Q&A: Influencing Your Baby's Sex

Can you influence whether you'll conceive a boy or a girl?


Can I do anything to influence my baby's sex?


I have both scientific and nonscientific answers to this question. There is a procedure that can increase the likelihood of one sex or another. Sperm swim at different rates. The sperm that make a female baby swim slower than the sperm that create a male. The procedure involves spinning and separating the semen to maximize the chances of having one sex or the other, depending on the couple's wishes. But this is a very controversial procedure, and it's only available on a limited basis in certain areas of the country.

The old-fashioned way (some think it an old wives' tale and others swear by it) involves timing sex with your ovulation. Since female-producing sperm are slower swimmers, if you have sex the day before ovulation the theory is that you'd increase your chances of conceiving a girl. And as male-producing sperm are faster, if you have sex on the day of ovulation you'd increase your chances of conceiving a boy. Again, this is NOT scientific -- but good luck trying!


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