How to Have a Boy

Introduction

When you’re trying to get pregnant, it’s natural to imagine your future child a certain way. Perhaps you’ve dreamt of having a baby daughter, or a cute baby boy! Maybe you already have a little girl, and part of you is wishing for a boy this time, so you can have the experience of raising both?

While these preferences can be perfectly natural, gender preference can be a tricky thing. Every child is equally special and unique, and assigning their value due to their sex may run the risk of reinforcing harmful stereotypes. These ethical concerns have been raised by reproductive experts and global laws across the world. 

Hoping too much for a specific gender may also lead to disappointment once your newborn arrives.

You may have heard some myths surrounding how to have a boy. Here are some quick takeaways before we begin:

In this article, we’ll be discussing the above topics and unpack this complex issue, through the lens of wishing for a baby boy. We’ll cover what actually decides a baby’s sex, debunk popular myths surrounding male conception, and the ethics surrounding gender preference in newborns.

What Actually Decides a Baby’s Sex?

It Starts with Chromosomes

Biologically speaking, sex chromosomes determine your baby’s gender at conception. Every human being has two chromosomes, one of them being an X type, which comes from the egg. Females have XX chromosomes, and males have XY.

Each egg in a woman’s ovaries has a single X chromosome, as do half of a man’s sperm, whereas the other half have a Y type. During conception, the sex of the fetus is decided on whether an X sperm fertilizes the egg (which will go on to create a baby girl), or a Y (a baby boy). 

It’s Mostly Random

With the scientific explanation above in mind, we can say that the gender of a baby through natural conception is mostly random, with odds of about 50/50.

While across the world, there are many myths, superstitions, and ‘hacks’ to help couples conceive their preferred gender, there remains no proven method to override these odds naturally.

Can Family History Influence It?

Some believe that your family history may influence the gender of your baby.

In 2008, a study known as the ‘family tree study’ suggested that the likelihood of having a male or female baby can be inherited. It claimed that a man with many brothers might be more likely to have sons, while a man with many sisters might be more likely to have daughters.

This study is based on more than 900 European and North American family trees dating back to the seventeenth century, gathering data on over 500,000 individuals. While its findings may be suggestive, they’re still not considered in the medical space as reliable or actionable insights.

Generally, the sex of your baby is random. A man with lots of brothers can very easily go on to have one or several daughters, as likely as he may have sons.

Common Myths About How to Conceive a Boy

Let's now address some common myths and beliefs that surround bettering your chances of having a baby boy.

“Boy sperm are faster”

A theory known as “Shettles Method”, named after the scientist who proposed this theory in the 1960s, suggests that Y sperm, aka the sperm that lead to male conception, are faster and weaker than X sperm.

With this information in mind, he claimed that couples can increase their chances of conceiving their desired gender through timing when they have sex and adjusting other contributing factors accordingly. 

“Deep sex positions or orgasm boost chances”

Linked to Shettles’ theory of Y sperm being faster, yet weaker, than X sperm, some believe that trying sex positions that promote deep sex penetration, or even the female orgasm, can boost the chances of a baby boy.

In theory, deep penetration and orgasm could help the Y sperm better travel through the cervix and towards the egg, and due to their suggested higher motility, be the first to fertilize it. 

“Eat more bananas or cereal”

One small study showed a link between the diet of a woman before conception and the sex of her baby. In particular, they focused on the effect of eating cereals and bananas before conception and conceiving a boy. However, many other experts contest that the sex of a fetus remains largely at chance.

“Tight underwear lowers Y sperm count”

Sometimes, a man’s sperm quality can be affected by external factors, with some studies claiming that men who wear tight underwear risk a lower sperm count as a consequence. While some factors, such as heat, may affect a man’s sperm, they are unlikely to affect any specific chromosome type. 

Instead, they’re more likely to play a role in the likelihood of conception overall, rather than to prevent the conception of a certain sex.

