How to Choose the Gender of Your Baby

Many people are interested in choosing the gender of their future baby. For some people, it is because they have always dreamed specifically of having a little boy or a little girl. For other people, it is because they already have multiple kids of one gender and would like to add a child of the opposite gender to the family. In either case, there is a strong interest in gender selection.

Two Methods of Gender Selection

There are two basic methods that you can use to determine the gender of your baby. The first is to use artificial insemination which is going to be more accurate but also costly. The second is to use the timing of ovulation to try to get the baby of your preferred gender.

Gender Selection by Artificial Insemination

It is possible to choose the gender of your baby if you opt to get pregnant through fertility treatments. In most cases, people won't choose to go through this experience if they can get pregnant on their own. Instead, this is the method frequently used by people who are already using IVF to get pregnant due to difficulty conceiving naturally. There are multiple scientific methods of choosing the gender of your baby this way but they all have to do with sorting the sperm to select the gender of choice. This procedure is almost guaranteed to give you the gender you want but it costs a lot of money and isn't a comfortable procedure.

Gender Selection by Timing of Ovulation

The method more commonly used by the average person who wants to pre-determine the gender of her baby is going to be to try to time the conception of the child with the proper part of the ovulation cycle. The most common procedure used to do this is called the Shettles Method. The Shettles Method involves three different areas to attend to:

1. Timing of Conception. The goal is to figure out when you are ovulating and to release the sperm with appropriate timing in relation to that. For a boy, you'll want to release the sperm as close to the ovulation time as possible. For a girl, you'll want to be a few days before or after this time period.
2. Sexual Positions. People who want to have a boy should use positions that favor deeper penetration whereas those couples seeking a girl will want shallow penetration positions.
3. Female Orgasm. Basically, you should aim for one if you want a boy and try not to have one if you're going for a girl.

Controversy About Gender Selection

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the use of gender selection. First, there is controversy about whether or not parents should use any of these methods. Some people say that parents should just let nature run its course and not try to predetermine the gender of the baby. And second, there is controversy as to whether or not these methods really work. Some people say they're just urban myths. But if you're set on trying to have a baby of a certain gender then these are your options.