary life that supposedly produces more male sperm.

• Time your intercourse to the day of ovulation where the male sperm (being more active than the female sperm) will reach the ovum first.

• To promote male sperm, the female partner has to douche with two tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of water.

• Let the female partner reach orgasm first to create an alkaline environment in the vagina which is conducive for the male sperm.

• Plan to have intercourse during the odd days of the month.

• Go for deep sex penetration as this will place the sperm nearer to the cervix. The male sperm being more active is supposed to outrun the female sperm and reach the ovum first.

• Use the ancient Chinese lunar calendar or chart to find out the recommended dates to conceive a baby boy. You can get your personal chart from www.chinagold.com/babyplanner1.asp

• It is recommended that the female partner consumes red meat, salty food, fish, white flour, sweet corn, beans, avocadoes and to avoid nuts, chocolates, milk and dairy products.

• Follow the Shettles method and time your intercourse as close to ovulation day as possible. It also recommends avoiding intercourse four or five days before the ovulation day. More information can be found in www.ovulation-calculator.com/gender.htm

• If you want a higher rate of success (>90%), then try the Selnas method. A personal conception chart will be developed for you to get the gender of your choice. Read more about it in my previous posting titled ‘The Selnas Method’. You can refer to the website www.selnas.com for in-depth information.

• A sperm sorting technique is also available called the Ericsson treatment or Ericsson Albumin Method. The male sperm is sorted out and implanted back into the uterus via artificial insemination. Check the website www.genderselectioncenter.com/ericsson.html for more information.

• Another method that claims a high effective rate (~97%) is called the Dr. Jonas Method. It is similar to the Selnas method where a calendar is prepared showing the favorable dates for conceiving the gender of your choice. Find out more information in this website www.drjonasmethod.com

• For those who have faith in modern day medicine and technology may choose to try MicroSort, a sperm sorting technique. The success rate to get a boy is said to be 76%. Check it out here www.microsort.net/

• The PGD or Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis method claims to have 100% accuracy and guarantees the correct chosen gender. Prior to being implanted in the mother’s womb, the embryos are tested for the correct gender. You can get more answers from www.emedicine.medscape.com

• The PGH or Preimplantation Genetic Haplotyping method is similar to PGD but it is more advance in terms of the genetic testing technique.This will be useful for parents who may have any genetic disorders.

The tips and techniques mentioned above are not meant to be a complete and comprehensive list. The main purpose is to give you an overview on the various options available to help you in your quest. The recommended websites are one of many, so go ahead and do your own search for more answers. Having more knowledge means helping you to make your decisions easier in the end.

The Selnas method enables a couple to choose the sex of a baby with a high degree of accuracy, ~98%. There is no surgical procedure involve, no pills to consume and no special diet to follow. All the couple has to do is to follow a chart to attempt conception during the favorable period.

How does it work?

The male sperm carries the chromosome X or Y whereas the female ovum carries the X chromosome. These chromosomes determine the baby’s sex or gender.

When a Y chromosome carried by the sperm unites with the ovum, the result is a XY chromosome producing a baby boy. To produce a baby girl, the X chromosome carried by the male sperm unites with the ovum resulting in a XX chromosome.

The theory

Research data shows that there is a charge on the ovum membrane. This charge can alternate in a cycle, from positive to neutral and to negative charge. This is known as the ‘Polarity Cycle’ of the ovum membrane.

There are about 70 days per year for each polarity meaning there are 70 days for the chance to get a boy and 70 days to get a girl. The balance of 200 days gives you a 50:50 chance of getting either gender.

There is also data showing that the male sperm carrying the X chromosome is attracted to a positive charge. On the other hand, a sperm carrying the Y chromosome is attracted to a negative charge.

Baby boy: The sperm carrying the Y chromosome (positive charge) is attracted to the negatively charge ovum membrane.

Baby girl: The sperm carrying the X chromosome (negative charge) is attracted to the positively charge ovum membrane.

If the ovum is neutral, there is either a 50:50 chance of getting a boy or a girl.

The couple’s responsibility

The couple will be given a Selnas conception chart that gives the recommended dates to attempt conception. Below is my conception chart when I attempted to try for a baby girl in 2006. Notice that the color is pink for a girl. You will get a blue chart if you wanted a baby boy.

Selnas Conception Chart (Baby Girl)

I got my chart by visiting a Selnas center and was asked to fill up a simple agreement form. Some of the questions asked were my blood type, date of birth, date of menstrual cycle and the age when I had my first period. It was only a one page questionnaire. At the end, I signed the form and paid the required fee. The form was sent to the laboratory in France and about a week and a half later, I went to pick up my chart. The chart is my personal chart to attempt conception on the days that are favorable to get a girl.

