There are lots of rumors out there about which sex positions lead to girl babies and boy babies. But the truth is that there’s no scientific evidence that specific sex positions or coins can determine sex.
Shettles claimed that having sex four days before ovulation, in the woman-on-top or man-behind positions, increases chances of a girl because deep penetration will make it easier for male sperm to reach an egg (the vagina becomes less acidic closer to the cervix). But this theory has since been proven false.
Positions
During pregnancy, the baby can be in one of many positions. The most common is head down, or cephalic presentation. This is the easiest position for the baby to be born in, and allows the baby’s head to pass easily down the birth canal and under the pubic bone during delivery.
Other babies can be in the breech, or transverse, position. The medical term for this is the left occiput transverse position (LOT). This can be harder to deliver, as it increases the chances of a head-first delivery through the vaginal opening. If the baby remains in this position, your doctor may perform a hands-on examination, called Leopold’s maneuvers, to try to turn them into a head-down position.
There are also breech positions that can be more difficult to deliver. These include the complete breech, which is when the buttocks lead the way into the birth canal, and the frank breech, which has both hips flexed and knees extended. These positions can increase the risk of a condition called an umbilical cord loop that could precede the head through the cervix and injure it during a vaginal delivery. Your doctor can check the position of your baby in the third trimester, and will discuss your options if the baby is not in the best position for delivery.
Duration
There’s no scientific proof that certain lovemaking positions can help you select the sex of your baby. But if you are hoping for a girl, there are rumors that putting your feet up and taking a deep missionary position during sex will make it more likely to happen. Unfortunately, this is simply a myth.
In order for sperm to successfully fertilize an egg, it must first survive a long journey through the vagina’s acidic environment. The pH of the vagina naturally shifts from acidic to neutral or alkaline just before ovulation, as hormones surge to facilitate conception. This is why couples are advised to have sex four or five days before ovulation, as this is when the pH of the vagina is the most favorable for sperm to survive.
But the fact is that sex in any position will give your baby a 50-50 chance of being a boy or girl, because all of the sperm will survive and match up with the egg’s X chromosomes equally. There’s nothing that you can do during sex to change this ratio.
Other at-home sex selection methods, such as holding a nickel in your mouth during sex, have also been debunked as myths. Some people are even using advanced genetic techniques to choose the sex of their children, but this is controversial and unethical.
Timing
Some people claim that you can influence whether you have a boy or girl by the position you have sex in and when you do it. One theory, developed in the 1960s by physician Landrum Shettles, says that if you use the missionary position or a similar one where penetration isn’t deep, you’ll have more chances of conceiving a girl. The logic behind this is that male sperm are in a rush to reach the egg and can sometimes die along the way, while female sperm take their time and have a longer lifespan.
Shettles also believed that having sex with the woman on top can increase chances of having a girl, because she controls the depth of penetration. He also advised having sex on the days leading up to ovulation, in order to maximize the number of male sperm that fertilize the eggs.
Many of these theories are based on the idea that the pH balance of the vagina changes with sexual arousal and orgasm. This is because lubrication increases, and sperm can’t survive in an acidic environment. However, further research has found that the pH of the fluids to which sperm are exposed doesn’t appear to affect which sperm successfully fertilize an egg. Also, sperm with an X chromosome or a Y chromosome will both work equally well in the same environments.
Conclusions
While it may be tempting to believe that certain at-home sex position techniques can help you pick the gender of your baby, science doesn’t support these claims. In fact, the only way to determine a baby’s sex is through an ultrasound scan at 12 weeks. This test checks the angle of the fetus’s nub (the tubercle that eventually forms your baby’s penis or clitoris). If it points upward, it is a boy; if it is horizontal or pointing down, it is a girl.
Some couples swear by the Shettles Method, which involves a few different elements to predict a baby’s sex. According to this theory, a woman should use doggy style to have a boy; the deeper penetration of this position allows male sperm to travel closer to the egg, which is more supportive for the Y chromosome. Similarly, women should practice missionary sex to conceive a girl.
Other tips include avoiding salty foods and having lots of calcium for girls and red meat, bananas, and potassium for boys. Some people even recommend timing sex around the time of ovulation for a higher chance of pregnancy. While this has been shown to increase a woman’s chances of conceiving a girl, it hasn’t been proven to influence the sex of the baby.
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