Ready to play with the gender? Boys are better than girls. Or are girls better than boys? For most, the consensus seems that a boy should be had first, followed by a girl, so that the older brother can protect his younger sister. Cue the “aww”, but ultimately, can we really have a say in whether a woman gets pregnant with a girl or a boy?
If we have a preference for having a girl first or a boy first, is there anything that can be done to try to increase the odds? There are many who believe that with the right factors (some seemingly coincidental), then you can actually control whether you fall pregnant with a girl or a boy.
Many myths surround gender swaying, but the general consensus is that anything is worth a try if you’re desperate enough for a specific gender. The web is filled with all kinds of wacky tips, some clearly verging on mere coincidences, but here are 15 stories from women who successfully managed to sway the gender to the one that they were hoping for the most. Wishful thinking perhaps? Not so fast with that explanation as the baby’s gender really does boil down to which swimmer, whether male or female, gets to the egg first.
15 Going Anti-Vegan For A Boy
If you're trying for a boy, the last thing you want to do is go vegan -- according to gender swayers anyways!
Jenny shared on Babycenter: "This might be a weird tip but my husband and I ran into an interesting woman on our anniversary in a restaurant [...] She told us a really sad story about how her husband left her after finding out she was pregnant with a girl and so she did a lot of research on how to conceive a boy in order to get him back. She told us low sodium and low red meat diets will increase your chances for a girl and that when we are trying for a boy to start eating tons of meat and a high sodium diet. Males are dependent on the girl gene. This might just be a old wives tale. But trying anything can help right!?"
Assumingly, the diet would have work, but even more importantly, did she get him back?! Subscribing to a meat-only diet is a tip given by many who believe in the more obscure ways to try for a boy, so it's definitely worth trying.
14 Eating Less Of Everything For A Girl
After having two boys, Bronwyn Brady explained to KidSpot that she really wanted to try for baby number three to be a girl. Naturally, she searched high and low on the web for the best ways to increase the odds and she resorted to the Low Everything diet, also referred to as "The Girl Diet" as it is said to help couples conceive a girl.
In a nutshell, the diet consists of sticking to 1500-1800 calories per day and as outlined by Gender Dreaming, meals consisting primarily of carbs, 40-50g of protein, as well as increased fat.
Although unproven to sway gender, a daily potassium supplement is also recommended, along with low nutrient foods.
Brady also cut many other foods: "I cut out red meat because it can increase testosterone in the body." She also covered all her basis by making sure to eat more acidic foods, which many believe to favor the conception of a girl. “I didn’t cheat at all on the diet. Going from eating whatever I wanted to restricting everything I put in my mouth was hard. No chocolate or coffee – that was a killer,” she added.
It worked: “When I found out we were having a girl, I was ecstatic! I squealed.”
13 A 'Taste Of Bacon' For A Girl
Almost any time that Chrissy Teigen tweets anything, the world has a problem with it. The series she made when she found out that she would be having a little girl with musician John Legend was certainly no exception. As reported by Vogue, she had initially tweeted at the time: "Not only am I having a girl, but I picked the girl from her little embryo."
After some backlash from fans as to how she was able to pick the gender, she backpedaled a little, saying, “I think I made a mistake in thinking people understood the process better than they do. Hard to explain such a complicated process here.”
"I also picked the embryo with a taste for bacon, a knack for magic and size 7 feet so she can always find shoes," she also added.
Although she added a funny twist to the situation, it's still a very real way to sway the gender. In her case, the couple had opted for IVF and were given the option of doing PGD (pre-implementation genetic diagnosis), which tests the embro for certain defects and is also a process that can try to determine the embyo of the gender. The process is forbidden in many countries, but it hasn't stopped an increasing number of couples from paying a little extra to get their preferred gender.
12 A Favorable Environment For A Boy
Annie shared her story: "To all the naysayers about gender swaying it actually works. It worked twice for us and the odds from the get go were very much against us for boys! You have to be very disciplined, know your cycles well and pretty much when you ovulate."
"I found diet really made not one iota of difference however conceive well plus or pressed applied just before [the deed] an help neutralize secretions and alkanalise acidic surroundings. Acidic secretions are not boy friendly. Also make sure you [get off] before your partner as this too will make the environment more alkaline."
She also added another tip to sway the gender: "One week approx or no less than four days before the surge make sure your partner [comes], then abstain until the surge. Both of our [sons] were conceived on the initial surge. We have two girls followed by two boys."
11 Russian-Style For A Boy
Stereotyping is a big no-no in today's world, but it's no secret that Russians and Eastern Europeans in general love to have a drink. So if you want a boy, then you better try it the Russian way. Tamra outlined just how to do it in a post on Netmums:
- Drink (Vodka or rum)
- Row with your partner.
