Gender timing question

bandwife928

My dh and I are ttc and will be perfectly happy with either gender.  With that being said, I have two friends who brag about how they've selected the gender of their babies by timing sex a couple days before O for girls and right before O for boys.  I know the science behind this and know that there's some luck involved, but I just wondered if those of you who know gender and date of conception are having what you thought you'd have.

 Kinda long and random...

littleanomaly

It's complete BS. They did not decide anything. His SPERM decided pretty much by battle of the fittest. *rolls eyes* It's a 50% chance that they got what they wanted.

LCB34

stephanieroyer

they say it works.. but honestly i agree 100% with PP..the sperm decides what you get and the strongest/quickest one gets it first.. you get what you get no one decides, they may get lucky and get what they were hoping for..but they didnt choose it, the little swimmers did.

eschall

Absolutely pointless to try.  Two of my boys were concieved having sex 5 days before o'ing and my third was concieved closer to ovulation.  Timing sex has little to do with the baby's gender.  My personal opinion is that my body just happened to be more attracted to the boy swimmers since I'm having my 3rd boy and no girls yet.

ames71

littleanomaly:

It's complete BS. They did not decide anything. His SPERM decided pretty much by battle of the fittest. *rolls eyes* It's a 50% chance that they got what they wanted.

Exactly.

mrs.kapow

While there are theories that are fairly "sound" if you will, apparently no one's been able to recreate Shettles' results.

We had sex only around O (2 days before, O day and 1 day after) due to our travel schedules and we're having a girl. So, I still believe you have a 50-50 chance. Maybe 55-45 if you're really religious about it. 

bandwife928

Kinda what I thought, but they were both so adamant about it that I wondered what the general experience had been.

Azrayla

I doubt it.. I think you just get what you get.. I wanted a girl and I got a girl..We did it every other day leading to O (-1, -3, -5 days) the last try being the day before O and I got a girl..

So I agree with PP's

mel72

LCB34:

RitaT22

That's the biggest crock I've heard. You get a 50/5 chance, and his sperm decides the gender. Based on your friends' expectations, your guy would be shooting out only female sperms a few days before, and only male sperms right before *rolls eyes* tell your friends to get a clue

Azrayla

RitaT22:

That's the biggest crock I've heard. You get a 50/5 chance, and his sperm decides the gender. Based on your friends' expectations, your guy would be shooting out only female sperms a few days before, and only male sperms right before *rolls eyes* tell your friends to get a clue

Actually I think this is based off that one theory were female sperm swim slower but live longer so if you have sex further from ovulation you are more likely to get a girl since boy sperm supposedly swim faster yet die quicker..So you have a better chance to kill off the boys or a better chance to have a boy if you do it closer to O since they will in "theory" find the egg quicker than the slow girls..

I also read somewhere recently that the egg also chooses which sperm can enter as well (but I dont know too much about that) either way still 50/50!

ougrad1

Ha!  Well, I had an IUI and I know exactly the day that I conceived.  Sperm were there, ready to go when I ovulated and I'm having a boy and a girl. 

ashopaholicmom

It is known as the Shettles Method. (You can also google, I supplied the link to Fertility Friend's explanation)

FWIW- It didn't hold true for us. We BD the day we O'ed and are having a girl. Link to BFP chart in siggy.

PubStar09

LCB34:

 

bandwife928

Your daughter is gorgeous! And your LO's names encorporate just about all the names on my short list.  Baby/Name envy!

 That was supposed to be a quote for ougrad, but I'm still new-ish and hit "reply" instead of "quote."

Sorry!

BrittH05

There is some truth behind the theories, however nothing is 100%.  We didn't "try" for either gender but according to the TCOYF book we conceived what we should have both times based on conception.  But nothing is 100%

sweetidrider22

I've never heard of it before but it sounds a tad redic, if its true that female are slower but live longer and males are faster but die faster then it may tip it just a little either way but not enough to make a difference in the long wrong. its still going to be pretty close to a 50/50 shot either way. lol, if it matters that much, I'm of the attitude I'll get what I'm meant to have and I will love little he or she to pieces anyways lol  girl or boy is not a big deal to me.

Jean&Crys

You can't believe those things.  There are all OWT and only 50/50 that they will ne right.

treala05

If you read the Shettles Method book, it's based on the scientific differences between the male vs. female sperm...so it's not an unreasonable theory. That said, it just increases your chances of having one or other other, doesn't guarantee it. There are several other factors which also play into which sperm enter the egg. And there will be plenty of people for whom it doesn't work...lots of people don't know their actual date of ovulation or have sex multiple times in the cycle so can't nail down which time delivered the sperm to the egg. I thought it was an interesting theory to read though.

newly_naugler

littleanomaly:

It's complete BS. They did not decide anything. His SPERM decided pretty much by battle of the fittest. *rolls eyes* It's a 50% chance that they got what they wanted.

This

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SkobysBride

It's a crock.  I charted.  We had sex 3 days before I O'd.  According to that "method" we should be having a girl...we're having a boy.

kibbyy75

bandwife928:

My dh and I are ttc and will be perfectly happy with either gender.  With that being said, I have two friends who brag about how they've selected the gender of their babies by timing sex a couple days before O for girls and right before O for boys.  I know the science behind this and know that there's some luck involved, but I just wondered if those of you who know gender and date of conception are having what you thought you'd have.

 Kinda long and random...

 

I just sent you a PM!!

kg_08

We had sex ONLY on the day of ovulation, and still ended up with a girl. It's luck mostly.

wife1014

bandwife928:

Kinda what I thought, but they were both so adamant about it that I wondered what the general experience had been.

and I am sure these two friends will be adamant about many things...Gotta love friends like that.