Natural Gender Selection Methods - How to Have a Boy Baby - Sent using Google Toolbar

Dreaming of having a son? Hi-tech labs offer services to choose gender of baby these days, but at a very high price cost thousands of dollars, with no guarantee. But what if there were natural gender selection methods that taught you how to conceive a baby boy? Determining gender of baby pre-conception has been something people have been trying since ancient time. In the past, gender selection involved a lot of guesswork, some old wives tales, foods to conceive a boy, positions to conceive a girl, exercises to do and elixirs to drink. These methods were hardly to prove effective. or even ineffective. Under normal circumstances you have a 50/50 chance of producing the desired sex anyway, so unless you the same methodology is closely followed and that data is gathered over a longer period of time - there's just no way of knowing which gender selection pregnancy techniques worked best. Until now.
The tips and tricks below will teach you how to have a boy baby. They've been gathered and compiled together using carefully plotted research over a period of many years. With just a few modifications to your diet, exercise, and sexual routine, you can determine gender of baby each time, every time. Here are just some of the techniques you should be using in order to have that son you've always wanted:
* The Shettles Method - One that that's been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt: male sperm (y-sperm) travel faster than female sperm (x-sperm). It's also been noted that the x-chromosomed sperm die out faster than the female ones, which live longer and tend to have more endurance. Taking this into account, the shorter the distance that needs to be traveled to reach the egg - the MUCH greater your chances are of having a male child. As the distance gets further, your chances of conceiving a girl are greatly increased.
Where does this all apply in how to have a boy baby? The answer is simple: the closer you have intercourse to your exact ovulation date, the better your chances of having a male child. Try to plan as much sex as possible on or about the date of ovulation (usually 1 day before or after). The Shettles technique recommends having sex as early as 24 hours before ovulation up to and including no more than 12 hours past the predicted time you ovulated in order to greatly increase your chances of conceiving a boy.
* Foods to Conceive a Boy - Bananas! Salty foods, dairy products, and bananas are all said to help gender selection boy efforts. Eating more calories than normal can do it also, and it's been shown that women who are getting a full supply of all necessary nutrients tend to create more male babies. Be sure to be taking the best prenatal vitamins.
* Caffeine - Right before intercourse, the male partner should drink 1 to 2 cups of caffeinated coffee or a similar beverage. This gives a supercharged boost to the already fast x-sperm, increasing chances for a male-favored conception.
* Adjust Your pH Level - Making sure you have the proper pH levels in your reproductive tract is one of the most important ways to choose the sex of baby. An acidic pH will tend to destroy sperm, with the x-sperm dying off more quickly (remember - they're faster but not stronger than y-sperm!). This leaves the unwanted condition of higher levels of y-sperm in a man's semen. So when trying to conceive a baby boy, make certain you're promoting an alkaline environment by not eating a lot of spicy or acidic foods.
* Boxers or Briefs? - If you're looking to create a son instead of a daughter, your best bet is boxer shorts. The further from the body the testicles are allowed to hang, the more regulated the temperature of a man's semen. Keep them in close to the body, as in the case of briefs, and many sperm will die from the higher temperature levels. And since the male sperm die faster than female sperm, this hurts your chances of having a boy.
* Sexual Positioning - Once again, the speed of the individual x and y sperm plays a factor here. The closer the male can deposit semen to the woman's cervix, the better the chances of an x-sperm reaching the egg first. Therefore, choose positions to conceive a boy during intercourse that allow for the deepest possible penetration. It's been suggested that the 'doggie-style' position is one of the best ways to accomplish this.
* Orgasms During Sex - It's been proven that if the female partner accomplishes orgasm during sex, two things happen: one, the contractions help move the sperm upward and into the cervix. Two, the endorphins released into the body during orgasm create a more alkaline environment, which we already know is better for male sperm. When trying for a boy, keep this in mind!

Gender Selection Methods

It is possible to get the gender of your baby before conception. This is only a possibility and not science to get 100% results. All the gender selection methods works on assumptions and are not scientifically or medically proven, although there are successes in these methods. It is only fun to try the methods and see if they work.

These are a few gender selection methods:

Ancient Chinese Conception Chart

There are certain months that you can conceive a boy and certain months you can conceive a girl. According to this chart it depends on mother's age at conception and the month that conception occurred. Supposedly you can plan ahead if you want a certain gender. The Chinese Conception Chart helps you to have sexual intercourse around ovulation to choose specific month for specific gender.

This method did worked well with me.

Orgasm Method

Getting orgasm is another sex selection method. Because it affects the vaginal pH value. The pH value helps Y sperms to move rapidly to reach egg for fertilization. If you want a boy, you need to have an orgasm during intercourse. If you want a girl, don't have an orgasm.

Shettles Method

The Shettles Method is probably the most popular sex selection methods for gender selection. This method claims that X (female) sperm swim slowly but live longer than (Y) male sperm. So you need to provide the right environment to a specific sperm to conceive a girl you need to have intercourse several days before ovulation.

One need to chart exact day of ovulation. to who wish to try the Shettles sex selection method to chart your fertility signs. You also need to use basal body temperature chart.

This includes right time for intercourse, getting the right pH value through orgasm or using vaginal douche with a weak solution of water and vinegar immediately before intercourse to create an acidic environment to help the female sperm to thrive to conceive a girl baby. And likewise for a boy to douche with water and baking soda to help the male sperm. Shettles method says that Sperm will live up to five days in good quality fertile cervical fluid.

