Myths on How to Choose a Baby's Gender

Pregnancy Old Wives Tales on Methods for Conceiving a Girl or a Boy

Sep 19, 2009
Mia Carter

Would You Love to Conceive a Baby Girl? Or a Boy? - Emily Cahal Photo

Some parents want to conceive a baby girl. Others want to conceive a baby boy. There are many pregnancy myths and old wives tales on how to pick a baby's gender.

There are so many pregnancy myths and old wives tales on pregnancy that it can sometimes be difficult to decipher fact from fiction. Many of these myths about pregnancy surround baby gender – how to determine baby gender, how to conceive a baby boy, how to conceive a baby girl and so on.

Many baby gender myths are also rooted in culture. In Asian culture, for example, it's believed that expecting parents can determine and predict baby gender by using the date of conception and the mother's birth date to predict a baby's sex using the ancient Chinese calendar.

A large number of pregnancy myths also surround how to conceive a certain gender. These myths involve everything from eating certain foods to conceiving with the mother's head facing a particular direction.

Old Wives Tales and Myths on How to Conceive a Baby Girl

There are many old wives tales and myths on how to conceive a baby girl. Some of these myths include:

If the woman initiates sex, the couple will have a baby girl;
Conceive a baby on an even day of the month;
Both partners should eat vegetables and fish;
Both partners should eat sweets and sugary foods;
Males should avoid caffeine;
Women should sleep on the right side of the bed;
Baby-making activities should be performed with the woman on the top;
Cooling the sperm results in a baby girl;
Conceive the baby while the woman's head is facing north, and;
Eat avocado peels shortly before attempting to become pregnant.

Myths and Old Wives Tales on How to Conceive a Baby Boy

There are also many supposed methods that can be used to conceive a baby boy, including the following:

If the male initiates sex, the couple will have a baby boy;
Conceive the baby on an odd day of the month;
Both partners should eat red meat to have a boy baby;
Both partners should eat salty foods;
Males should consume lots of caffeine;
Women should sleep on the left side of the bed;
Baby-making activities should be performed with the male on the top;
Warming the sperm results in a baby boy;
Conceive the baby while the woman's head is facing south, and;
Avoid avocado peels for a few days before attempting to become pregnant.

Notably, some of these supposed ways to conceive a certain gender may be rooted in truth. For instance, according to BabyCenter.com, there's some evidence to suggest that "female sperm" (sperm with an X chromosome) swim faster than "male sperm."

Is it Possible to Choose the Sex of a Baby?

It is, in fact, possible to choose baby gender. There are two methods that are most commonly used to pick a baby's gender.

One method to choose the sex of a baby involves performing sperm selection for the desired gender. The chromosomal make-up of the sperm is what determines baby gender. The woman's egg always carries an X chromosome. Sperm with an X chromosome will combine with the egg for an XX combination and this will result in conception of a baby girl. Sperm with a Y chromosome will combine with the egg for an XY combination and this will result in the conception of a baby boy.

The sperm are analyzed and separated. Artificial insemination is then performed using sperm that carry the desired chromosome – X for a girl baby and Y for a boy baby. The success rate for this method of choosing baby gender is approximately 80% for boys and 72% for girls, according to ChooseBabyGender.net, which also indicates that the average cost for this method is approximately $1,000.

The other way to choose a baby's gender involves IVF and embryo screening. Fertilized embryos are created in the lab — also known as creating "test tube babies" — and they are then tested for gender. This method of picking a baby's gender is most often performed in conjunction with a procedure called preimplantation genetic diagnosis or "PGD," which involves genetic screening of embryos for conditions like Down Syndrome and hemophilia. The embryo(s) of the selected gender are then implanted. According to ChooseBabyGender.net, this procedure for selecting baby sex costs between $12,000 and $15,000.

To learn more about how to choose baby sex, read Can You Choose Baby Gender?

Readers may also enjoy learning about pregnancy myths and old wives tales on how to predict baby gender in Pregnancy Myths – Determining Baby Gender. Expecting mothers may also wish to learn more about tests to determine baby gender. Read Home Gender Tests for Pregnant Women to learn more about the IntelliGender test or the Pink or Blue DNA test to determine baby gender.