- Have drunken sex that you can't remember the next day. (You don't have to wait for ovulation, any day of the week will do.)
She also added: "My cousin followed this method and has five boys with a sixth on the way."
It's definitely a very interesting method, but one that many would agree worked for them, but you wouldn't even necessarily need a drink. Any other type of alcohol would do the trick, so long as the two of you end up fighting and making up afterwards.
A mom on Facebook tried to justify this one scientifically, but it's one claim that hasn't been proven: "Biologically, I mean from an animal standpoint, it is more likely to conceive a boy if the parents are under some sort of genuine stress (enough to biologically warrant less procreation and having a strong defence/hunter)."
10 Faster/ Slower - Shettles Method
In line with the previous advice, relying on the guy's little fellas swimming faster or slower is actually referred to as the Shettles Method. Named after, you guessed it, Dr. Shettles, Bellybelly.com.au explains: "Men produce two types of sperm — X being female and Y being male. This will determine the [gender] of your baby. Doctor Shettles found from his studies that the male sperm are smaller, weaker and faster than the female sperm, which are bigger, stronger and slower."
Amy shared her story of success with this method on Netmums, "My periods/ovulation before I got pregnant were extremely regular therefore very predictable. I [did the deed] the monday morning and showed signs of ovulation Wednesday. Got pregnant with a girl."
Although many on social media call this method as being nothing but an old wives' tale, it's still worth a try for anyone trying to sway the gender. This is the one method that truly has a boatload of success stories.
9 The Breakfast Of Champions For A Boy
According to many gender swayers, eating a lot of cereal leads to having a boy. This isn't to say that you will have a boy if you eat cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but anything is worth a try if you really want a specific gender.
After asking, "Didn't someone some research on what you eat?" on Netmums, Tracy also sheepishly added, "I love cereal. They said cereal eaters [are] more likely to conceive a boy. I had a boy."
While you wouldn't want to have Lucky Charms or Cheerios for every single meal because of the high sugar count, there are many other brands that are considered "good cereals" to have to try and sway the gender.
The general consensus among moms on GenderDreaming.com seems to be that Kashi, Chez and Nature's Part are all positive options. As Sarah agreed, "I got boys eating Total, Granola, Organic Pumpkin Flax (this is kind of granola-y), Cheerios, stuff like that. Like the others say I often had cereal as a snack, much more often than I did for breakfast."
8 Taking It To Extremes For A Girl
Whereas many of the gender sway methods that we outlined so far rely on specific things that a woman can do to try and push the odds in her favor, a mom in the UK relied on the weather instead. Katie confided to the Daily Mail that she "tried to conceive her daughter during the winter months and her son during the summer ones, as she thought it helped."
According to Dr Penelope Law, whom the Daily Mail also interviewed, "The only way to ensure the sex of a baby is pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), which involves creating embryos via traditional IVF and implanting only embryos of a certain sex. Otherwise, a baby's sex is determined by the father since all that information is contained within his sperm. The sex of a child really is a 50/50 gamble."
Relying on the weather is perhaps one of the most out there, but then again, we can't really knock it since it did work for her.
7 Going Bananas For A Boy
On Parent Life Network, Brianda outlined her "foolproof" gender sway method: "My husband and I wanted to try for a boy so he researched it and they said for a boy you have [do it] as close to ovulation as possible, eat a lot of acidic foods like bananas (I swear I'll never eat bananas again...) drink caffeine, and positions that allow for deeper penetration work best. We followed all of these and are having a boy!"
Her advice pretty much combines most tips into one, but the bananas part is one that many can attest to working.
Anyone looking to sway the gender in favor of a girl may want to follow the second part her advice: "For girls its the opposite, avoid bananas and eat more foods with calcium, [do the deed] before ovulation as female sperms are slow but live longer and avoid caffeine, also missionary is the best position - shallow penetration is better. I haven't tried this way but its worth a shot!"
6 PH Balancing Trick For A Girl
Melanie shared a peculiar gender sway method that can be worth trying for anyone hoping for a little girl. "I've always heard that if you want a boy to use a baking soda douche just before sex and a vinegar douche for a girl...it sorely sets the ph balance just right for that particular sex sperm. I had a friend who did this and 3 times she got a boy just like she wanted," she shared on Babycenter.
This method is also referred to as alkaline douching and there are countless who swear by its success rate. As with anything, there are also many who get almost downright rude at th mention of anyone trying this gender sway method. As an anonymous user said on Babycenter, "Douching could be bad for you and while trying to conceive you don't want to be douching anyway since you want sperm to stay in you. Though unless you turn to genetic altering, there is no way you can successfully make your expecting child a girl or a boy, its always a 50/50 chance."