But douching is not recommended because it washes all the fertile quality cervical fluid out of the vagina, therefore ceasing up the purpose of conception. It is also worth mentioning that douching isn't recommended unless a physician prescribes it directly for a problem.

Whether you try for a boy or a girl, just remember that there is a 50% chance of having either one. Sex selection method can work if you take all factors into considerations like timing, nutrition etc.

Food for Baby Gender Selection

Nutritional supplements are certainly able to help people with health problems and conditions which affects their ability to have children. While many nutritional supplements have not been well examined and proven through clinical trials and scientific study, many people have gotten the positive results they wanted with safe health supplements. Besides those pills that help with the men or women libido, necessary prerequisites for having children, there are even health supplements that claim to assist with gender selection when you are trying to conceive a new baby of a particular sex. No, these are not placebos and do have some scientific underlying basis compared to weird Drano baby gender prediction although they are not yet proven to be significantly effective.

If you are interested, you will be taking different nutritional supplements depending on whether you are trying to conceive a baby girl or a boy baby. To some people, this is certainly better than trying to tell the gender of their baby after they are pregnant. Note that these baby gender manipulation health supplements are more meant for women, in order to alkalize or acidify the pH in the mother's reproductive organs. If you want to have a boy baby, you need to increase the vagina pH or equivalently make things more alkalic down there. For example, regular consumption of evening primrose oil capsules is good enough. Besides alleviating discomforts of Premenstrual Syndrome, evening primrose oil also helps alkalize your cervical mucus, which helps the weaker boy producing sperms survive long enough to reach and fertilize the egg before they all die off. However, do not continue to take evening primrose oil after your ovulation, as it is known to prevent fertilized eggs from implanting properly in the uterus, which may lead to pregnancy symptoms.

On the other hand, you need to lower the vagina pH or equivalently make things more acidic such that the weaker boy sperms are all killed off, leaving the stronger girl-producing sperms to survive and make their way to fertilize the egg. A very good supplement to take is cranberries, which are known to lower the pH in the reproductive system and is commonly taken to alleviate thrush or vagina yeast infections that affect many women. The increased acidity will kill off more weaker boy sperms compared to the girl sperms which are bigger in size and have more resilience. For this to work, cranberry supplements should be taken at least one week before you ovulate. Another well known herbal-alcoholic women supplement for increasing the chances to conceive a girl is the Lydia Pinkham tonic, which consist of five herbs that have anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic qualities useful for painful spasms and dysmenorrhea in the pelvic and ovaries as well as relief from the symptoms of women menopause.

The use of nutritional supplements for manipulating baby gender and how to choose the sex of your baby are well studied under the Shettles method. Shettles predicts that the conceived baby is more likely to be female if the pH value of the woman reproductive tract is lower of more more acidic. On the other hand, if the the pH value of the reproductive tract is higher or more alkaline, the a male baby is more likely to be conceived. So, if a woman wishes to bear a baby girl, she should create a more acidic reproductive tract environment. Shettles states that this can be done using nutritional supplements as well as a variety of methods such as using a vagina douche consisting of water and vinegar prior to intercourse can create a more acidic reproductive environment, whereas using a douche by dissolving baking soda in water will create a more alkaline vagina environment to increase your chances on how to have a boy.

Gender Selection Explained through The Shettles Method

Gender selection has long been a topic of debate. While some gender selection methods claim to be highly successful, they often disregard other methods, claiming their own to be more accurate.

Of course, most believe the most desired outcome from conception is a healthy baby, no matter which gender. Gender selection should not rule your attempts at conception – some methods can even decrease the chance of conception due to timing methods.

Please note that the information below on the Shettles Method is for reference only. It is not guaranteed to give you the 'recipe' for the desired gender you are trying for.

Introduction

Since the 1960s, Dr. Shettles has recommended gender selection methods which he claims is upheld by scientific evidence. The Shettles Method has the advantages of bearing no cost and requiring no medical treatments to conceive.

Men produce two types of sperm which already contain the sex chromosome, pre-determining the sex of the baby-to-be. The X chromosome being female and Y chromosome being male. Dr. Shettles found from his studies that the male sperm are smaller, weaker and faster than the female sperm, which are bigger, stronger and slower. Therefore he was able to come to the following suggestions to help couples try and choose the sex of their baby.

Timing

The most important factor according to the Shettles Method is the timing of intercourse.

The closer to ovulation that you have intercourse, the higher the likelihood that you will have a boy, since they are the faster of the two types of sperm, therefore likely reach the egg first. If you would like a boy, intercourse should take place during times of peak fertile mucus or no more than 12 hours before ovulation (you can detect ovulation through charting, OPK's etc). If you chart and have a temperature dip, this is a good time to have intercourse or the following morning. You can also have intercourse for a boy when peak mucus changes into thicker mucus.

If you were to have intercourse two to four days prior to ovulation, the higher the likelihood that you will have a girl. This is because the female sperm live for much longer than the male sperm, allowing more female sperm to be able to reach the egg. So if you would like a girl, avoid having intercourse during times of your peak fertile mucus (egg white cervical mucus) which would be more conducive for a boy. By following the Shettles Method, there is less chance of achieving female conception as you are not having intercourse during your peak fertile times. So if pregnancy is more important to you than having a girl baby, Shettles may not be for you.

