Boy or girl: how to conceive your desired baby gender

Knowing exactly if and when you ovulate is the single most important fertility information you need to know (in addition to knowing that he has a healthy sperm count). You can get pregnant from having sex on your fertile days: the 4-5 days before and the day of ovulation. You can time sex better if you know when you ovulate, according to babyMed(online source)

There are a variety of ways to help predict ovulation such as with LH ovulation tests (OPKs) or Fertility Monitors.

According to Grace Munyirwa, director Vine Pharmaceuticals, an ovulation kit box contains five sticks sand it cost at least sh25, 000.

"Use one stick on each of the five days you're like to ovulate till it turns positive on the ovulation date, " said Munyirwa.

Conceiving a Girl or Boy with the Shettles Method

The Shettles Method based on the premise that sperm carrying the X and Y chromosomes have different characteristics and that under different circumstances either X- or Y-chromosome-carrying sperm will be more likely to fertilize the egg.

According to Dr.Shettles you can influence the reproductive environment to favor one or the other. Here's how the theory goes:

It is the sperm that fertilizes the egg that will determine the sex of your baby. Sperm that carry the X-chromosome will make a girl and sperms that carry the Y-chromosome  make a boy.

The Y-chromosome-carrying sperm (the ones making a boy) are said to:
Be faster and smaller than the X-chromosome carrying sperm
Die faster than the X-chromosome-carrying sperm

The X-chromosome-carrying sperm are said to:

Be slower than the Y-chromosome carrying sperm
 Be better able to withstand the acidic vaginal environment before fertile cervical fluid is produced.

According to Shettles, you can time intercourse, choose a sexual position that favors conception of your preferred sex and influence the reproductive environment to increase the likelihood of conceiving your preferred sex.

These are the suggestions from Dr. Shettles:

To conceive a boy

Time intercourse as close to ovulation as possible: The idea is that since the Y-chromosome sperm are faster than the X-chromosome sperm, there will be more Y-chromosome sperm who reach the egg, making it more likely that a Y-chromosome carrying sperm will fertilize the egg.

Abstain from intercourse for four to five days prior to ovulation. Have intercourse only just at the time of ovulation and just before.

Have intercourse that allows for deep penetration. Shettles recommends rear-entry (aka, "doggy-style"). The idea is that the sperm will be deposited closer to the cervix where cervical fluid is most friendly to the Y-chromosome sperm and where the "boy sperm" are more likely to survive since there is less distance to travel.
 
Men avoid tight clothes: heat kills off both types of sperm, but will kill off the less protected, smaller Y-chromosome sperm faster, according to Shettles.

Women have an orgasm: According to Shettles, female orgasm increases the alkaline secretions in the vagina that are favorable to the Y-chromosome carrying sperm. Shettles recommends having an orgasm before or at the same time as the male partner.

You eat salty food, plenty of meat, fish, white flour, pasta, fresh fruit, certain vegetables, but avoid milk and dairy products, such as yoghurt and cheese, nuts, chocolate, shellfish and wholemeal bread.


To conceive a girls

Have intercourse 2-3 days before ovulation and avoid intercourse just before ovulation until 2 days after ovulation and when you have peak cervical fluid: The idea is that when you have sex a few days before ovulation, only the X-chromosome "girl sperm" will be left in the female reproductive tract waiting to fertilize the egg when it is released.
 
Have intercourse with shallow penetration: Shettles recommends "missionary position"or any position that will deposit the sperm slightly away from the cervix, giving advantage to the longer living, but slower X-chromosome-carrying sperm.
 
Women avoid orgasm: Shettles suggests women avoid orgasm because it makes the vaginal environment more alkaline, and less acidic and is disadvantageous to the X-chromosome "girl sperm".

If you are taking longer than expected to conceive, it is generally not recommended to attempt any kind of sex selection as it can increase the time it takes to conceive.
 
You drink plenty of milk and eat dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt, unsalted foods, rice, pasta, certain vegetables, mineral water, limited amounts of meat and potatoes, but avoid salt and any salty foods, wine and beer, fresh fruit, spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms, chocolate, coffee and tea.

How do I use an ovulation kit?

According to baby center, depending on the brand of urine-based OPK, you'll either collect your urine in a cup or hold a stick under you as you urinate. Coloured bands will appear on the test card or stick to indicate whether or not the LH surge is occurring. Digital OPKs use symbols, such as a smiley face, to tell you when you are on your most fertile days.

Instructions may vary slightly depending on which kit you use, but in general you should try to collect your urine between 10am and 8pm. The optimum time is supposed to fall between 2pm and 2.30pm.

Try to collect your urine at about the same time every day, though this is not absolutely necessary.

Don't test your urine as soon as you wake up, because you may miss the first day of your LH surge.

Try to reduce the amount of liquids you drink for about two hours before you do the test. Too much liquid will dilute your urine, which could make it more difficult to detect the surge.

Read the results within 10 minutes for the best results.

 A positive result will not disappear, but some negative results may later display a faint second colour band.

So throw the test card away once you've read the result. Urine-based OPKs generally provide five to nine days' worth of tests.

Adapted from babyMed & babycenter