How To Choose The Sex Of Your Baby...yes it is possible

I am back with another book review! For this one, I have selected "How To Choose The Sex Of Your Baby" by Landrum Shettles MD, PhD and David Rorvik. This is a book I actually bought and read for the first time before I was even married (can you say baby obsessed weirdo?) I just heard about this somewhere at the time and couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. So I read it then and it has been collecting dust on my shelf for a few years...so I decided to share the info with all of you :)

I am wondering if anyone else has even heard of this or maybe tried it for any of their pregnancies (if so, did it work?) Enjoy!!





How To Choose The Sex of Your Baby
By: Landrum B. Shettles, M.D., Ph.D. and David M. Rorvik

The Shettles Method of sex selection has had over 30 years of success. It was developed in the 1960s and refined continually since then. It has been used by millions of couples worldwide with consistently good results. The success rate of this method is at least 75% for couples seeking a girl and 80% for couples seeking a boy. The instructions are not without failures; however it does significantly increase your chances of having a child of the sex you desire. (Considering the chances are 50/50 if you do nothing.)

OBVIOUSLY IT IS NOT FAIL SAFE, SO THE AUTHORS RECOMMEND THAT YOU ONLY TRY THEIR SEX SELECTION METHOD IF YOU WOULD BE HAPPY WITH ANOTHER BABY, NO MATTER WHAT THE SEX. A HEALTHY BABY SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A FAILURE.

The results of this sex selection method are satisfied parents, happy and healthy children, & smaller better balanced families.

A few interesting thoughts from hundreds of years ago regarding sex selection:
1. It was thought that women had 2 uteruses-one made boys and the other made girls
2. It was thought that a sperm from the man’s right testicle would make a boy and one from the right would make a girl (they would tie a string around the one that they did not want to use that time)
3. If you wanted to have a boy, you should wear men’s clothes during sex
4. If you wanted a boy, you should sleep with a boy in your bed on the wedding night (the boy would be in the bed while they were trying to conceive)
5. If you wanted to have a boy, you should sleep with an axe in your bed
6. If you wanted a girl, you should eat a lot of sweets during your pregnancy

The Facts of Life (How to Make a Baby):
Your sex cells contain half the number of chromosomes (23) that other cells have (46). When the egg and sperm combine, they form into pairs and form the nucleus of a new cell in a new human life. The average menstrual cycle lasts 28 days & ovulation occurs about midway through on day 14. One male ejaculate may contain 1 billion sperm, but only a few hundred will get to the egg. The egg and sperm meet in the upper portion of the fallopian tube and once one gets in, all others are locked out. The sex of the baby depends on the sperm. The egg always contributes an X and the sperm may contribute an X or a Y. XX equals a girl and XY equals a boy.

More about sperm:
*Y (boy producing sperm)-smaller & more compact, faster
*X (girl producing sperm)-bigger & bulkier, better staying power
*The average man has more male producing sperm in their ejaculate
*When fluids of the vagina are acidic-the female producing sperm survive longer
*When fluids of the vagina are alkaline-the male producing sperm survive longer

TIMING IS THE MOST CRUCIAL ELEMENT TO SEX SELECTION! Also it is very important to study both the boy and girl methods to see what you should and should not be doing.

How to successfully use the Shettles method
First determine the time of ovulation! Your cycle begins with the 1st day of bleeding. All women are different (and some may vary from month to month). You can determine when you ovulate by 3 methods.

Cervical Mucus (CM)-most predictable, lowest cost
Basal Body Temperature (BBT)-very helpful for women who have irregular cycles
Ovulation Predictor Kits-very expensive, do not use for sex selection alone but can be used to check your information from the other 2 sources-not necessary at all but some people like them

How to observe your CM: observe the cervical mucus at various times during your cycle; it will be thicker, cloudier, and less abundant earlier in your cycle and will become thin, transparent and elastic at the time of ovulation. Can be done with a tissue, don’t need an internal exam. Chart your results over a few (at least 3) months to find when you ovulate. Keep in mind that stress, illness, or change in diet can affect your CM.
Note: YOU CAN NOT USE THE BIRTH CONROL PILL DURING THIS TIME BECAUSE IT INTERFERES WITH THE CM AND YOU SHOULD BE OFF THE PILL FOR 6 MONTHS BEFORE TYRING TO GET PREGNANT. ALSO DO NOT USE ANY CONTRACEPTIVE FOAMS OR JELLIES –ONLY USE CONDOMS AND WATER BASED LUBRICANTS.

How to take your BBT: you will need to buy a BBT thermometer (aka an ovulation thermometer), take your temperature every morning before getting up or doing anything. Your body temperature will shift abruptly upward about the time that ovulation is occurring. Keep a chart from 97.0 to 99.0 including every tenth of a degree in between so you can tell when the sudden upward temperature shift occurs. Maintain a regular diet, sleeping, and eating regimen for most accurate results.

How to use ovulation predictor kits: Read the directions!! These kits do not detect ovulation; they detect the surge of a certain hormone which precedes ovulation. They are not easy to use and are not “magic”. They are also very expensive and the information will not be more helpful than the CM and BBT charts.

Trying for a boy:
*have sex from 24 hours before ovulation up to 12 hours past ovulation
*intercourse closer to ovulation favors the faster and less robust boy sperm because the cervical mucus present is less acidic and more slippery to help them reach the egg more quickly
*position-deep penetration from the rear, “doggy style” will deposit the sperm closer to the cervix giving the more aggressive & quicker moving boy sperm a head start
*orgasms-good for conceiving a boy because the body produces substances that make the vaginal environment more alkaline which favors the boy sperm, also the contractions which accompany the orgasm help move the sperm up into the cervix & gives the boy sperm an extra chance at being present when the egg is ready (the woman should have the orgasm before the man)
*have the man wear boxers instead of tight fitting underwear which can increase heat levels around the testes and lower sperm count
*have the man drink a caffeinated beverage 15-30 minutes before sex to make the Y sperm more active
*do not have sex for 4 days before you are going to make the attempt to get pregnant-this will increase the sperm count

Trying for a girl:
*it will take more patience and effort to conceive the girl
*start out having sex 3.5 days before ovulation, if nothing happens then move to 3 days, if nothing happens move to 2.5 days, and then if nothing happens move to 2 days. 2 days is the cut off!
*to increase your chances, have sex everyday from the end of your period; then do not have unprotected sex again until at least 3 days past ovulation
*frequent intercourse will naturally diminish sperm count which favors female conception
*intercourse further away from ovulation favors the larger & slower girl sperm, the weaker boy sperm will die more quickly in the more acidic vaginal environment & there will be more girl sperm available to fertilize the egg
*position-shallow penetration, “missionary position”, will deposit the sperm closer to the entrance of the vagina which is more acidic which will work against the weaker boy sperm
*orgasms-do not have an orgasm during sex when trying for the girl because the orgasm produces substances and contractions which favor the boy producing sperm
*the woman should avoid caffeine for the entire time you are trying to conceive a girl

Things to remember:
-This method is not guaranteed! Do not use unless you are prepared to love your baby no matter what the sex!
-Timing is the most important element!
-Do not try this while breastfeeding-you must wait until at least 3 months after you have stopped breastfeeding for accurate results!
-Go off the pill at least 6 months before you are attempting sex selection!
-Abstain from oral sex during the time you are attempting sex selection!