Vaginal pH

Shettles tells us that an acidic environment favours girls, killing the weaker male sperm first. This leaves a greater number of X sperm to reach the egg.

The ideal time to have sex for a boy is when the vaginal environment becomes alkaline, which is on the day you ovulate.

Abstinence

For a boy, you should not have intercourse for 4-5 days prior to ovulation, earlier than that you should use a condom.

For a girl, Shettles recommends daily intercourse from the end of your period until 2-4 days prior to ovulation, then no intercourse 2-3 days after ovulation, when you should use condoms.

Sexual Position

Sexual position is said to help your chances of gender selection due to both depth of penetration and also due to pH levels. The closer to the opening of the vagina, the more acidic the woman's reproductive tract is.

Deeper penetration (e.g. doggy-style) is more ideal for a boy, as the male sperm are closer towards the egg, giving them a head start on the female sperm (as well as being further away from the more acidic areas).

Shettles recommends the missionary position for girls.

Orgasm

For a boy, the woman should try to achieve orgasm either before or at the same time as her partner – or if you are lucky enough, multiple female orgasms can help! The theory on this is that the waves of the orgasm help to draw up the sperm quicker to the egg, again the boys getting a head start on the girls.

For a girl, Shettles recommends women avoid orgasm.

Other

For the men – To try for a boy, Shettles suggests men try and keep the scrotal temperature cool – no hot spas / baths, tight clothing or underwear. Boxer shorts are a good alternative. He also recommends no scuba diving, heated vehicles for extended durations or other areas of high heat. A few cups of strong coffee half an hour before intercourse favours a boy.

Success rate?

Shettles claims that his methods for a boy have a success rate of 80-85% and the methods for a girl a little less at 75-80%.

Pregnancy Start - What is Gender Selection?

Today, with all the new technology, it is possible for parents to have a decision in the gender of their children. There are many ways in which this can be done from artificial insemination, drastic diets, separated sperm, dyed sperm, timing of intercourse and even the position of intercourse. Some of these may be myths while others really are working for couples all over the world.

Some studies show that if you have intercourse on certain days during the fertile time you can predict the sex of your child, while others believe you should use more than one method to ensure that you really get the gender that you desire.

Gender selection through scientific methods is of course, a controversial subject; you will hear all kinds of reasons why you should not be able to choose the gender of your children. From the balance in society to it being immoral. This subject can also cause couples many fights and arguments if one parent wishes a girl while the other one wishes to have a boy.

Choosing the gender of your child should be a personal one. If you would like the option to choose then you should read all the literature that is available concerning methods, risks involved, and above all else be certain that both of you desire the same sex child before moving forward. If deciding the gender of your child is going to be a major problem in your household, it would be best left alone and let nature take its course.

Making a decision on gender selection should be a private and joint decision between the parents, just as whether to have a child should be a mature decision.

Importance of Caffeine Before Sex to Conceive a Boy - Natural Gender Selection Methods

Believe it or not, something as simple as the male drinking one to two
cups of coffee right before having sex can greatly help the chances of
impregnating his partner with a baby boy. Y-sperm are already fast,
but it seems that the extra jolt provided by a higher caffeine level
can give those swimmers a turbo boost! When coupled with the Shettles
method, this little tip can yield big results.

So make sure your coffee is caffeinated, and make sure you drink
yourself a few cups... this will supercharge your sperm right before
launch! After caffeinating, give it about fifteen or twenty minutes to
kick in before moving on to the next step...

Natural Methods - Sex, Positions, and Orgasms for Conceiving a Baby Boy

Finally, there's room for gender selection during the very act of
copulation itself. There are certain sexual positions to conceive a
boy, and others that would be better suited for spawning a female
baby. To know what these are, it's important to remember which sperm
are the faster swimmers: the male ones.

Since x-sperm go fast and die sooner, you want to give them the
shortest possible distance to the goal. This is best accomplished by
ejaculation during deep, deep penetration. The 'doggie style' position
is best for this. There are others too, but the ones conductive to
creating a boy will always be the ones where the sperm has the
shortest possible distance to the egg. Deeper is better.

Also important to conception is the female orgasm. During orgasm, the
woman's interior muscles contract, pulling the sperm in, moving it
closer to the cervix where it begins traveling up the reproductive
canal. The more and the harder a woman can climax, the greater the
chances of her getting pregnant... and the closer the sperm gets to
the egg, the better the odds of having a baby boy.

And the female partner's orgasm has another effect on the overall
state of the body, and this effect can help increase chances of having
a boy. Orgasmic feelings release natural endorphins into the body...
these endorphins immediately increase alkalinity in the body, helping
the cause for the y-sperm trying to make their way to the egg.

Determining Gender of Baby - The Steps

Before we begin, you'll need to understand that it's your male partner's sperm that determines the sex of your baby. When ejaculation happens, millions of sperm travel toward the unfertilized egg. Roughly half of them are male sperm (y-chromosome) and the other half are female (x-chromosome). Whichever type gets there first will determine whether you'll have a girl or a boy!

Now, it's already been scientifically proven that male sperm are faster. So why is the population of the Earth roughly 50/50? Because in nature's ever-present quest for balance, the female sperm were made stronger. So y-sperm as quick out the gate, but tire quickly and are more susceptible to dying out in a hostile environment. X-sperm are slower swimmers, but they've got long-term endurance and are heartier overall. Each has strengths, and each has weaknesses.

