Fact or Myth?

courtsbrooke01 · March 2011

So, a friend of mine said that it is a scientific fact that boy sperm swim faster but die faster and girl sperm swim slower and live longer. So, if you concieve the baby within 24 hours of ovulation it will be a boy, but if you conceive two or more days after ovulation it will be a girl. Thoughts on this? Can any of you disprove this "scientific theory"? Thanks!

pettycrocker · March 2011

I've heard this on TLC a lot.

SarahPLiz · March 2011

That is the theory. However, if you had sex the day before (or 2 days before) ovulation, there could still be girl sperm inside of you that can fertilize your egg, even if you have sex again on the day of ovulation. I think the theory can help predict, but it doesn't prove anything.

FWIW, we were on our honeymoon when I O'd, so our gender results may tell you what you want to know. We had sex every day. If we end up with a girl (won't know for 3 more weeks), then the theory is correct, but not a complete success because your logic using that theory would have predicted boy.

jsong · March 2011

I've also heard this as a fact. Scientifically, male sperms are faster than female so theoretically, there is a higher chance that you may have a boy if the sperm meets the egg within a shorter time period. I also have heard that male sperms weigh less (or more) than the female sperms and that's how they do gender selection.

COMomma81 · March 2011

It is a fact the boy sperms swim faster and die quicker/girl sperm are slower and live longer...however, it's not a sure thing that if you have sex at a certain point in your cycle you're guaranteed a girl/boy, it simply means your chances are higher.

KOscar · March 2011

There's entire books on this theory. I know because my SIL ordered one because they want to try for a boy next time. Off the top of my head I believe it's Shelton's Theory but I may be off on the spelling of his name. We didn't chart so I have no clue if it worked for us (two boys) but it's certainly something some people believe.

Roseallen112 · March 2011

Female sperm are slower but stronger Male sperm are faster but weak. They also say that the position can help because it gives the male sperm a head start since they speed right from the gate lol. I think it's still anyone's game though LOL

caffinated_tulip · March 2011

I've heard that too, but it all works out to 50/50 any way. Because male sperms Tend to be slower and weaker but female sperms Tend to be slower and stronger doesn't mean that they always are, or that it's a good way to determine gender.

CCC A · March 2011

I also heard this as a fact when i was looking up how to conceive a girl (since we have 3 boys)

We wanted a grl so we tried days b4 ovulation...and well im prego with a girl..i dont know if that had anything to do with it or not..but we tried it.

water-fairy · March 2011

The first part of what you wrote is a fact but there is no guarantee of what you conceive. Some people go crazy trying for a certain sex, following lists of what should and shouldn't (position, nutrition, timing, you name it) be done and still end up with the opposite result

PoseyMamma · March 2011

I am pregnant with DD#2 and I don't remember about DD#1 but with DD#2 we had sex 3 days before I O'd and didn't have it again until after I was done O'ing and we are having another girl. I don't know how true to your theory it is but that is just what we got. We didn't really "try" for a certain gender.

JaysonandKristin · March 2011

KOscar:
There's entire books on this theory. I know because my SIL ordered one because they want to try for a boy next time. Off the top of my head I believe it's Shelton's Theory but I may be off on the spelling of his name. We didn't chart so I have no clue if it worked for us (two boys) but it's certainly something some people believe.

It's called the Shettles Method.

lynn97 · March 2011

courtsbrooke01:
So, a friend of mine said that it is a scientific fact that boy sperm swim faster but die faster and girl sperm swim slower and live longer. So, if you concieve the baby within 24 hours of ovulation it will be a boy, but if you conceive two or more days after ovulation it will be a girl. Thoughts on this? Can any of you disprove this "scientific theory"? Thanks!

I've heard/read that this is generally true (from reputable sources). But the key word is generally. It doesn't mean that you won't have a weak girl sperm or a strong boy sperm that won't defy the general pattern. There is a doctor (Shettles) that studied this and concluded that the timing of intercourse could better determine a baby's sex but it's my understanding that his conclusions are not very scientifically/statistically sound.

socalbaby · March 2011

with DS i was charting and we had sex twice the day of suspected ovulation. with this pregnancy i was charting and using a CBEFM and we had sex 2-3 days before suspected ovulation and then we didn't have sex again for a week. we are having a girl. so the "theory" was right for me in both cases. it was right for a few of my friends too.

KBaker421 · March 2011

But if you're like Dh and I, and had sex every day while being fertile, i guess there is really no way to tell which day was actually "the day"

so i guess that theory doesn't help me

Karen1998 · March 2011

There are entire books and websites dedicated to this and sex selection. If you want to waste an afternoon reading them, go ahead, but be prepared to be shocked and gasp at some of the crazy things people will do! It's actually quite interesting and a good way to "educate" yourself if you're bored.

As for the sex before ovulation question (and the whole Shettles Method), I can't help but think it's bunk. It also helps that we had sex two days before ovulation for me (and the dating u/s confirmed the O date was correct per the chart, if not two days later than it really was) and we're having a boy. It's not that we intended to stop before O, it's just that I'd had a temp shift and we were tired. I was surprised when I saw my temps flip again two days later.

jesstellina · March 2011

You can't conceive 2 or more days after ovulation. The egg only lives about 24 hours. The situation that would be more likely to result in a girl baby is if you have sex for the last time a couple days BEFORE ovulation. That way, the sperm that lived the longest would be the ones to still be around when the egg became available.

