Developed by Landrum Shettles in the 1960s, The Shettles Method is a collection of techniques designed to help influence baby gender prior to conception.

Known as a pioneer in fertility treatments, Dr. Shettles based his methods around the belief that the X-bearing and Y-bearing sperm characteristics differ and you can use these differences to learn how to conceive a boy.

The baby making chromosome math is X + Y = boy or X + X = girl.  The egg from the mother is X-bearing and the sperm from the father is either X-bearing or Y-bearing.

According to his theory, boy producing Y-bearing sperm are faster but more fragile than girl producing X-bearing sperm and are less viable in acidic environments.  The Shettles Method seeks to exploit these differences and show you how to conceive a boy by focusing on 3 areas:  The timing of sexual intercourse; the most effective sexual positions to conceive a boy; and whether a woman should have an orgasm during sex.

How To Conceive A Boy

In order to maximize the chances you will conceive a boy, insemination should occur as close to the time of ovulation as possible.  Ideally you should have intercourse 6-12 hours before ovulation occurs. This will exploit the greater speed of the Y-bearing sperm and increase the probability that one of them will arrive first to impregnate the awaiting egg.  Since the Y-bearing sperm are the more fragile, timing is an important factor. Having sex too far from ovulation will increase the chances of conceiving a girl.

Dr. Shettles research showed that the proper sexual positions were key to knowing how to conceive a boy. He concluded that using positions that allow deep penetration will aid your efforts. Depositing the more fragile Y-bearing sperm close to the uterus opening provides distinct advantages that will increases the chances you conceive a boy: They are faster moving than the X-bearing sperm and the area near the uterus opening is less acidic providing a relative advantage to the more fragile Y-bearing sperm over other areas of the vagina. For obvious reasons (gravity!), positions with the woman on top will be less effective than if the man is on top at, and after, ejaculation.

If this all seems a little clinical then the final component of the Shettles method to knowing how to conceive a boy will undoubtedly be more fun.  The female orgasm.  The woman should definitely have an orgasm—ideally at the same time as the man. Far from being just a pleasant benefit of sex, female orgasms will actually favor the Y-bearing sperm since they make the vaginal environment less acidic and cervical fluids more plentiful.  This is more hospitable to the more fragile Y-bearing sperm and will increase the probability you conceive a boy.

There are many stories of successful baby gender selection using the Shettles Methods. The evidence is mostly anecdotal and does not conclusively prove the effectiveness of the theory.

What is clear is that Dr. Shettles research and methods have influenced some of the most successful baby gender selection programs focused on how to conceive a boy.

While some questions may remain, the success of happy parents is hard to dispute.  They say by following the Shettles method you can learn how to conceive a boy.

Developed by Dr. Landrum B. Shettles, The Shettles Method for conceiving a girl is a collection of techniques designed to help influence baby gender prior to conception.

Dr. Shettles was known as a pioneer in fertility treatments and based his methods around the theory that the characteristics of X-bearing and Y-bearing sperm differ and can be used to influence the sex of your baby.

Chromosome math: The egg from the mother is always X-bearing and the sperm from the father can be either X-bearing or Y-bearing. X + Y = boy and X + X = girl.

According to his theory, girl producing X-bearing sperm are slower but hardier than boy producing Y-bearing sperm and more able to survive in acidic environments. Shettles methods help you conceive a girl by exploiting these differences in 3 areas: The timing of sexual intercourse; use of specific sexual positions; and controlling the female orgasm.

Conceiving A Girl

To increase the chances of conceiving a girl you should have sex frequently up to about 3 days (give or take a day) prior to ovulation and then abstain from sex until several days afterwards.  This will result in relatively more of the shorter lived Y-bearing sperm perishing before the egg becomes accessible after ovulation. Being able to accurately time ovulation is an important factor in conceiving a girl.  Having sex too close to ovulation will increase the probability you conceive a boy.  Having sex too early will reduce your chances of getting pregnant at all.

Sexual positions that provide for shallow penetration and ejaculation further from the cervical opening, such as the missionary position, will favor conceiving a girl. This area is more acidic and also requires more time for the sperm to traverse the vagina and reach the egg.  Both of these factors favor the longer lived and hardier X-bearing sperm.

To maximize the chances of conceiving a girl Dr. Shettles suggests that women should attempt to abstain from orgasms during sex as this keeps the vagina more acidic and less favorable for Y-bearing sperm. It also reduces that amount of cervical fluid making it harder for the sperm to traverse the vagina. While having to refrain from orgasms during sex can seem a little disappointing, it is a small sacrifice to make to increase the chances you have a baby girl.

Using the Shettles Method many couples report having been successful in their desire for conceiving a girl but the evidence is mostly anecdotal and does not conclusively prove the effectiveness of the method.

While some questions remain, success is hard to dispute. Dr. Shettles pioneering work clearly influenced the effective, step-by-step, baby gender selection programs focused on how to conceive a girl available today.

While scientists often label the Shettles Method inconclusive, many happy parents do not.

There’s an old saying amongst expectant mothers and fathers: “I don’t care whether it’s a boy or a girl as long as it’s healthy.”   While there is little doubt that all expectant parents hope for a healthy baby, recent studies suggest that this is not the only thing that matters. Some studies suggest that a vast majority of expectant parents specifically wish to either conceive a boy or conceive a girl.

Of expectant couples who used an ultrasound to determine the gender of their baby, more than 80% of those surveyed noted that a primary factor in the decision to learn the gender of their baby was so they could deal with any potential disappointment prior to birth.  This suggests there was a clear preference to either conceive a boy or conceive a girl.

There are many reasons why a couple may seek to conceive a baby of specific gender.  It is said that women often express a desire for daughters while men more typically have a preference for a son.  It is also not uncommon for couples who already have one or two children of a specific gender to want a child of opposite gender so they may complete a more gender-balanced family group.  Many professional couples wait longer to have children and have fewer children.  This more planned approach often increases interest in baby gender selection.

In addition to gender selection, couples waiting later in life to start a family often must deal with issues related to fertility.  Fortunately there are many excellent resources to help increase fertility naturally and get pregnant faster.

While scientists maintain that gender selection occurs almost totally at random, there is much anecdotal evidence that indicates it is possible to influence whether you conceive a boy or conceive a girl through a variety of techniques. Regardless of whether baby gender selection is possible the question remains:  Is having a gender preference OK?

For some, trying to influence the gender of a baby amounts to little more than meddling with the natural order while for others increasing the odds of conceiving a girl, for example, would simply be an expression of personal choice.

In either case, whether you try to influence the gender of your baby or not, what ultimately matters is to simply to love the child you get.  A baby is a precious gift and the start of a lifetime of memories.  Developing the loving connection between parent and child is something that can be the most rewarding experience of both lives.