So what's this got to do with natural gender selection methods? Everything! Because once you realize the advantages and disadvantages of the x and y swimmers, you can use this knowledge to your advantage... and this is how you conceive a boy baby!

Dr. Shettles & his Method for Conceive a Baby Boy

It was a man by the name of Dr. Shettles who conceived of some of the best natural gender selection methods around. By charting the during of her menstrual cycles and noting any patterns, a woman could pinpoint the exact date of ovulation. Shettles suggested that since the male sperm swim faster, having sexual intercourse on that date (or close to it) would greatly increase the chances of having a boy baby. The further away from this date intercourse occurred, the higher the chances of conceiving a girl.

Dr. Shettles' method is one of the primary techniques used by couples when trying to predetermine baby gender. Faster (y) sperm having less distance to travel through the reproductive tract enormously helps the gender selection boy efforts. Slower by stronger (x) sperm swimming for longer distances allows for better odds of conceiving a girl. This basic principal can really help you determine the gender of your baby by creating a greater concentration of the desirable type of sperm.

Natural Methods for Conceive a Baby Boy

Trying for that bouncing baby boy you've always wanted? Need a son toss the old football back and forth with? Whether you're already overwhelmed by beautiful daughters or just want to finally conceive that first male child, the steps you'll find here will teach you exactly how to choose the sex of baby.

Gone are the days of guesswork and half-truths, in are the days of proven, quantified methods. Studies done over many years and trials conducted amongst many couples have finally unlocked the scientifically proven secrets to choosing the sex of your baby. The natural gender selection techniques you'll find below are just some of the ways you can choose the sex of your baby, whether you want a boy or a girl!

Determining Gender of Baby - The Steps

Since babies were first born, people have been trying all kinds of strange things to influence the birth of a boy or girl. From potions and elixirs to crazy herbs and exercises, chances are you've heard a wives' tale or two about how to choose the sex of baby prior to conception.

Below you'll learn to eat foods to conceive a boy, along with techniques, methods, and even sexual positions that will help influence a male-based conception. From sperm to egg, there are a great number of things you can do to increase your chances of having a boy... and if you're looking to have a girl you can take every one of these tips and just reverse it!

Diet for Conceiving a Baby Boy

Dietary considerations have also been proven to influence the sex of your child. Prior to conception, eating large amounts of salty foods and dairy products can all help out couples wondering how to have a boy baby. Bananas are also another staple of a boy-friendly diet. Eating higher amounts of grains or cereals helps also, as does eating a greater than normal amount of calories overall. And finally, the better supplied your body is with daily vitamins and minerals, the greater the chances of a male baby. Use these gender selection pregnancy tips and tricks to tilt the dietary scale in your favor.

Adjust Sex Timing For Gender Selection

Of all of the natural gender selection methods out there, sex or intercourse is probably the most well known and the easiest to achieve, both in terms of timing and the sexual positions that you use. There is actual science behind this method, which I will discuss in the following article.

Why The Sex You Have Today Could Influence Or Determine The Gender Of Your Baby Tomorrow:

At the heart of all gender selection methods is the fact the sperm which produce a boy infant and the sperm which produce a girl infant are noticeably different in a lab. Boy sperm are super fast, but this speed contributes to them burning out and dying off quicker. Although they will win a race if all things are equal, their weakness keeps this from actually being the case. They are swayed and weakened as soon as they hit your vagina because acidity is extremely detrimental to them and because they are so short lived, time is not their friend either.

The girl producing sperm on the other hand are just the opposite. They are slow, but strong. They can thrive and live just fine in your vagina because acidity doesn't bother them. They also have time on their side, as they can live for days longer than the boys.

Timing Sex / Intercourse

To Correspond With Ovulation (Depending On The Gender That You Want:) Most people realize that there are certain times in the month when a woman is more likely to become pregnant. But, if you are dead set on one gender over another, you'll have to do better than this.

A woman's fertility window generally runs for about five days (up to three days before you ovulate and the day of and after ovulation.) If you want a girl infant, then you want to be on the front end of the window. The girl sperm have no problem hanging out waiting to meet your egg. Boy sperm will usually die off within this time frame. If you want a boy infant, you need to wait til the end of the window. If you go earlier than this, your boys will be weak and can't use their speed. Basically, these little guys have a very short life span so timing is vital.

And, you can't ignore precision accuracy here. You should not guess as to when you actually ovulate or assume that you ovulate precisely midway through your cycle. I recommend finding a good saliva or urine ovulation predictor so that you don't have to guess. These gadget use changes in your bodily fluids to tell you when ovulation is approaching and has occurred.

Sexual Positions And Baby Gender: The intercourse positions that you use follow the same idea as timing. If you want a girl, you want to expose the boy sperm to your acidic vaginal tract for as long as you can. If you want a boy, you need the shortest, least traumatic trip that you can manage. Deep penetration is best for this goal.

You can lower your vaginal PH if you want a boy and raise it if you want a girl. This is done through douching and / or diet and you can monitor your progress using PH testing strips.

I've put together a few websites that take a lot of the guess work out of choosing your baby's gender. You'll find step by step instructions, resources for douche recipes and food PH lists, tips, support, and examples of ovulation predictors / PH testing strips.

