| In 1970, Landrum B.
Shettles published an article called "Factors influencing sex ratios" in
the International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. The premise,
which he later expanded for a book which popularized his theory, is that
your intercourse timing and your reproductive environment can influence the
gender of your offspring Shettles Method which is based
on the premise that sperm carrying the X and Y chromosomes have different
characteristics and that you can influence the reproductive environment to
favor one or the other. While there is some controversy surrounding both the
credibility and the morality of the method, here's how the theory goes:
It is the sperm that fertilizes the egg that will determine the sex of
your baby. Some sperm carry the X-chromosome and some sperm carry the
Y-chromosome. If an X-chromosome-carrying sperm fertilizes the egg, the baby
will be a girl. If a Y-chromosome-carrying sperm fertilizes the egg, the
baby will be a boy.
The idea behind the Shettles Method of sex selection is based on the
premise that the X and Y chromosome carrying sperm have different
characteristics and that under different circumstances either X- or
Y-chromosome-carrying sperm will be more likely to fertilize the egg.
The Y-chromosome-carrying sperm 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 cervical environment before
fertile cervical fluid is produced.
Based on these premises, 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 Get A Boy (According to Shettles):
- 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.
To Get a Girl (According to Shettles):
- 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.
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