How to Conceive a Girl

Medically reviewed by Lacy Windham, MD

Last Updated: March 12, 2023 References

There are many reasons that hopeful parents might wish to have a baby girl. Perhaps you already have a son (or two or three!). Perhaps you are worried that you might pass along a sex-specific genetic disorder. Or perhaps you just have a personal preference about the sex of your baby. The only guaranteed methods of ensuring a baby's sex take place post-fertilization in a medical facility or laboratory, under the care of medical professionals.^{[1]
X
Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} However, there are a number of folk remedies and pre-fertilization techniques that some people say might help influence your baby's sex. Perhaps you'll find that, though these techniques are disputed, they're worth a shot. But no matter what: a 50/50 chance isn't so bad, right?

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Dietary Changes to Try to Influence the Sex of Your Baby

1
Talk to your doctor about making dietary changes. Dietary changes remain a controversial method of influencing a baby's sex. Many doctors and scientists doubt that diet can exert any strong influence on a child's sex and consider the sex of a baby to be based on random chance. ^{[2]
X
Research source} Nevertheless, if your doctor says that it is safe for you to adjust your diet to promote having a girl baby, there is little harm in trying a "girl diet."
2
Change your diet to change your body chemistry. Dietary changes can supposedly affect your likelihood of conceiving a girl by altering the mineral content and acidity of the uterine environment. According to this theory, a woman's diet in the weeks leading to conception can make her body more "friendly" toward X chromosome sperm (which lead to a baby girl) and less "friendly" toward Y chromosome sperm (which lead to a baby boy).^{[3]
X
Research source}
3
Eat a diet high in calcium and magnesium. Recommended foods on a diet conducive to having a girl include low-sodium dairy products, eggs, rice, and low-sodium breads and crackers.^{[4]
X
Research source} Fruits and vegetables might also help you conceive a girl.
4
Avoid potassium and sodium-rich foods. A 2008 study found that women who ate potassium-rich cereals were more likely to conceive boys. ^{[5]
X
Research source} Other potassium-rich foods include bananas, salmon, mushrooms, beans, tuna, sweet potatoes, and potatoes.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Timing Conception to Influence a Baby's Sex

1
Track your ovulation cycle. You can time your ovulation in many ways. The most accurate method is to use an ovulation predictor kit (OPK). If you have a regular menstrual cycle, you can also predict the date range of ovulation by counting back 12-16 days from the date your last period started, though the prediction might not be entirely accurate.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Keeping track of ovulation can also increase your likelihood of conceiving at all (regardless of sex) because women are usually the most fertile in the few days prior to ovulation.^{[7]
  X
  Research source}
- Other signs of ovulation include abdominal pain, changes in vaginal fluids, and changes in basal body temperature. Consider tracking your cycle carefully on a calendar in order to understand how your body responds to ovulation.^{[8]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  National Health Service (UK)
  Public healthcare system of the UK
  Go to source}
2
Have sex 2-4 days before ovulation to conceive a girl. Female sperm carry more genetic material, making them heavier and slower than male sperm. Having sex at least two days before ovulation gives the slower female sperm more time to move up the uterine canal before the egg arrives.^{[9]
X
Research source} This is known as the "Shettles Method."
- There is an alternate theory known as the "Whelan Method" that suggests that sex should take place 2-3 days prior to ovulation to conceive a girl and 4-6 days before ovulation to conceive a boy. ^{[10]
  X
  Research source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Medical Procedures to Conceive a Girl

1
Determine what you are willing to spend on sex selection. While medical procedures are the most foolproof method for having a girl, they are also the most expensive. They can cost anywhere from several hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Sometimes these procedures are not available in every country, leading to additional travel costs as well. ^{[11]
X
Research source}Set a budget in order to plan how you might pay for the procedure.
2
Discuss options with your doctor very carefully. ^{[12]
X
Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} While side effects from these procedures tend to be mild, these techniques are relatively new and involve a certain amount of risk. ^{[13]
X
Research source} Talk to a trusted doctor to decide what risks you are comfortable taking on.
3
Pursue sperm sorting techniques with a clinic. It is possible to sort sperm into Y-chromosomal and X-chromosomal sperm using a technique known as cytometric sorting, after which an egg is fertilized with the desired sperm using artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization. Because X chromosomes are slightly larger than Y chromosomes, sperm that lead to girls are able to absorb more fluorescent dye than sperm that lead to boys. The sperm can then be separated, and the desired sex of a baby can be chosen.^{[14]
X
Research source} Sperm sorting is highly effective, though it is not 100% effective. ^{[15]
X
Research source} It can, however, be costly and might not be available for all prospective parents.
4
Look into the "swim up" method of artificial insemination. Many reproductive clinics offer to sort sperm by their speed of movement. Because sperm carrying female genetic material tend to be heavier (and therefore slower), this sorting can make a specific sex much more likely, though not guaranteed.^{[16]
X
Research source}
5
Pursue preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). This procedure can be done on embryos created using in vitro fertilization. It allows doctors to identify embryos of a certain sex, thus providing sex selection prior to embryonic implantation. In addition to identifying (and potentially selecting) embryos of a certain sex, chromosomal disorders and conditions can be identified using PGD.^{[17]
X
Research source}
- Though highly effective, the procedure is costly and invasive, and it raises ethical dilemmas about the appropriateness of sex selection of embryos. In fact, sex screening is banned in some places. Certain countries, like Britain, make exceptions only when there is a medical necessity to screen for sex, such as sex-specific genetic diseases.^{[18]
  X
  Research source}
- Other doctors similarly support post-fertilization sex selection in cases of medical necessity, but reject post-fertilization sex selection practices because of personal preference.
- The procedure works by identifying the sex of an embryo while it is still in the lab before it is placed in the womb, and claims 100% accuracy.

Warnings

Although many reproductive specialists offer sex selection procedures for any reasons, some consider it unethical to select for sex based on preference alone.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 7 Not Helpful 3
Talk to your doctor before making any drastic dietary changes (including taking new vitamin/mineral supplements) to make sure that they are safe and do not interfere with any medications you might be taking, or with any preexisting medical conditions you may have.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 4 Not Helpful 1
Many medical professionals do not believe it is possible to influence a baby's sex through such means as dietary changes, sex positions, or timing the ovulation cycle. ^{[22]
X
Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} Even so, some companies claim that they have found the key to sex selection. Be wary of any pre-fertilization services that guarantee your baby's sex: they can be expensive and might not be effective.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
There are certain black-market sex-selection drugs that not only are ineffective at influencing a baby's sex but also have the potential to actively harm a fetus. Do not take any medications or supplements without discussing them with a licensed physician. ^{[23]
X
Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source}

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Sex is not equivalent to gender; it is possible that your child will not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Be sure to support your child, no matter what gender he, she, or they might be.^{[24]
X
Research source}

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
Some of the most surefire methods of ensuring a baby's sex are also the most controversial and might raise ethical questions and concerns. Be sure that you think carefully about the implications of your reproductive choices.^{[25]
X
Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source}

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0