Are your thinking About Gender Selection

The human desire to choose the sex of one's offspring-to have a son rather than a daughter or a daughter rather than a son-is hardly new. In ancient Greece, it was believed that if men had sex while on their right side a boy would result, and in eighteenth-century France, it was believed that if men tied off their left testicle this would result in a baby boy. In our own time, books that claim to reveal the secret of having a boy or a girl abound. One bestseller recommends the timing of sexual intercourse as the key in addition to other strategies. Indeed, the importance to all of us of a baby's sex is revealed in the first question we nearly always ask upon news of a newborn (assuming, that is, we have not already found out by sonogram): "Is it a boy or a girl?"

But if the central importance of the baby's sex and our desire to choose one sex over the other is not new, the techniques for making our desires come true are new. Today, it is possible, at a price, to guarantee the sex of our children. The principal means for doing so are: prenatal diagnosis (either through a sonogram or amniocentesis) followed by abortion of fetuses having the unwanted sex; preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) followed by selective implantation based on sex; and (a less certain technique) pre-fertilization separation of sperm into X- and Y-bearing ones followed by selective transfer. The first two techniques select post-conception; the last seeks to determine sex at the time of conception.

PGD is a relatively new medical technique, introduced about ten years ago for the purpose of screening early IVF embryos for genetic diseases. However, as with other medical technologies, many other uses for PGD were quickly discovered and put into practice, including sex-selection for nonmedical purposes. PGD is expensive, costing on average $3,000 for the test and upwards of $20,000 for the subsequent in vitro fertilization.

The newer and less tested sperm-sorting technology was originally a creation of the U.S. government, invented by a Department of Agriculture scientist in the 1980s for the purposes of selecting sex in livestock. The Genetics and IVF Institute in Fairfax Virginia developed the technology for humans and currently has an exclusive license on it-the technology is known as "MicroSort." The Genetics and IVF Institute charges about $2,300 per try and currently boasts a 90 percent success rate for girls and 73 percent success rate for boys. It offers this service only for the end of "family balancing."

It is difficult to determine how widely either of these methods would be used were they to gain moral acceptance and to become affordable. Of course, we know that sex ratios have already been affected in such countries as China and Korea as a result of aggressive sex selection. What would happen in the United States, where cultural preferences are quite different and the desire for sons is possibly not as pronounced, is perhaps unknowable in advance. Of course, the effect on the sex ratio is only one of the issues at stake. Here's how Fortune magazine recently summed up at least the potential market for MicroSort alone: "Each year, some 3.9 million babies are born in the U.S. In surveys, a consistent 25 percent to 35 percent of parents and prospective parents say they would use sex selection if it were available. If just two percent of the 25 percent were to use MicroSort, that's 20,000 customers . . . [and] a $200-million-a-year business in the U.S. alone."

Although the issue of sex-selection has attracted some scholarly attention, it has received comparatively little popular attention. Neither the morality of choosing for sex, nor the eventual societal effects of widespread sex selection, nor the eugenic implications of this practice have garnered the same kind of public focus as has, for example, human cloning. This is somewhat surprising, given that while cloning is but a possibility on the horizon, sex selection is practiced today-here (on an unknown but probably small scale) and to a much greater extent in several other countries.

In the fall of 2001, bioethicist John Robertson set off a minor firestorm when, apparently speaking for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), he approved of the use of PGD for the purpose of sex selection. This announcement led to much hostile media coverage, culminating in a critical editorial in the New York Times. In response to the uproar, Robertson seemingly reversed himself, and the ASRM issued a statement reaffirming its earlier position. And that was apparently the end of it. However, a closer look at the progress of the ethical debate in the United States reveals that things are rather more interesting and complicated.

In 1999, the ASRM issued a report that criticized the use of PGD exclusively for sex selection. (In 1994, it had reached similar conclusions). The ASRM noted in its 1999 report that there is little cause for concern when sex selection is used to prevent the transmission of sex-linked genetic disorders such as certain types of hemophilia, muscular dystrophy, and Hunter syndrome. The report examined several possible objections to PGD for sex selection, including whether it would lead to imbalances in society's sex ratio, or become a gateway to other forms of selection (say for eye color or intelligence), or whether it might raise matters of economic inequality and the misallocation of scarce medical resources. For the most part, though not entirely, it rejected these ethical concerns as too speculative to be taken seriously. Instead, the report placed most of the weight of its ethical analysis on the problem of how PGD for sex selection would "contribute to a society's gender stereotyping and overall gender discrimination." Significantly, the ASRM report noted that this ethical objection would apply equally to new sperm-sorting technologies for sex selection: "The concerns raised here provide at least a framework for an ethical assessment of new techniques for selecting X-bearing or Y-bearing sperm for IUI or IVF ... here also, sex selection for nonmedical reasons, especially if facilitated on a large scale, has the potential to reinforce gender bias in a society."

Not long after, however, the ASRM began to retreat from its opposition to sex selection using either sperm-sorting or PGD technologies. First, in a May 2001 report on preconception gender selection for nonmedical reasons, it backed away from its earlier suggestion in 1999 that sperm sorting for sex selection was as suspect as using PGD for sex selection. Now the ASRM reasoned that there were no serious ethical objections to this method of sex selection provided that it was used for "gender balancing." However, this last proviso was merely conditional: "The most prudent approach at present for the nonmedical use of these techniques [of sperm sorting] would be to use them only for gender variety in a family, i.e., only to have a child of the gender opposite of an existing child or children. If the social, psychological, and demographic effects of those uses of preconception gender selection have been found acceptable, then other nonmedical uses of preconception selection might be considered [emphases added]."

