How to get pregnant with a girl: 3 science-proven methods

For many years, humanity has sought to choose the sex of babies, whether for social reasons or just an old desire to have a boy or a girl.

However, there are several ethical issues associated with the selection of the baby's sex and, for this reason, the medical community has not yet released the use of genetic editing or sperm selection techniques for this purpose.

For this reason, the demand for natural methods that can help a girl or boy become pregnant more easily has increased. Below, we show some natural methods that seem to be confirmed by science and that help to conceive a girl, as well as those that seem to have no basis or that, at least, have not yet been studied.

If you are trying to have a boy, check out our other content with methods for getting pregnant with a boy.

What determines the sex of the baby

The baby's sex is genetically determined by the presence of a pair of chromosomes, scientifically called sex chromosomes, which can be of two types: X or Y. When the baby has a pair of X chromosomes, that is, a pair XX, it means which is a girl, if you already own an XY pair, it's a boy.

Since the mother is always female and therefore has only X-type chromosomes in the egg, the baby's sex is determined by the father's sperm, which can be either X or Y. Thus, if the sperm is X, the baby will be a girl (XX) and if it is Y, it will be a boy (XY).

Scientifically proven methods

There are few studies on the effectiveness of natural ways to choose the sex of the baby and, for the most part, it has been done for many years. Still, there are some theories that seem to help anyone looking to conceive as a girl, and include:

1. Having intercourse 2 to 4 days before ovulation

This theory first appeared around the year 1970, when it was first discovered that type Y sperm have a shorter life span than type X. This implied that the further away from ovulation a woman had sex, the tendency to have a boy seemed less, since Y-type sperm could not survive long enough to fertilize the egg.

In 2010, a study carried out in the Netherlands showed that this theory seems to be true, since it obtained a high success rate for having girls in couples who had sexual activity only in the 2 to 4 days before ovulation.

How to do it: The woman should have intercourse only 2 to 4 days before ovulation, avoiding having sexual contact after that period. This method works best on women with a regular cycle, as they can more accurately predict the day of ovulation. Check out how to find out the day of your ovulation.

2. Increase calcium intake

Being careful with the type of diet as a way of having a girl is another very old theory, which appeared when it was observed that in some aquatic mammals the type of feeding of the mother seems to influence the sex of the baby.

In addition, in a survey conducted in the United Kingdom, where more than 700 couples were interviewed, the researchers found that the concentration of some minerals in the diet also seemed to affect the sex of the baby, as women who ate a diet richer in calcium and magnesium appeared to have more daughters than sons.

The food hypothesis was studied more recently in 2010, in the Netherlands, where another study, which involved more than 100 couples, confirmed that women who had a higher concentration of calcium in the body, after increasing the consumption of this type of food as well as doing supplementation with the mineral, showed a high success rate to have a girl. As for magnesium, no relationship was found.

How to do it: women who are trying to get pregnant with a girl can increase their calcium intake, giving preference to foods like cheese, milk or almonds, for example. This type of feeding should be started between 5 to 9 weeks before the moment when you intend to become pregnant, since that was the time used in the 2010 study. Check a list of the most calcium-rich foods.

3. Having intercourse 1 to 3 days before the peak day

The peak day is a concept that was first introduced in the Billings method, which is a method widely used by women trying to increase their chances of becoming pregnant. In this method, the woman must evaluate the type of mucus that is released by the vagina, in order to identify when it is at its most fertile moment, since the characteristics of this mucus vary throughout the menstrual cycle. The peak day corresponds to the last day on which the mucus is most liquid and usually occurs about 24 hours before ovulation.

According to the peak day theory, women who have sex before that day are more likely to have a girl, while women who have sex after that day are more likely to have a boy.

This theory was confirmed in 2011 in Nigeria, where a study, based on the peak day method, demonstrated a success rate of more than 85% to obtain a girl having intercourse 1 to 3 days before that day. This theory also seems to go well with the theory of having sexual intercourse 2 to 4 days before ovulation, since the peak day happens about 24 hours before ovulation.

How to do it: to have a girl following this theory, a woman must have sex only 1 to 3 days before the peak day. To have a greater chance of success, a woman must also know the Billings method, which helps to identify the peak day.

Methods without scientific proof

There are still other methods that have been used since antiquity, but that have no scientific proof or that have not yet been studied. These include:

1. Use the Chinese table

This is one of the methods that has no scientific proof and that consists of using a Chinese table, based on astrology, to try to predict the sex of the baby according to the month of conception and the lunar age of the woman. This table, according to some legends, was used by a Chinese king, who used it to ensure that he always had male heirs.

However, in a study carried out between 1973 and 2006, its effectiveness was denied and, therefore, this method has no support from the scientific community. Get a better understanding of the Chinese table theory and why it doesn't work.

2. Having orgasm at the same time or after the partner

According to this theory, if the woman has an orgasm at the same time or after the man, the Y sperm have a harder time reaching the egg first, since the vaginal pH will be more acidic, which favors the X sperm, which give rise to girls.

This theory seems to be defended by some gynecologists and obstetricians, however, there is no recent research to confirm this result.

3. Stay under the partner during sex

According to this method, if the woman is under the partner during sex or in another position where the penetration is less deep, the X sperm appear to be favored, and they are able to fertilize the egg before the Y sperm.

Although it is based on a true theory, there are no studies on the relationship between the position of sexual intercourse and the success of obtaining a girl or boy. Thus, this theory can be used, but it has no scientific proof.

How to get pregnant faster

To get pregnant fast the most important thing is not to have any gynecological disease, as well as to have sexual intercourse during the fertile period. Enter your data into the following calculator to find out which are the best days to get pregnant: