Did anyone try the Shettles method?

mamatowildones · November 2016

First off, I do not think that this is a full proof method by any means. My sister has 4 and swore that this is how they finally got their boy. She suggested we try it to get our girl. We didn't try but we did dtd a day or two before O this time. I'm curious to see if any of you tried this in the past or this time and how it turned out for you? I have a neighbor with 2 boys and they tried it and were shocked to have their 3rd boy.
I just feel like no matter how many we have or what we do we are destined for boys. Although, maybe that's only because that's all I've known. Haha
Also, we are trying to stick with team green this time. But when i was at the doc last time she was showing me my blood test results and she quickly covered up the sex which I swore was short and had to say male.

Squirtgun · November 2016

I honestly think that the Shettles method is… lets say not super scientific. I think that's a nice way of saying it! I heard about the method after our girls, and looked back at our charts from when they were each conceived, and according to the Shettles method, one should be a boy and one a girl. This is totally anecdotal, so I know that isn't scientific proof that it DOESN'T work. Honestly, a lot of people have trouble getting pregnant (I took a little time each time, although I know that there are many out there who waited much longer!!) and, it seems kind of crazy to me to do something that would lessen your chances of getting pregnant! So, in conclusion, I think it is a method that doesn't hold much water, and I don't see the point of trying it. (although I guess like all old wives tales, it can be fun to look back at your chart and guess what baby will be, kind of like that Chinese gender chart that you see in some places!)

MollyandD · November 2016

I just wanted a baby. I had no desire to try/avoid based on what gender could be conceived on a given day. Not to mention that I also don't think the Shettles method is worth much.

nda_roxybabe · November 2016

I didn't try anything special. My BFF However says she tried for a girl, a girl, and then a boy and thats exactly what she got. I think it was luck, but meh.

ShadeofGreen816 · November 2016

So I didn't know this was a thing until a recent somewhat controversial thread I lurked on TTGP. Like most gender-selection/prediction techniques, I don't think it scientifically holds a lot of weight. However, it holds true to a statement in The Great Sperm Race (I am pretty sure that's where I heard it). Basically that X-chromosome sperm (girls) are slower swimmers but tend to live longer and the Y-chromosome sperm (boys) are fast swimmers but die off faster. I don't really see how this is scientifically reliable, although I admit that reproductive genetics is definitely not my area of expertise.

In any case, I'm some sort of unicorn because we had (what I'm pretty sure based on CM and other fertility signs, but not BBT) -3 timing with this pregnancy so if I have a boy, we are definitely disproving the theory!

pshaortao · November 2016

mamatowildones · November 2016

pshaortao said:

This made me laugh out loud!

vrj0522 · November 2016

With both DD and this pregnancy, we DTD the at O-1 only. This one is a boy though.

LCRbelle · November 2016

When you've been trying for years and have a lot of money riding on conceiving in a certain month you don't worry about any certain methods for a certain gender! Haha
I would love a girl but I wouldn't do some unscientific method to see if it works!
At this point I'll be happy either way as long as he/she is healthy!

chickyclg · November 2016

Is now to soon to bust this theory with boy/ girl twins? While I'm at it, I'm tossing the Chinese Gender Prediction chart too.

hp_momma · November 2016

chickyclg said:

Is now to soon to bust this theory with boy/ girl twins? While I'm at it, I'm tossing the Chinese Gender Prediction chart too.

The Chinese Gender chart has been wrong for me both times so far. According to the chart I should have two boys, I have two DDs!

I have a friend that swears she got her boy by using the Shettles Method, but I also had a friend that did all the research on it and used to have a boy, and had another girl.

tenfour · November 2016

I actually did a lot of research on this! There are a few gender swaying sites. I feel like the consensus is diet is more effective for "swaying" than timing. I wasn't aggressive at all about it but I did kind of try to eat more "girl friendly" foods, just because I'd love to avoid some health concerns that are more prevalent in boys. I'm 99% sure nothing actually sways, but check out genderdreaming.com, I think that's what it's called - those women are serious about it.

Also, fun fact - I couldn't do shettles because when I tried the first two months to do a cut off, I didn't get pregnant.

mamasmurf12 · November 2016

We were gonna try it until DH researched that you're more likely to just not get pregnant.

WombThereItIs · November 2016

I tried the "get as much sperm in there before I ovulate" method. It worked pretty well!

kat81 · November 2016

We have never had a gender preference and never tried to use this method. I think that it absolutely could "sway" things, but if you use this method you're just going to be less likely to get pregnant, and you still might end up with a baby that is against the prediction/trend. I think that some men out there carry overwhelmingly X or Y sperm (I really think this of families that are all male or all female). But as @ShadeofGreen816 said, it is ON AVERAGE the case that X sperm are slower and heartier (living longer in the not-so-friendly vagina/uterus waiting around for an egg to come) and Y sperm are faster but more fragile -- they can get to an existing egg quickly, but if they have to wait around for it to arrive, they will die. Still, though, this is just an average. You can have a Y sperm that lasts a long time in there and happens to fertilize the egg, or a speedy X sperm who gets there fastest to the egg that's already sitting there waiting.

As for us, though we never tried Shettles, it worked out for us that way. With DS, we were using the "get as much sperm in there before I ovulate" method and DTD on the day of ovulation. With DD, we were using the same method, but I had to go out of town without DH and was dismayed to discover via temping and opks that I ovulated while I was gone, a few days after leaving. We DTD at like 5am the day I was going to leave (I had an early flight and we also needed to do it before DS woke up), so that probably did the trick! But yeah, I didn't ovulate until at least 2 days later, maybe 3. I wrote that cycle off, but got a BFP about a week and a half later, and DD was the outcome.

This time around we didn't temp or use opks because it worked on the first try (we might have resorted to that for the next month) and I didn't keep track of when we DTD anyway. So I actually don't know what our timing was.

schnitz9 · November 2016

I can possible let you know if this theory is true or not in 2 weeks. I've been told by several doctors and read that male sperm can live in a woman's body for up to 24 hours and female sperm can live anywhere from 5-7 days. Apparently according to my last dating scan we conceived this baby 5 days after I apparently ovulated (I became pregnant 3 weeks after a MC so never had a cycle). So according to all the "research" this baby would have to be a girl. But I'm not one to believe all the hub bub so I haven't run out bought all pink stuff just yet. Anything can happen....

kat81 · November 2016

schnitz9 said:

I can possible let you know if this theory is true or not in 2 weeks. I've been told by several doctors and read that male sperm can live in a woman's body for up to 24 hours and female sperm can live anywhere from 5-7 days. Apparently according to my last dating scan we conceived this baby 5 days after I apparently ovulated (I became pregnant 3 weeks after a MC so never had a cycle). So according to all the "research" this baby would have to be a girl. But I'm not one to believe all the hub bub so I haven't run out bought all pink stuff just yet. Anything can happen....

It's not possible to conceive 5 days AFTER ovulation, because the egg only survives unfertilized for a day or two. But if you conceived 5 days prior to ovulation then that would be a thumb on the scale for "girl."

schnitz9 · November 2016

kat81 said:

schnitz9 said:

I can possible let you know if this theory is true or not in 2 weeks. I've been told by several doctors and read that male sperm can live in a woman's body for up to 24 hours and female sperm can live anywhere from 5-7 days. Apparently according to my last dating scan we conceived this baby 5 days after I apparently ovulated (I became pregnant 3 weeks after a MC so never had a cycle). So according to all the "research" this baby would have to be a girl. But I'm not one to believe all the hub bub so I haven't run out bought all pink stuff just yet. Anything can happen....

It's not possible to conceive 5 days AFTER ovulation, because the egg only survives unfertilized for a day or two. But if you conceived 5 days prior to ovulation then that would be a thumb on the scale for "girl."

Well then call me the virgin mary then. My husband and I only DTD once and that was according to my dating scan 5 days after I ovulated. So I guess somethings a little off....

ShadeofGreen816 · November 2016

schnitz9 said:

kat81 said:

schnitz9 said:

I can possible let you know if this theory is true or not in 2 weeks. I've been told by several doctors and read that male sperm can live in a woman's body for up to 24 hours and female sperm can live anywhere from 5-7 days. Apparently according to my last dating scan we conceived this baby 5 days after I apparently ovulated (I became pregnant 3 weeks after a MC so never had a cycle). So according to all the "research" this baby would have to be a girl. But I'm not one to believe all the hub bub so I haven't run out bought all pink stuff just yet. Anything can happen....

It's not possible to conceive 5 days AFTER ovulation, because the egg only survives unfertilized for a day or two. But if you conceived 5 days prior to ovulation then that would be a thumb on the scale for "girl."

