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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Desperately seeking a dd. What are the odds of having a girl after two boys?

23 replies

AbuAlf · 09/01/2006 11:29

Are the odds always basically 50/50? Or are some people more likely to produce boys (or girls)?
Some friends have said the odds are hugely in favour of another boy. Has anyone else heard this?
Is anyone in the position of trying for a third (or fourth)?

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nutcracker · 09/01/2006 11:30

Dunno the odds, but I had a boy after having 2 girls.

starlover · 09/01/2006 11:32

someone else posted about this and i think general consensus was that it was still a 50/50 chance.

however some people are more inclined to produce one sex (to do with the sperm and vaginal conditions i think)

i used to work for a family with 5 boys and then 1 girl!

Toothache · 09/01/2006 11:34

Abualf - Its all to do with the sperm!...and when in your cycle you conceive.

X (female) sperm swim slow, but live for 3-5 days.

Y (male) sperm swim faster, but only live for 24hrs.

So... the theory is that if you have sex jeee-ust before you ovulate then it will be a girl.... as by the time the egg reaches the place in the fallopian tube where it can be fertilised then all the Y sperm are dead.

If you have sex on, or 1,2,3 days after you ovulate the male sperm will swim faster and reach the egg first.

If you know for sure when you ovulate you can increase the liklihood of having a girl..... but nothing is 100%.

cathyspam · 09/01/2006 11:40

also apparently Male sperm thrive better in an alkaline environment and female sperm thrive in an acidic environment so vaginal PH can play a role too - there is loads of info out there related to how you can alter this by diet etc but no idea if it actually works!

cazzybabs · 09/01/2006 11:51

Tell yoy what I'll swop you - one of my girls for onw your boys

I have a book on the topic called Choose the sex of your baby by Hazel Chesterman-Phillips - has lots ofuseful advice. Shall tell you if it works after April when I am allowed to TTC again

serenity · 09/01/2006 11:56

I don't know what the odds are but I had a girl after two boys as did my SIL. I also know someone who's had 4 boys then a girl.

spub · 09/01/2006 12:17

I heard that if you have 2 children of the same sex then your chance of a 3rd of a different sex drops to 25% (but I can't remember how scientific that is...)

PeachyClair · 09/01/2006 12:27

I think it's 52% boy isn't it? To allow for baby boys being 'weaker' in the past and all that. The book is OK, but how scientific I don't know- it did accurately predict the sex of my three though.

Wouldn't mind a girl in the future, but you know, you get what you're given and I wouldn't swap one of mine for anything!

agalch · 09/01/2006 12:50

i had 2 boys and when pg with 3rd baby i assumed it would be another boy but got an unexpected and brilliant surprise when my dd popped out!!! am pg again so wondering what this lo will be

hana · 09/01/2006 13:07

no it's still 50:50 for a boy or girl....
I have heard that in the States companies exist that will centrifuge a man's sperm which then increases chances of conceiving a girl or boy - honestly, I have it on good faith! - think male sperm are heavier?

Lonelymum · 09/01/2006 13:10

I had 2 boys followed by a girl (followed by another boy).

I believe you could try having sex just before ovulating if you want a girl as female sperm are supposed to be slower swimmers but live longer. Probably a load of old rubbish, but what else can you do?

Lonelymum · 09/01/2006 13:12

Oh just seen Toothache has already explained it all much better than me! Nice to know I am not the only one to have heard of that theory.

Toothache · 10/01/2006 09:18

Lonelymum - its more than a theory... its fact! ...well factual that Y sperm swim faster, but live only a short time. The rest is kind of logical.... but as with anything to do with babies..... there ain't no guarantees! All you can do is increase the odds of a particular sex.

jalopy · 10/01/2006 09:55

Don't know but I've got 2 boys followed by a girl.

bitsamaloney · 10/01/2006 10:20

As I understand it, it's one of those "false" statistics in a way. You are more likely to have a third child of the same sex if you have 2 already but only if you happen to be one of the couples with a genetic predisposition to a certain sex - the "you're 80% more likely" statistic would apply generally across the population, your specific chances would be completely different.

If your 2nd child was simply the 50:50 chance of getting that sex then the chances for the 3rd are still 50:50 (roughly), however, if you had a 2nd boy (for example) because of a predisposition to boys in your families then you are more likely to have a 3rd boy. I think 80% is the quoted statistic. Look at your family and what the spread of boys and girls are like - if they're pretty even then you can assume it's a 50:50 chance. If it's heavily weighted towards one or th other then you'll have to tip the odds more than usual.

bubblepop · 10/01/2006 14:08

my third was a girl after having 2 sons, i was on top of the world! then guess what, i had a fourth child un-expectedly, another girl!

allyco · 11/01/2006 10:32

I've got four DDs and this baba is a BOY!!!

I thought me and DH could only make girls!!

JIFDA · 11/01/2006 13:11

I have 1 girl & then 2 boys Iam now pregnant with my fourth & this is also a boy! Although my daughter would have loved a little sister it obviously wasnt meant to be!!!!!

muppety · 11/01/2006 14:34

I have 2 boys and have been told 75% chance of another boy by various people. I have noticed that there are an awful lot of mumsnetters with 3 boy!

We want a third anyway so will try and swing the odds with the methods above but have already chosen another boys name as I feel sure that what it will be

MrsDoolittle · 11/01/2006 15:05

The sex of your baby is determined by the sperm, so you need to look at your dh's family.

JuliaAndJohn · 11/01/2006 21:17

I have three boys. I can't help thinking some people are more likely to produce children of a particular sex. I don't believe in the timing thing. Ds2 was bit of an accident. I didn't think it very likely we would conceive (took a bit of a risk, just the once!!) as ds1 was 6 months, I was breastfeeding, had only had one period and was on day 8 of a 14 day cycle - Shettles would have predicted a girl. At the end of the day, you get what you are supposed to have!! Three boys is manic!

TambaTheWuss · 11/01/2006 21:18

I think that If you already have a child of one sex you are 75% likely to have another of the same sex

bundle · 11/01/2006 21:20

i have a friend who's just had her 3rd boy. before you get pg think about how you might feel if you did too.

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