In retreating from its earlier condemnation of sex-selection (albeit by sperm sorting) the ASRM did not seem to garner much critical attention in the popular press. Then in the fall of 2001, the ASRM seemed to reverse itself again, and more decisively this time, when Robertson endorsed the use of PGD for sex selection. Interestingly, the reversal came following a request for a policy review by the Center for Human Reproduction, a for-profit fertility company that wanted to offer this service to its customers. The Center for Reproduction noted in its appeal that the ASRM had in its 2001 report approved of the use of sperm sorting for family balancing, and asked why it therefore would be ethically impermissible to use a more exact method of sex selection like PGD. It was at this point that John Robertson sent a letter of approval to the Center, and the media storm broke. Many objected to extending sex selection from sperm sorting to PGD because of concerns over the status of the embryo. As even the New York Times editors wrote: The ASRM earlier "concluded that it would be permissible to use a different method-sorting sperm to greatly increase the odds of having a child of a particular sex . . . But extending that approach to the selection and discarding of embryos based on their sex surely deserves more consideration."

As a result of the unwelcome media attention, the ASRM returned to (or reaffirmed) its earlier position, saying that PGD should be discouraged for sex selection. But now the rationale was somewhat different. In 1999, the ASRM's opposition had been based on the specter of gender bias and sex discrimination. But since the ASRM later approved of sex selection by sperm sorting, Robertson now pointed to the ethical issue of the sanctity of the embryo. In a statement printed in the Hastings Center Report in March of 2002, Robertson declared that the embryo deserved special respect. Yet he also observed that this respect was conditional: "A strong showing in the future that gender variety among children is important to an individual's welfare or a family's flourishing could justify a different result." Presently, then, we are in the position of saying that it is permissible to use the technology of sperm sorting for sex-selection but not yet the technology of PGD for the same end, and we seem to vacillate back and forth between concerns about gender bias and concerns for the embryo.

Many questions might be taken up in reference to sex selection for non-medical reasons, in particular:

1. What are the current and future techniques of sex selection, as well as their effectiveness, cost, and prevalence?
2. What is the ethical basis or defense of sex-selection for nonmedical purposes? (Following the Council's usual mode of ethical analysis, as established in the cloning report, the burden of proof should lie with those who are proposing the new technique, not those who oppose it.)
3. Nonetheless, it is still useful for opponents to think through the grounds of their objection to sex selection. What are the human goods being defended? Is there a concern about sexism? About the effect on society's natural sex ratio? About the new relation developed between parent (as chooser) and child (as product)? About a slippery slope to other forms of selection, and thus eventually to a world of eugenics? About the destruction of embryos (in the case of PGD)? Moreover, where lies the preponderance of our ethical objection to sex selection: Is it with the means of selection, or its effects on parents, children, and parent-child relationships, or its likely societal impact both in terms of the sex-ratio and established norms, or as a gateway to other types of selection and enhancement?
4. If it is decided that sex selection for nonmedical reasons is unacceptable, what are the remedies? Legislative bans? Regulation of the IVF industry? Self-regulation by IVF practitioners and bodies like the ASRM?
5. What role do for-profit fertility clinics and consumer demand play in the progress of sex-selection therapies?
6. In light of its objections to sex selection by PGD in its 1999 report, which centered on gender bias, why exactly did the ASRM approve of sex selection by sperm sorting in its 2001 report?

Ethical Justifications of gender selection

The modern age is an interesting time, in terms of ethics. The fact of the matter is that advances in science, especially in the medical field, create a variety of ethical questions that have not been encountered in the past. One of the areas of controversy has surrounded the issue of gender selection, and whether or not gender selection is ethical. Your answer to the question of whether gender selection is ethical will vary based on your religious beliefs, your background, and your opinions about other issues, as well.

Some consider gender selection ethical in all cases. They view the advances in medicine to be useful for any number of purposes, including such relatively mundane purposes as choosing to have a child of a specific gender. The reasoning for wanting a child of a specific gender is irrelevant, they argue. The fact that the science is available means that it ought to be used.

There are some that argue that gender selection is ethical in certain cases. For example, if a family has a history of same-sex diseases that are hereditary, it may seem more humane to spare a child the risk of having this genetic disease by selecting the gender. Those that support this position argue that, at least in this case, gender selection is not only ethical, but that, given the opportunity, not selecting the gender would actually be unethical.

There are those that argue that gender selection is, inherently, unethical. They argue that gender selection may be used for sexist purposes, for example. They suggest that a society that prefers to have male children might wind up having a disproportionate number of men, and may even wind up seeing women as a failed result. They also may argue that genetic manipulation of any sort is, by its very nature, against the laws of ethics. They may suggest that it reeks of the genetic experiments conducted under the Nazis, for example.

Carefully weighing the question of whether gender selection is ethical is an important exercise, especially for couples to whom it is a choice because of needing In Vitro Fertilization.

Role of Luteal Phase Defect in Gender Selection and Pregnancy

What is it? The luteal phase is the time from ovulation until menstruation. During this time, a fertilized egg travels from the fallopian tube into the uterus to implant. The luteal phase should be at least 10 days long, and is usually 10 to 17 days long. A luteal phase under 10 days is called a "luteal phase defect".