The difficulty I faced

I discovered that the favorable periods or dates sometimes do not coincide with my fertile days or ovulation period. It was suggested that I can alter my menstrual cycle by taking a doctor prescribe pills called Ethynyl oestradiol. Examples are Loestrin 20, Loette, Meliane or Mercion. I am supposed to take the pills 35 days before the dates of the favorable days. By doing this, I can ensure that my fertile period or ovulation days will coincide with the favorable days. Since I hated to take medicines of any kind, I decided to avoid taking the pills.

To cut my own story short, the first time I got my chart in 2005, I did not manage to conceive. I went for a second try and I was offered a 50% discount on the fee. I was successful the second time round and gave birth to my daughter in late 2006. I was informed from the beginning and it was stated in the agreement form that there will be a full refund if I happened to give birth to the wrong gender. Luckily I did not have to go for the refund.

My precious daughter

To learn more about the origin of Selnas and for more information, check out the websites below if you and your partner have a desire to choose the gender of your child.

www.selnas.com (International)
www.choicebaby.com (Malaysia & Singapore)

For first time parents, getting a baby boy or baby girl does not generally make a difference. The expecting parents are happy just at the prospect of the coming of a new baby into their lives.

The desire to select the sex of the baby may arise when it is time to plan on having a second child. For my case, financial constraint is one of the main factors. For others, it could be the mother’s age or there are health risks related to the pregnancy.

There are unlimited recommended ways to help you achieve your goal. Old wives’ tale also abounds and if you are adventurous enough, below are some of the ideas or suggestions.

Baby boy

To get a baby boy, do the following:
• Plan to have sex on ovulation day where the male sperm supposedly swims faster and will reach the egg first
• The female partner reaches orgasm first before the male partner as this creates an alkaline environment
• Have deep sex penetration (e.g. doggie-style from behind)
• Plan the make love on the odd days of the month

Baby girl

To get a baby girl, do the following:
• Plan to have sex a few days early before your ovulation day
• Have shallow sex penetration
• The male partner reaches orgasm first before the female partner
• Plan to make love on the even days of the month

Control your diet

There are also advices on the type of food to be eaten to tip the scales in your favor. To get a boy, it is recommended to consume lots of meat, fish, salty food, white flour and to avoid milk and dairy products, nuts, chocolates and even shellfish. To get a girl on the other hand, take plenty of milk and dairy products, unsalted food, rice, pasta, spinach, fresh fruits, tomatoes, mushrooms, chocolate and to avoid salty foods.

Chinese calendar or chart

Another popular method is by following an ancient Chinese lunar calendar or chart where conceiving in certain months will produce a baby boy and other months, a baby girl. It also takes into consideration the woman’s ‘Chinese age’ when using the baby gender chart based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Please take note that the stated accuracy of this method is about 60% only.

Scientific methods

You may also explore other more ‘scientific’ methods like the Preimplantation genetic diagnosis or PGD for short, which is an in-vitro fertilization technique. Another method is called the Ericsson (no relation to the hand phone brand name) which is a sperm-sorting technique with claims of 78 – 85% effective for choosing boys and 73-75% for choosing girls. A simpler method is the Shettles method which requires timing the intercourse on specific days of the woman’s cycle.

My own experience

Personally, I found the Chinese calendar method above was easy and straightforward enough to follow. I was aiming for a baby girl as my first child was a boy. For the first seven months of pregnancy, my spouse and I were kept guessing on the baby’s sex. According to our doctor, due to the position of the fetus it was difficult to determine and confirm whether it was a boy or a girl. It was only later after the fetus shifted position and we were able to confirm that it was going to be another boy. We were happy all the same as the most important thing is that the baby is born healthy.

Four years later with my biological clock ticking away, I decided that if my spouse and I wanted to try for a baby girl, we had to do it soon. A research on the web produced the Selnas method which claimed ~98% success rate for the selection of the preferred baby’s sex. Other creative methods like those mentioned above have much lower success rates. Hence, my spouse and I decided to go for the Selnas method. I did not conceived during the first year and we went for a second try. My baby girl was eventually born in 2006 and we did not regret our decision to try this method.

If you are faced with a similar predicament, allow yourself to explore and learn the various ways of achieving your goal. You can even combine a few methods to increase your chances of getting the desired result.