Well then call me the virgin mary then. My husband and I only DTD once and that was according to my dating scan 5 days after I ovulated. So I guess somethings a little off....

Frankly, my guess is that your dating scan was a bit off. Happens all the time - it's a really sensitive measurement and is often dependent on the U/S technician. Thats why they typically don't change your LMP due date unless it differs from your u/s date by 5-7 days or more (depending on your provider).

NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot · November 2016

Agree w/ @ShadeofGreen816 My dating u/s had me 4 days later than my due date and my doctor didn't change my due date because she said that was within the margin of error.

vrj0522 · November 2016

@schnitz9 - how did you figure when you ovulated? Frankly it sounds to me like you either ovulated later than you think or the dating scan was off.

katie0919 · November 2016

So with DS 1 and 2, we did not try the shettles method. With DS1, we just did NTNP and got pregnant after a couple cycles. With DS2 I charted, temped, had two miscarriages and took us over a year to get pregnant with our rainbow baby. Gender selection was the last thing on my mind.

Now, baby 3 is a complete and utter shock and surprise as I got pregnant by having sex a full WEEK before ovulation (and baby is measuring one week to the day after we had sex) so by shettles method this baby should have a way better chance at being a girl. Well, guess what my NIPT results showed today? You got it, baby boy #3!!! So, we definitely debunked the method. Lol!

tenfour · November 2016

Can dating scans be off? I thought those were like 100%. Now I'm also curious how you figured out your ovulation day. A five day old egg is def virgin Mary territory.

MollyandD · November 2016

tenfour said:

Can dating scans be off? I thought those were like 100%. Now I'm also curious how you figured out your ovulation day. A five day old egg is def virgin Mary territory.

Dating scans can vary by a few days. I confirmed ovulation by monitoring my basal body temperature when I was trying to conceive. The dating scan was a day off from when I know I ovulated, but the sonographer told me a few days is normal.

WombThereItIs · November 2016

Aside from the insanity of a lot of these gender prediction voo doo theories there is something else I think people are forgetting here.

Yes you may have know the exact day you ovulated. Cool. Implantation can still vary though.

kat81 · November 2016

MollyandD said:

tenfour said:

Can dating scans be off? I thought those were like 100%. Now I'm also curious how you figured out your ovulation day. A five day old egg is def virgin Mary territory.

Dating scans can vary by a few days. I confirmed ovulation by monitoring my basal body temperature when I was trying to conceive. The dating scan was a day off from when I know I ovulated, but the sonographer told me a few days is normal.

Yeah I am convinced dating scans can easily be off. I was nervous when, with #1, my dating scan said my due date was 4 days after what it ought to have been based off of my ovulation date that I had calculated with BBT, opks, and cervical mucus. I was pretty solidly sure of my ovulation date, so being 4 days off worried me (esp 4 days behind). Well the pregnancy went just fine and the baby came 4 days before my due date (8 days before the dating scan's due date.)

This time around I was not sure of ovulation, just on a pretty regular 28 day cycle since the birth of #2. A dating scan (that was really a "see if I'm miscarrying" scan due to a SCH bleed) had me 5 or 6 days behind my due date. I got worried again, but also remembered my experience with #1 when I was sure of my ovulation date and combined that with not being sure of the date this time and decided it was nbd. The health professionals said it can be a week off so they weren't going to change my due date based off the scan.

kat81 · November 2016

schnitz9 said:

kat81 said:

schnitz9 said:

I can possible let you know if this theory is true or not in 2 weeks. I've been told by several doctors and read that male sperm can live in a woman's body for up to 24 hours and female sperm can live anywhere from 5-7 days. Apparently according to my last dating scan we conceived this baby 5 days after I apparently ovulated (I became pregnant 3 weeks after a MC so never had a cycle). So according to all the "research" this baby would have to be a girl. But I'm not one to believe all the hub bub so I haven't run out bought all pink stuff just yet. Anything can happen....

It's not possible to conceive 5 days AFTER ovulation, because the egg only survives unfertilized for a day or two. But if you conceived 5 days prior to ovulation then that would be a thumb on the scale for "girl."

Well then call me the virgin mary then. My husband and I only DTD once and that was according to my dating scan 5 days after I ovulated. So I guess somethings a little off....