In the presence of a luteal phase defect, the uterus cannot sustain a pregnancy. The uterine lining begins to break down, causing menstruation and, in the case where an egg was fertilized, causing an early miscarriage. One cause of luteal phase defects is low progesterone. A doctor can do a progesterone test at 7 dpo to determine if this is indeed the case.

What can you do about it? Doctors often prescribe medical means to correct luteal phase defects, such as progesterone suppositories or fertility drugs such as Clomid (clomiphene). One should consult with one's doctor in any case. However, there are natural methods which are often helpful. Vitamin B6 and natural Progesterone cream or natural sublingual Progesterone are helpful for this.

Role of Estrogen in Gender Selection

What is it? Estrogen is is the name of a group of hormones. There are three principle forms of estrogen found in the human body: estrone, estradiol and estriol (also known as E1, E2 and E3, respectively).

Estradiol is the primary estrogen produced by the ovaries. Estrone is formed from estradiol; it is a weak estrogen, and is the most abundant estrogen found in the body after menopause. Estriol is produced in large amounts during pregnancy, and is a breakdown product of estradiol. Estriol is also a weak estrogen and is the primary form of estrogen used to treat vaginal dryness, hot flashes and night sweats. However, artificial estrogen has been found to cause multiple serious health problems, so only natural estrogen should be used for supplementation when needed.

Prior to menopause, estradiol is the predominant estrogen. After menopause, estradiol levels drop significantly, and estrone becomes the predominant estrogen.

The role of estrogen. Here are some of the functions of estrogen: It stimulates the rebuilding of the uterine lining after menstruation; it helps cells in the fallopian tubes, uterus and vagina divide and mature, and it helps to maintain the structure of the vagina and prevent atrophy. It helps to form the shape of the breasts and hips during puberty; it helps to dilate blood vessels to carry more oxygen, and helps maintain a healthy cholesterol balance. It also helps to maintain the blood supply and prevent atrophy in the urinary tract, and in the skeleton, it slows the rate of bone loss in the maturing body; in the brain, it helps to regulate the menstrual cycle and the body's thermostat. However, please take this warning to heart: artificial estrogen is not good for you.

Estrogen imbalance. Vitamin B6 reduces blood estrogen and increases progesterone. Therefore, a deficiency of Vitamin B6 can cause decreased liver metabolism of estrogen, further causing an excess of estrogen. This then results in "estrogen dominance". Yet another reason to take B6!

Estrogen imbalance contributes greatly to mood swings by increasing the activity of epinephrine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Norepinephrine causes hostility and irritability. Serotonin at too high a level creates nervous tension and an inability to concentrate. Dopamine, produced by the brain, balances out the effects of these substances by inducing relaxation, increasing mental alertness, and working to prevent sodium and water retention. Without sufficient dopamine, moods are greatly affected in a negative manner, and sodium and water retention increase.

Estrogen also increases the level of the adrenal hormone "aldosterone", which prevents the normal excretion of salt from the kidneys, adding to fluid retention. This creates edema-like (swelling) symptoms of bloating, abdominal swelling, and swollen breasts. Excess fluid swells the nerve tissue and membranes surrounding the brain. The brain is encased within the skull, and can only expand as far as the skull permits. This often leads to painful migraine headaches.

Estrogen can be made "imbalanced" by definition (and with the same symptoms) when a deficiency of progesterone exists, because when progesterone is low, estrogen therefore becomes dominant by default. Women who began to use natural progesterone cream experienced relief from menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and insomnia, dry eyes, bloating, irritability, gall bladder problems, osteoporosis pain, hair loss, and lumpy or sore breasts, among other things.

Chemical Pregnancy - Gender Selection

What is it? A "chemical pregnancy" is another word for "early miscarriage" or "spontaneous abortion". It's a pregnancy that was confirmed by a pregnancy test, but an ultrasound shows nothing. The pregnancy test is often barely positive, or blood hCg levels are very low and don't increase as they should. It is likely that fertilization occurs, but the egg dies shortly after implantation. These days, a woman can test positive for pregnancy as early as 1-2 days before a menstrual period is missed, usually 11 or 12 days after conception. Without having tested, most women would never have known that they were briefly pregnant. Most people are not aware of just how common chemical pregnancies are: it is likely that 30-40% of all pregnancies end up in a chemical pregnancy, and without testing (such as is constantly being done by women who are actively trying to conceive!), most women would never even know about it, possibly getting their period a few days late or maybe experiencing a slightly heavier flow than normal. If the pregnancy develops several more weeks into a sac but without an embryo, then it's called a "blighted ovum".

There are several different reasons why a chemical pregnancy may have occurred, and sometimes the reason is just not discoverable. Some reasons include low progesterone; uterine lining is not thick enough to support the implanted egg (which may indicate low estrogen); chromosomal (genetic) abnormalities with the sperm or the egg; immune issues (see inciid.org for more information on this); possible obstructions in the uterus (for example, fibroid tumors); infections and diseases (many bacterial and viral infections can contribute to a miscarriage, including viral infections such the cytomegalic virus, bacterial infections such as chlamydia, mycoplasma, ureaplasma and streptococcus, or in rare cases, parasitic infection such as toxoplasmosis; disease, such as undiagnosed diabetes, can also cause a miscarriage); age of the mother – approximately 50% of all pregnancies over the age of 40 end in early miscarriage; exposure to environmental toxins (such as certain metals); stress; chronic illnesses (examples include thyroid abnormalities – either overactive or underactive, poorly controlled diabetes mellitus, or intrauterine adhesions (most commonly caused by previous infections or D&C's)). High dose x-rays and chemotherapy are known toxins that can cause pregnancy loss; working with chemicals long-term such as with dyes, metals, solvents or chemical production plants; maternal stresses; and heavy use of tobacco, caffeine, alcohol and drugs can also contribute to chemical pregnancies/early miscarriages.

