Myth vs Fact: Gender Selection
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Summary: Let's be honest at some point every person determines what gender they may want their baby to be. However, what most young adults don’t know is that they have zero influence on the gender of their baby. But can things like diet influence the biological sex of your baby?
Facts versus myth
Contrary to popular belief females actually have no influence on the sex of their babies. To debunk this myth, it's important to discuss the biology involved in sex determination. Human DNA contains 23 pairs of chromosomes; but only one pair, the 23rd, determines the gender of offspring. In females, this 23rd pair contains two X chromosomes; while in males this pair consists of one Y chromosome and one X chromosome. This Y chromosome is responsible for the determination of the male sex. However, sex selection is really random and pertains to the development of sperm. This is because females can only contribute an X chromosome whereas the male has a 50/50 chance of either contributing one X chromosome or one Y chromosome. But despite this knowledge, false methods such as the Shettle's method still persist in daily view.
But can things like diet affect the sex of your baby?
The short answer is no! While the media has presented numerous claims ranging from the time of day intercourse is performed to the preconception diet, there is no research supporting that any of these preconception methods have any effect on the determination of the baby’s sex.
Eating a nutrient dense diet when trying to conceive a baby will undoubtedly help your body prepare for pregnancy, but it will not determine the sex of your baby. For more information on what foods are most beneficial in fertility check out this blog article. If you have further questions we recommend reaching out to your healthcare professional.
Works cited:
Y chromosome. Genome.gov. https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/Y-Chromosome-facts. Accessed December 2, 2021.
Define_me. https://www.rbmojournal.com/article/S1472-6483(10)00549-3/fulltext#secd1582685e725. Accessed December 2, 2021.
“The Embryo Project Encyclopedia.” The Shettles Method of Sex Selection | The Embryo Project Encyclopedia, https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/shettles-method-sex-selection#:~:text=The%20Shettles%20