I would agree with the others -- either your ovulation date or your dating scan or both were off. I was sure of my ovulation date (from temping and other methods, as well as an early positive test) with #1 and the dating scan was still 4 days off (taken at about 6 weeks). With this pregnancy the dating scan was 6 days off (also taken at 6 weeks), but I did not know my ovulation date this time other than having a regular 28-day cycle. Apparently 6 days off was still in the margin of error for dating scans.

Even if you were temping, using opks, etc, your dating scan could still be 5 days off. But if you are just using LMP to determine ovulation date, that could be off, too.

schnitz9 · November 2016

I got pregnant right after a MC and therefor we had no dates to go off of. I never had a period or any ovulation symptoms. We had 2 dating scans with the doc and figured out ovulation from those dates given. I am well aware of how ovulation and dating works. This is my 5th pregnancy and not my first time at the rodeo. For my other pregnancies I temped, followed symptoms, used OPK's and was able to pinpoint ovulation to the very moment it happened. This time around I wasn't able to do any of that and my high risk doc and I had only HCG levels and scans to go off of. I've had more than 1 US as well all with the same growth and date (my dating scan was a few days off with my son however he caught up and was measuring exactly to my ovulation date). So still not sure but to be honest really don't care as long as the baby is healthy. Which so far I'm being told is.

pshaortao · November 2016

schnitz9 said:

I got pregnant right after a MC and therefor we had no dates to go off of. I never had a period or any ovulation symptoms. We had 2 dating scans with the doc and figured out ovulation from those dates given. I am well aware of how ovulation and dating works. This is my 5th pregnancy and not my first time at the rodeo. For my other pregnancies I temped, followed symptoms, used OPK's and was able to pinpoint ovulation to the very moment it happened. This time around I wasn't able to do any of that and my high risk doc and I had only HCG levels and scans to go off of. I've had more than 1 US as well all with the same growth and date (my dating scan was a few days off with my son however he caught up and was measuring exactly to my ovulation date). So still not sure but to be honest really don't care as long as the baby is healthy. Which so far I'm being told is.

SIQB

Okay now I'm confused. First you said 5 days after ovulation, now you said you don't even know when you ovulated. They don't go hand in hand. But yes as long baby is growing well, thats all should matter.

schnitz9 · November 2016

They are speculating ovulation based off my dating scan.

ETA: in my very first comment I specifically said we got pregnant right after a MC and had no idea when I ovulated. Then also mentioned they were using my dates from the multiple dating scans I had to figure out when I ovulated to get a due date. So why all the questions still?

kat81 · November 2016

schnitz9 said:

I got pregnant right after a MC and therefor we had no dates to go off of. I never had a period or any ovulation symptoms. We had 2 dating scans with the doc and figured out ovulation from those dates given. I am well aware of how ovulation and dating works. This is my 5th pregnancy and not my first time at the rodeo. For my other pregnancies I temped, followed symptoms, used OPK's and was able to pinpoint ovulation to the very moment it happened. This time around I wasn't able to do any of that and my high risk doc and I had only HCG levels and scans to go off of. I've had more than 1 US as well all with the same growth and date (my dating scan was a few days off with my son however he caught up and was measuring exactly to my ovulation date). So still not sure but to be honest really don't care as long as the baby is healthy. Which so far I'm being told is.

Yes, obviously it just matters that your baby is healthy and growing! I know someone who was pregnant after one time of sex and the baby was measuring ahead by a week assuming ovulation had been on that date. So it definitely happens. I'm happy for you that it worked out so soon after a miscarriage!

vrj0522 · November 2016

schnitz9 said:

They are speculating ovulation based off my dating scan.

ETA: in my very first comment I specifically said we got pregnant right after a MC and had no idea when I ovulated. Then also mentioned they were using my dates from the multiple dating scans I had to figure out when I ovulated to get a due date. So why all the questions still?

All the questions because you confused us all and then went on affirming that your O date was 5 days after conception, Your dating scan would go off what they think would be your ovulation date. You might be confusing LMP dates with O and dating scan dates. Either way, according to the doctor, you O date lines up with what they expect to be your conception date, that's the way it works, therefore you can't claim that you O'd 5 days after or before conception if you were not temping.

@tenfour - Dating scans are off most of the time. Crazy huh? But think about it, if they were not, then most babies would be born on their due date. Rarely is a baby truly past due. Most of the time, it's a matter of the dating scan being off, for whatever reason. With DD I was 4 days late per the EDD the doctor gave me and she even measured a week ahead at 39 and 40 weeks, yet per my O date, she was born at the 40 week mark.

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