If one continues to experience repeated chemical pregnancies, you might want to see your doctor to determine the cause and handling.

What can you do about it? Occasionally, not all of the material is fully expelled, and a D&C is required. This is not usually the case, however. Your doctor can tell you whether a D&C would be required.

Other than that, go and have that cup of coffee you were avoiding while you were waiting to see if you were pregnant, or a nice, big banana split, and then get back to trying to conceive!!!

Cervical Position's Role in Gender Selection

What is it? The "cervix" is the opening between the uterus and the vagina. Amazingly, the cervix changes position throughout one's cycle, moving up and down with rapidity. At around the time of ovulation, the cervix becomes soft and open, allowing sperm to pass through the uterus and up into the fallopian tubes (which is where one of them will hopefully find and fertilize your egg). It feels sort of like your lips (the ones on your face – sorry!!!). It further goes "up" (high position) and can be difficult to reach with the fingers. Before and after ovulation, however, the cervix feels firm (sort of like the tip of your nose), and remains in a low position, is closed, and feels somewhat dry. Women who have previously given birth may find that the small opening in the cervix feels somewhat oblong as opposed to round.

What can you do about it? You can check your cervical position to help determine whether you are in your fertile period (cervix soft and in high position). WASH YOUR HANDS first! You can do this sitting on the toilet, standing with one leg up on a footstool, squatting, or in the shower – whatever works best for you. Just, um, stick your finger up there, and see what you find! If the cervix is in low (non-fertile position), it will be easy to come across, and, as mentioned above, will feel somewhat firm, like the tip of your nose. If the cervix is in high (fertile) position, however, you may have difficulty reaching it at all. If you do manage to reach out and touch it, so to speak, you will find that it feels somewhat soft and poofy, sort of like your lower lip.

What is Blighted Ovum - Gender Selection

What is it? "Blighted" means "ruined, impaired, destroyed". "Ovum" means "egg". A "blighted ovum" is a pregnancy that stops developing very early in the pregnancy: the fertilized egg ceased to develop. The egg is fertilized and attaches itself to the uterine wall, but the embryo doesn't continue to develop. Cells develop to form the pregnancy sac, but not the embryo itself, so the amniotic sac may only contain fluid (no fetal tissue) at the time of miscarriage.

Blighted ova are the cause of around 50 percent of first-trimester miscarriages. There may be no bleeding; however, later on, one might notice some brown discharge. There may be no indications of a problem until one's healthcare provider fails to detect a heartbeat, an ultrasound reveals an empty gestational sac, or a blood test shows up low or falling levels of hCG (pregnancy hormone). In rare cases, the body continues to believe it is pregnant for a few more weeks, then miscarries an empty sac and placenta.

A blighted ovum can be the result of chromosomal problems, or the egg or the sperm may be of poor quality. Most women never even know that they were pregnant. Since most women who are actively trying to conceive are constantly taking pregnancy tests, they are more likely to be aware of this situation having even occurred.

What can you do about it? There is no way to prevent a blighted ovum from occurring. In fact, it is really nature's way of handling severe genetic defects. What to do? Continue TTC'ing! Having had a blighted ovum does not mean you cannot get pregnant again. Keep your chin up, and keep at it!

Progesterone and Gender Selection

Usage: Progesterone is a steroid hormone made by the corpus luteum of the ovary at ovulation, and in smaller amounts by the adrenal glands. Progesterone is manufactured in the body from the steroid hormone pregnenolone, and is a precursor to most of the other steroid hormones, including cortisol, androstenedione, the estrogens and testosterone.

Recommended Brand: After testing several brands and reading up on several others, I found an excellent brand which strictly follows Dr. Lee's recommendations, and comes in a measured-dose pump bottle. This is GREAT because the other brands come in tubes or jars and it is extremely difficult to get a standard dose in this manner. It is also priced more reasonably than many other brands.

Recommended Dosage: First of all, natural progesterone is much preferred over synthetic progesterone (such as Provera).  John Lee, M.D.'s web site and books are some of the best resources available regarding progesterone. One can also use natural sublingual progesterone, and the dosages should be recommended by a doctor based on hormone tests. One good source for natural sublingual progesterone is BioHealth Diagnostics, and they can direct you to a doctor in your area who can administer the tests and set up a dosage program for you. If you prefer to use progesterone cream.

Food Sources: None. Note that Mexican Wild Yam is not a source of natural progesterone; the chemical compounds which mimic progesterone are not converted by the human body into progesterone, and this is basically nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

Side Effects: Natural progesterone has no side effects. Some women experience sore breasts and other mild PMS symptoms when they first start to use it, but this clears rapidly and they then usually experience fewer PMS symptoms than without the natural progesterone. On the other hand, synthetic progesterone (such as Provera) can cause considerable side effects, possibly including birth defects, partial loss of vision, breast cancer in test dogs, an increased risk of strokes, fluid retention, migraine headaches, asthma, cardiac irregularities and depression.