- ‘Gender swaying’ refers to trying to fall pregnant with a specific gender
- There are theories about how to ensure you have either a boy or a girl
- Techniques involve having sex at different times or changing your diet
- FEMAIL spoke to a family planning doctor to get the truth on what works
Lauren Ingram For Daily Mail Australia
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Any woman trying to get pregnant will have heard the old wives tales about ‘gender swaying’—that is, how to fall pregnant with the gender of your choice.
The theories range from having sex at different times, to diet changes, to hormone levels. On every mother’s internet forum you’ll find women who claim they used baby swaying and it worked, but is there any scientific evidence behind these claims?
FEMAIL spoke to Dr Deborah Bateson, the medical director at Family Planning NSW, to find out what exactly worked and what didn’t.
Boy or girl? There are a number of theories about ‘gender swaying’ and being able to influence what gender baby you will conceive
Old wives tales: Theories range from having sex at different times to changing your diet to ensure you’ll have either a boy or a girl
One of the biggest theories involves the timing of sex. According to the Shettles Method, ‘male’ sperm swim faster, whilst ‘female’ sperm swim slower but stay alive longer.
Dr Shettles believed that having sex a couple of days before ovulation would result in a girl being conceived, whilst having sex the day of ovulation would result in a boy.
But Dr Bateson says this isn’t the case. ‘A lot of the Shettles Method is based on work from 50 years ago, but the evidence is really not strong enough,’ she said.
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Excuse to eat more: One theory by Trivers-Willard says that women who have higher calorie, less healthy diets are more likely to conceive girls
It’s all chemical: Another theory suggests that women with higher levels of the hormone progesterone are less likely to have boys
’50/50 odds’: Dr Bateson said that she wouldn’t use any of the theories in her practice, and that most people are happy to accept the odds
Expert: Dr Deborah Bateson (above) the medical director for Family Planning NSW says that there is not a lot of evidence for any of the theories of gender swaying
One popular theory involves the diet of the mother-to-be. The Trivers-Willard Theory says that women who have higher-calorie, more unhealthy diets are more likely to give birth to girls.
Another theory by Trivers-Willard claimed that the amount of exercise can also influence the gender of your baby, with women who exercise less more likely to have boys.
Yet another theory claims that hormone levels have a large impact, with women who have higher levels of progesterone and lower levels of testosterone more likely to have a girl.
However, again, Dr Bateson says that there’s no merit in these theories. ‘It’s not scientifically based,’ she told Daily Mail.
Dr Bateson said that none of the theories of gender swaying have enough scientific basis to rely on or change your routine.
‘They keep researching but there’s no evidence I would use in my practice,’ she said.
‘Mostly people are happy to accept the 50/50 odds of what gender they will have. It is something that is of interest to people.’
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