Swaying the sex

[Orangesandlemons1]

I have a wonderful ds and I am thinking about trying to conceive a second. If I do this baby will definitely by last. I’d be delighted with a baby of either sex and I know it is not a right to have a child. It may not even happen this time I’m older now and people don’t always conceive as easily second time.

I would if I was to be completely honest be thrilled with the idea of a little girl because I already have a boy who is fantastic, so would like one of the other sex to experience having a daughter. I will probably get a flaming for this but if I was to choose I would choose to have a girl this time. Are there any mumsnetters who tried to sway the odds with diet/conception timing to a baby girl, and did you have a girl?

Then I think to myself is it even reasonable to try doing this (even if it’s not very scientifically effective). A healthy baby is all anyone should really be aiming for and I would be equally happy with a another ds. Is it reasonable to try to alter the course of natures sex selection with natural methods? I just can’t shake that nagging feeling a little girl would be lovely.

[thistimeweall]

Shettles method is reckoned to be about 70% effective, but it depends on how much you can pinpoint exactly when you ovulate.

[thistimeweall]

O and don't justify it either. I had a boy; I wanted a girl. It didn't mean I'd have stuffed it back into the womb had it been male

[Applesandpairsonthestairs]

I would loooove a girl! I have two fantastic amazing incredible boys and if I never have another baby I am still very very lucky to have the amazing boys I've got. But I do want a girl (quite badly sometimes!) and if DH ever agrees to a third I will be hoping for a girl and trying some conception and nutrition and other tricks to aid it happpening!!! Although if i have a third, and he's a bit, I will still love my boy with all my heart. What is meant to b will be.

I'm with you OP

[ShowOfHands]

None of the methods work. You have roughly a 50/50 chance whatever you do.

There's nothing wrong with hoping for things to turn out a certain way. It's natural to be curious about something you haven't experienced yet. It's very hard to discuss it without emotion clouding the picture though. In reality, the sex of the child affects nothing imho but I think it's quite normal to sometimes feel a preference.

Good luck ttc your second.

[Applesandpairsonthestairs]

• he's a 'boy' not a 'bit' !!

[Orangesandlemons1]

How does shettles work? I have tried googling stuff but it’s confusing. Do you avoid sex when you actually ovulate? Thanks everyone for support. Thought I’d get flamed.

[NoParticularPattern]

Yeah this isn’t going to end well for you OP. The last gender swaying post I saw ended up being removed because the OP simply wouldn’t have it that none of the methods work and got upset when people suggested she was being insensitive for being so bothered about the sex of a baby she wasn’t even carrying yet. Sure you can hope for one or the other, but there’s not a lot you can do about it one way or the other. Personally I was just hoping I’d manage to have a live baby, anything else was a bonus.

Good luck!

[QueenAravisOfArchenland]

Yeah, none of the methods actually work; a bit of a clue to that is that the two most prominent "methods" recommend the exact opposite course of action to each other. I'm not criticising the desire to experience what you haven't had, but your odds are 50:50 and you do have to make your peace with that.

[ShowOfHands]

Shettles thought that male sperm swim faster and live longer. He was wrong. He did observe two categories of sperm under a microscope but they weren't xx/xy. Some had shed part of their casing and some hadn't. His whole method is built on a mistake.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1440662/#!po=41.6667

[Tinselistacky]

I conceived girls a year apart by only having sex on day 23 of a 28 day cycle. Not deliberately, just the only time saw a dp as he worked away!!

[FreckledFrog]

www.ingender.com will open your eee to the many ways you can ATTEMPT to sway your babies gender.

Not saying it's 100% but I was in your position wanted a girl followed this website and it happened.

Totally understand it's all 50/50 but I felt some satisfaction doing everything I could... knowledge is power and all that!

[JoJoSM2]

I think the only menthod that would work, would be to go to the US to get ivf and select the sex of the embryo they put back (not legal in the UK). And other methods and old wife’s tales and don’t work.

[Orangesandlemons1]

I know I understand completely that there is nothing scientifically proven to help sway the odds. But then that means not all of the methods have been disproved either so there is no harm in trying?
Of course a health baby is all I really want. But I don’t think I’m the first woman to think a daughter would be wonderful. Tenselostacky that’s interesting what you have said about sex after ovulation.

[GreatDuckCookery6211]

I know someone that had 4 boys and desperately wanted a girl, she changed her diet, had sex everyday up until 2 days before ovulation, didn’t orgasm and went on to have 3 girls in succession. Not sure what the method she used is called. She swore by it.

[Orangesandlemons1]

Great duck do you know what dietary changes she made? I read something that said more carbs and less meat.

[Bambamber]

If you followed the shettles method to try for a girl, you wouldn't want to have sex on the day that you actually ovulate. I don't think there's any harm in playing around with these methods, But if you did try the shettles it could potentially lower your chances of conceiving each month. So I guess you need to work out what's more important, trying for a girl or just trying in general

[Oysterbabe]

As above, none of the methods work but it won't hurt you to try. There are women on that ingender forum who have tried all of the methods and have had upto 8 boys in a row.

[GreatDuckCookery6211]

She cut out salt and meat, bread, potatoes and ate lots of fruit and veg, yoghurts and drank milk.

[paintyapron]

We swayed.

It worked - tmi up ahead, but my husband abstained from any ejaculation for 2 weeks, I kept my vaginal ph low by putting lime juice tampons in me, sex 3 days before O, no orgasm. 1 baby girl!

[Rebeccaslicker]

Lime juice tampons????? Is that a thing?? Gosh!

[cherryontopp]

Any method is a load of shite.

Those who it does 'work' for is a coincidence. Everyone has a 50/50 chance of a boy or a girl (its actually slightly 51/49 for a boy statistically ). You get what your given.

If it bothers you to the point your willing to try old wives tiles to have a girl, i wouldnt have a second child.

[Linning]

I personally don't think any technique really work as all the ladies I know who wanted a girl ended up with a boy, but I do know someone who specifically picked the sex of her last child so she would end up with a daughte. She ended up paying $$$ to a fertility clinic in the States though which I personally think is ridiculous but she happily has a girl now.

[CaveMum]

I had fertility treatment for my two children with a strict programme of when to have sex based around when I took trigger injections to force ovulation which was identical each time. I have one girl and one boy!

By all means have a slight preference for one or the other but please be very sensitive about expressing it as you never know who is struggling to conceive.

[blueskyinmarch]

The methods don't 'work'. You will get what you get regardless of how much you try to sway things.

[Ski4130]

I'd understand people saying 'it worked dor us' so enthusiastically if there were 150 different genders, and they swayed and it worked out, but come on, there's a 50 50 chance of conceiving either a boy or a girl! It's luck, not judgement unless you medically interfere with the process.