5 Bottoms Up For A Boy
Cera shared her gender swaying story on Babycenter: "My son's dad wanted to conceive a boy so he googled it and it said that after the deed is done to have your pelvis higher than your heart for 10 mins and it helps the sperms swim up faster. Must have been true as I got got a boy."
This one is also in line with the Shettles method since it relies on the speed of the guy's little swimmers, but it's also an additional way to try and help them along. "Legs up" is also the general advice given on most forums when it comes to trying for a girl. Turns out that you don't necessarily need to lay there for hours on end with your legs up. As another mom mentioned on Cafemom.com: "I don't put my legs up, but I do get on all fours and lay like a baby with my bottom in the air and my back arched. I have a tilted uterus and my doctor said that would help with the gravity because the legs in the air doesn't really move your uterus at all. I usually stay that way for about 10-20 minutes. It looks funny, but hey...whatever works."
4 Timing It Just Right For A Girl
On Babycenter, Irene shared that she employed multiple tactics to increase her chances of having a girl. On top of stopping birth control, she also made sure to start taking prenatals prior to even trying.
She said, "My husband and I really wanted a girl as his side of the family there wasn't a girl in over 63 years. When we decided to start trying to conceive I went of birth control during my period and after my period had sex every other day until I got a positive pregnancy test. My cycles are so crazy that I never know exactly when I ovulate (I tried ovulation text but they were getting expensive trying them all the time. I believe it does help if you know when you ovulate but if not - no need to spend the money). We made sure he always [came] when I was on top of him (since girl sperms take longer to swim). We conceived almost exactly 2 weeks after going off birth control on our first try! I also took Folic acid prenatal pills before trying. Our daughter is now 2 and we are thinking of trying again.
"And, we'd love another little princess so we will put this into try again," she also concluded.
3 Checking The Chinese Gender Chart
Listen, I know what you're thinking. How can a chart online help you conceive your baby? Believe it or not, most mommies can attest to the accuracy of the Chinese gender chart even though it has absolutely zero scientific backing. As crazy as it sounds, it was actually right for me both times as well.
Lia shared on Babycenter,
"We used the Chinese calendar for both our boys! My friend did also! Can't hurt to try right!"
That's right, it definitely can't hurt. The general premise is that by checking the chart, you can find a suitable month to try for either a boy or a girl based on your current age. Another mom on Babycenter wrote: "Okay, so it's a little complicated. Firstly you have to calculate your lunar age AT THE TIME OF conception [...] Anyway, it took some figuring. But it was right for my daughter and son. And it says this one is a girl. Also the baking soda test says this one is a girl (though I still think it's a boy! Ha!)"
2 Switching His Underwear
That's right, ladies! Having that elusive boy or girl can boil down to the kind of underwear your man wears. Kayla shared on The Bump's forum: "My dad wore tighty whities and he had 5 girls! My hubbi wears loose undies and I’m having a girl!"
Slight TMI on her dad's choice of underwear, but it still proves the point that there might be something to this "old wives' tale". It's tough to say if there is any truth to this one, but like all the others on this list, it wouldn't hurt to try just to ensure that all that odds are ever in your favor.
The prevailing logic with switching the underwear comes back down to the Shettles method. According to Baby-Chick.com: "The temperature of the testes is the issue. Since the temperature of testes must be lower than the core body temperature, the closer it is to the body the warmer it gets and the lower sperm count he will have which increases your chances for a girl." Therefore, the ideal underwear for (hopefully) producing a girl seems to be either boxer briefs or tighty whities, coupled with tight pants.
1 Sleeping On Your Left For A Girl
While there are many who are less than impressed with this gender sway method, there are many moms who swear by it. Sylvia confided on the Gender Dreaming forum, "I hate sleeping on my left side but I made a huge effort when trying to have girls and guess what… IT WORKED! Two girls back to back."
On the What To Expect forum, another mom wrote, "I've never heard that one, but I've always been a belly sleeper. Then, I started sleeping on my right side. I try to sleep on my left because people say it's better when pregnant, but the right is so much more comfortable. Last week? Found out it's a girl. Sooooo...that's crazy!"
While for Tonya, sleeping on her right side proved true in the opposite way as well: "I usually sleep on my left side but find I'm laying more on the right now. I'm having a boy!"
References: KidSpot.com.au, Mirror.co.uk, Vogue.com, Netmums.com, BellyBelly.com.au, DailyMail.co.uk, Babycenter.com, WhatToExpect.com, and Baby-Chick.com.