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Low-Tech Ways to Choose Your Baby's Gender

Using the Shettles Method or Whelan Method to Conceive
a Boy or Girl

Part 1

By Virginia Gilbert

Ovulation kits available in pharmacies also can determine when a woman is ovulating, but these kits are expensive and may not be accurate for women with irregular cycles.

According to Shettles, girls are harder to come by than boys. Couples need to be patient; conceiving a girl may take several months. The reason for this is that partners trying for a daughter need to stop having sex at least 2 days before ovulation, so more X sperm than Y sperm will be around to meet the egg. Even though the Xs have better staying power, it's tougher (but not impossible) for either sperm to last more than a few days. That said, the basic method to conceive a girl is this:

Immediately after a woman's menstrual period ends, she and her partner should have intercourse frequently (at least every other day) until 48 hours before ovulation. Shettles stresses that continuing to have sex beyond this point diminishes the chances of getting a girl.

In a nutshell, couples hoping for a boy should do the following:

Either abstain from sex or use condoms until 4 days before ovulation. After this point, abstain entirely until 12 hours prior to ovulation; this sexual respite acts to boost a man's sperm count, a condition that Shettles maintains favors male sperm. During the 12-hour ovulatory window, a couple should have sex, preferably just once. After this, partners must use condoms if they have intercourse again in the next several days.

Read Part 2 here

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