These things increase the probability of having one or the other sex of child, but it still only takes one sperm to fertilize the egg, so it could still go either way!!

TheFannins729 · March 2011

we'll see in 5 weeks if it's true for us. we didn't try for anything, but only had sex once 3 days before I ovulated because I got really sick after that. I had pretty much written the month off and was ready to go again the next month when I got my bfp. So, if it's a girl, then the theory would be true. But, there is no guarantee.

Shelleybell · March 2011

I o'd about 3 days after we had sex- and we are having a girl. worked for us.

Jelliebean1982 · March 2011

Not true. According to Shettles I should be having a girl but I am most definitely having a boy.

BonitaKaz · March 2011

Using that theory, the girl sperm would be waiting for the egg and the boy sperm can only be waiting for the egg if you had sex close to the time.
thus, there's still boy and girl sperm waiting for the egg when you ovulate.

And for whoever said that the weight of the sperm helps them select gender, that is incorrect if you are talking about Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis, where a couple can choose a male or female. The short of it is, they undergo an IVF cycle and the Dr. can test each resulting embryo for gender, and then only implants those that will become the specific gender. As far as I know (and I definately don't know everything) there is not medical procedure that separates "boy sperm" from "girl sperm."

Info on PGD:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preimplantation_genetic_diagnosis

cherylanddoug · March 2011

courtsbrooke01:
So, a friend of mine said that it is a scientific fact that boy sperm swim faster but die faster and girl sperm swim slower and live longer. So, if you concieve the baby within 24 hours of ovulation it will be a boy, but if you conceive two or more days after ovulation it will be a girl. Thoughts on this? Can any of you disprove this "scientific theory"? Thanks!

It's true...that's why people who had IUI most often have boys.

kacelle · March 2011

This makes absolutely no sense to me. Maybe I'm just ignorant. Haha. I just took a test this morning in Human Sexuality, and one of the facts we were expected to know is that babies develop homologous structures in the first few weeks after conception, and default to females unless male hormones are present. I would think that that would mean that sperm was neither male or female upon fertilization?

iris427 · March 2011

The studies that I've looked at in regard to timing of intercourse and the baby's sex show that it's a myth.

jessicasuzann · March 2011

kacelle:
This makes absolutely no sense to me. Maybe I'm just ignorant. Haha. I just took a test this morning in Human Sexuality, and one of the facts we were expected to know is that babies develop homologous structures in the first few weeks after conception, and default to females unless male hormones are present. I would think that that would mean that sperm was neither male or female upon fertilization?

I'm sorry...I don't want to sound mean...but you are ignorant.

The sperm determines the sex of the child. Each sperm has either an X or Y chromosome. All eggs are X.

The baby's sex is determined at conception--not once there is an evident penis or vulva.

melaniedel · March 2011

KBaker421:

But if you're like Dh and I, and had sex every day while being fertile, i guess there is really no way to tell which day was actually "the day"

so i guess that theory doesn't help me

We had sex (from 6 before) everyday through O and we're having a boy.

JaysonandKristin · March 2011

BonitaKaz:
Using that theory, the girl sperm would be waiting for the egg and the boy sperm can only be waiting for the egg if you had sex close to the time.
thus, there's still boy and girl sperm waiting for the egg when you ovulate.

And for whoever said that the weight of the sperm helps them select gender, that is incorrect if you are talking about Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis, where a couple can choose a male or female. The short of it is, they undergo an IVF cycle and the Dr. can test each resulting embryo for gender, and then only implants those that will become the specific gender. As far as I know (and I definately don't know everything) there is not medical procedure that separates "boy sperm" from "girl sperm."
Info on PGD:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preimplantation_genetic_diagnosis

They can separate male and female sperm by weight. You are incorrect. Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis is one method of selection, but there is also this:

The Gradient Method

The gradient method is a sperm sorting procedure performed at many fertility clinics.Sperm is placed in a centrifuge and spun at high speeds. This process helps to separate the X-bearing sperm from the Y-bearing sperm. Because X-bearing spermcontains more genetic material, it weighs more, and thus falls to the bottom of the test tube during the spinning process. This allows sperm of a specific gender to be selected for use during IUI treatments. The gradient method has been criticized for providing less than desirable results. However, it?s price and simplicity attracts many couples.

Elsker · March 2011

COMomma81:
It is a fact the boy sperms swim faster and die quicker/girl sperm are slower and live longer...however, it's not a sure thing that if you have sex at a certain point in your cycle you're guaranteed a girl/boy, it simply means your chances are higher.

This.

We really really want a boy as our first so we looked up everything there was to know about "how to concieve a boy". I even started eating a more alkaline diet because your body's Ph has a lot to do with which sperm can "survive" in your body best. Basically, no matter what you try, short of having a doctor work his magic, all you can to is up your chances one way or the other, there's no sure-fire way to guarantee a boy or girl.

kevinslove · March 2011

I don't know when we conceived because we BD'd for 4 days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation. My sister-in-law could have sworn it was a boy because of this, but it's a girl.

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