Does when you conceive influence gender, or is it guff?

[LadyThompson]

I believe the Shettles Method has been discredited by several studies, but wondered whether anyone has any anecdotal evidence?

I conceived my DD a couple of days before ovulation. However, I am now 5.6 wks pregnant and got pregnant very close to ovulation. I wonder if this means I am having a boy?

Hi there.x

I've thought the same.
I conceived 2 days after I ovulated and when I divulged this to a colleague (she's had two kids, girl and a boy) she said that she thought I'd would have a boy. (I dont know as am having surprise).

she said to me that if you 'do it' so to speak lots and lots after your ovulation date then your more likely to have a girl. she thinks that this was the case when she had her girl. As she wanted a boy to match she heard that if you do it once around your ovulation date then you'll have a boy and bingo she did.

who knows...its probably all buncum but when i asked my midwife about it she agreed that this is the best way to try and concieve one or tuther. xxxx

Well...

I conceived DD when we were having sex literally every single day (whether around ovulation or not).

DS was an 'oops' when the condom broke - I said 'good job that didn't happen a couple of days ago as I was ovulating' (egg white cm, and O pain the day before).

This time (it's another DS) we had sex the day of ovulation.

So, anecdotally, my experience confirms the idea that 'boy' sperm are faster whilst 'girl' sperm may take longer to reach the destination but hang around/live longer.

What are you hoping for?

Well, the usual healthy baby of any sex but I must admit I would slightly prefer a girl (but that might be because it is what I am used to).

I've heard that male or female sperm (don't remember what way round it is) lives longer than the other, so if you had intercourse a couple of days before ovulation a certain sex sperm would be there waiting.....or something

LadyT - hard to predict with mine, except the middle one who was a couple of days pre ov and is a girl. However, I suppose there are a few million of the things in each "go" so even if the girls last longer but the boys swim faster statistically, there may be enough there of the other gender to buck the trend.

Am very excited for you. The FMC will hazard a guess at the 12 week scan and got it right both times for me (only had NHS scan for DD1). So not too long for me you to wait to find out.

Actually Syb, either will be lovely. What I REALLY can't stand is not knowing either way - 'tis driving me nuts!

Having a matching set of 2 wee girls for a year and a half was FAB. Now that M is on board, he is adored by his sisters who want to mother him and befriend him in equal measure. I was very wary about having a boy and how it would disrupt our very girly house (as I am quite a girly girl as well) but it's a joy. You are right, either will be a blessing. So long as it's not twins . One of each???

The idea is that male sperm swim faster but die quicker and female sperm swim slower but live longer.

Therefore, if the egg is sitting there waiting for the sperm, then you're more likely to have a boy (i.e. you have sex after ovulation)as the boy sperm get there first.

But, if the sperm have to wait around for the egg (i.e. sex before ovulation)you're more likely to have a girl as the boy sperm will have raced there, knackered themselves, got bored waiting, and died whereas the girl sperm have paced themselves.

On that basis I am definitely having a girl. I'll update the thread if it turns out right.

But that's basically the Shettles method (or part of it) which, although it still abounds on the web, has been widely discredited in medical circles. However, it fitted for me last time as my DD was conceived before ovulation.

If I have another girl though it will put paid to the theory!

2 boys here, both conceived pretty much on the day of ovulation!

I got pregnant by DTD the day after ovulation. DD snoozing on my lap now...

DS = on day of ovulation which agrees with the theory... although DD also on day of ovulation...

My SIL was sure she ws having a girl as that month only once around 4 days before and it was a boy.

Second time round I got pg despite having sex several days before ovulation so was therefore convinced I'd be having dd2. I got quite a shock and didn't quite believe them when the scan that I had at 35 weeks told me I was having ds. Scan was right and I was wrong. The ds sperm must have been a slow starter.

I wasn't using the Shettles method, cos didn't mind at all what sort of baby I had, but, as someone who was mildly obsessive when ttc, I knew all about it.

I conceived when we had sex the day before ovulation. Accordign to Shettles, this meant we'd be having a boy. Added to this is the fact that lots of findings have recently suggested that a baby's sex can be heavily by genetics, so if there are a lot of one sex in the father's family, the chances are you'll conceive that sex. My partner's family is full of boys.

So I was absolutely convinced I was expecting a boy, to the point where I only looked at boys' clothes, only read boys' names in the book, etc etc.

Then we found out at 20 weeks that we were having a girl.

So, based on my experience, it's all guff.

Inadvertently used Shettles boy method and had a boy. Slightly adjusted diet and timing of sex to see if you could influence the outcome and had a girl (obviously could have made not a jot of difference!). Not at all bothered what dc3 is as long as they are healthy and well, but if based upon Shettles theories should be a boy - will let you know!