There isn’t a guaranteed way to influence your chances of having a baby boy. However, some medical interventions may help you, although these may be illegal in certain countries.

If you haven’t yet conceived, you may have heard rumors about things you can try to influence the sex of your baby. Perhaps you just started searching for ideas to help you have a baby boy. What are some things you can try? Are some methods more effective than others?

This article will look at common myths about whether you can increase your chances of having a boy.

The use of binary terms such as “male” and “female” or “men” and “women” in this article reflects the language of the sources we’ve used. Unless otherwise noted, it’s unclear whether the research we reference included participants with expansive gender identities.

We understand that “sex” and “gender” are terms that are evolving in our world, so before going any further, we’d like to clarify that when we talk about the sex of a baby in this article, we’re only talking about the baby’s chromosomes, the XY combination that is thought of as male.

Thus, the “sex” mentioned in this article is determined by the sperm contributing a Y and the egg contributing an X.

As to whether there’s a guaranteed way to influence your chances of having a boy — no, there isn’t. Short of medically implanting an embryo that is known to be a boy, there are no guarantees when it comes to the sex of your baby.

In general, there is approximately a 50/50 chance of having a boy or a girl.

That’s where the idea of influencing the sex of your future child comes in. Some argue that by using timing, position, diet, and other methods, you can alter the odds in favor of the male or female sperm.

Interestingly, one 2008 study of 927 family trees indicates that whether you’ll have boys or girls may actually be determined by the father in more ways than one. Not only do chromosomes in the sperm dictate the sex of the baby, but some fathers may be predisposed to have more boys or girls.

According to this study, men may inherit a tendency to have more boys or girls from their parents, which may mean that some men produce more Y or X chromosome sperm. Thus, if a man has more brothers, he may also have more sons.

If you really want a boy, there are suggestions that some parents will tell you worked for them. None of these suggestions are scientifically proven to guarantee results, but people try them, hoping to improve the odds in their favor.

Diet

For starters, you may want to consider what you’re eating as you try to conceive. While this concept has not been widely studied or substantiated (so take these suggestions with a grain of salt), researchers in a 2008 study of 740 women found an association between taking in more calories and conceiving a boy.

Now, this doesn’t mean you should wildly increase your portion sizes as you try to conceive. Keep in mind that healthy eating habits now (whole foods, fruits and vegetables, low sugar snacks) will help you continue to take in the appropriate number of calories when you’re pregnant.

The women studied also consumed higher levels of potassium. The study also noted that “Women producing male infants consumed more breakfast cereal than those with female infants.”

However, there is no recent research suggesting eating fewer or more calories can influence the sex of the baby. It’s important to have a balanced diet in pregnancy, rich in vitamins and nutrients.

The Shettles method

Another suggestion to increase your chances of having a boy is a conception plan called the Shettles method, which was developed by Landrum B. Shettles around 1960.

Shettles studied sperm to determine what might affect the speed of the sperm. He considered the timing of intercourse, positions, and the pH of body fluids to see which may have an effect on the sex.

Key points of the Shettles method include:

  • sex close to ovulation
  • sperm deposited close to the cervix using positions that allow for deep penetration
  • alkaline environment in the vagina
  • the female partner having an orgasm first

How effective is the Shettles method? Shettles claims an overall 75 percent success rate in the current edition of his book, and there are plenty of people who claim that they successfully conceived a boy or girl using his method.

On the other hand, some older research found that sex 2 to 3 days after ovulation may not lead to pregnancy at all. And another (also dated) study suggested that X and Y chromosomes do not have the meaningful shape differences Shettles believed existed.

Looking for more reliable ways to increase your odds? Depending on your circumstances and the availability of these options, there are medical interventions you can try.

However, these treatments can be expensive and mentally and physically taxing. They also come with risks, from surgical complications to miscarriage and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Therefore, they’re generally not suggested for sex selection without a medical need.

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) allows people to conceive a child through medicalized procedures. Some of these methods include:

Through a process called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) or preimplantation genetic selection (PGS) it’s possible to use IVF to create embryos, test these embryos for their sex, and implant an embryo with the desired sex into the uterus.

However, it’s important to note that IVF is a procedure used for infertility or difficulty getting pregnant rather than for choosing the sex of the baby.

Considerations for sex selection

It’s important to note that while PGD/PGS is allowed in the United States, this process is illegal in many other countries, like the United Kingdom and China, unless there are severe medical grounds.

While it’s possible for people to travel to another country to have the procedures done (and many people do so), the high cost and extra complications involved may make it less appealing.

One reason lawmakers have given for making PGD/PGS illegal is a fear that parents will choose to have a disproportionate number of boys or girls. Having a population with too many male or female babies could result in problems with future population growth.

In countries that ban sex selection, one suggestion has been to limit PGD/PGS to medical issues and “family balancing.” This would require families to have a child of the opposite sex before they could decide on a future child’s sex.

Perhaps an even greater reason lawmakers have seen to limit PGD or make it illegal is the ethical concerns involved. This is a complex and emotionally-charged subject. It’s important to explore your own feelings and discuss your options with your doctor.

It’s natural to imagine your future child, and have hopes for what they’ll be like. However, it’s important to keep in mind that determining the sex of your baby is not usually within your control.

There is no evidence to support the claim that certain sex positions or dietary changes can affect the sex of your future child. IVF is the only exception where a healthcare professional can reveal an embryo’s sex, but choosing the sex of your baby can have legal implications depending on the country you’re in.