If you're curious about sperm health, regardless of myths, it’s worth testing. The Mira Male Fertility Kit helps you understand real data on sperm quality — without guesswork or unnecessary lifestyle changes.

“Tracking ovulation guarantees a boy”

Another popular myth that has its roots in Shettles Method, claims that timing sex near ovulation can help better your odds of conceiving a boy, due to the alleged faster motility of Y sperm reaching a newly released egg. However, the results of this method are anecdotal at best.

So, What’s Myth, and What’s Evidence Based?

To summarize, some of the above myths and theories have been backed by small studies. However, these theories on how to have a boy each lack strong, modern evidence, and remain largely unproven as a means of reliable sex selection through natural conception.

What’s Actually Known: Low-Impact, Low-Risk Approaches

Ovulation Tracking

Regardless of whether you have a preference for your baby’s gender, it remains highly beneficial for couples to be well informed and prepared when trying to conceive.

Navigating your fertility and identifying your fertile window can feel overwhelming and an impossible task for some, but with the right tools and knowledge, it can become straightforward. Learning to identify your signs of ovulation, through monitoring certain changes, such as hormone fluctuations, is extremely helpful.

Many women opt for using a specially designed Basal Thermometer to track their basal body temperature, which increases slightly when ovulation happens.

Alternatively, you could try an ovulation predictor kit or a hormone monitor to identify and predict when you’re at your most fertile. The Mira Hormone Monitor displays your data clearly and simply to help with this. By testing with the Mira Wands each morning, the results sync automatically with the Mira App, helping you understand your hormone patterns, predict your key LH surge, and improve your chances of conceiving.

Timing sex on ovulation day may slightly increase chances of having a baby boy, but not by much. It’s important to remember that the sex of your baby is largely random.

Nutritional Support

While no diet ‘guarantees’ a baby boy, eating a healthy diet when trying to conceive can improve your overall fertility, regardless of any gender preferences. Making sure you have the right nutritional intake is always recommended, not only for your benefit and for conceiving, but also for the health of your baby when you're pregnant, too. 

Alongside a nutritious diet, many women enjoy incorporating certain supplements into their diet to help boost their fertility health. Our Mira Fertility Tea and Prenatals offer extra support for your reproductive health and help you achieve a sufficient intake of key vitamins and minerals needed to conceive.

Emotional Preparedness

If you're still hoping for a baby boy, it’s okay to hold that wish gently in your heart. However, it’s also important to be open to whatever unfolds with your baby. A slight preference for boys still exists across the U.S., but the journey to parenthood is rarely straightforward.

Remember, the healthiest conception, physically and emotionally, begins with letting go of expectations and loving your child regardless. 

Medical Methods for Sex Selection 

IVF + Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)

Despite the many theories that claim to better a couple's chances of having a baby boy, some medical methods for sex selection do exist.

IVF and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) are the only reliable method for choosing the sex of a baby, but it remains costly and controversial.

IVF is the process of fertilizing an egg cell in a lab environment to create an embryo. PGD can then identify any potential genetic diseases or concerns, helping parents choose the healthiest embryo to transfer. It can also determine the embryo’s sex, but this ability does not come without its legal and ethical questions.

Legal and Ethical Barriers

While it’s possible to identify the sex of an embryo before implantation through PGD, the practice of it for non-medical reasons is banned in many countries. IVF and PGD are only permitted for identifying and preventing sex-linked disorders and genetic diseases.

Family Balancing: A Slippery Slope?

Choosing a child’s sex through IVF and PGD may feel like a personal choice, but it risks opening the door to deeper ethical concerns. 

The risk of reinforcing social pressures or cultural preferences for one sex can lead to broader gender imbalances over time and should be avoided. It also brings with it echoes of eugenics, where certain traits are selected rather than embraced, raising questions about what we value in our children and our wider society, and why. 

Family balancing is a slippery slope, and while the intentions may seem harmless, the implications can quietly shift the way we view family and identity if not treated with care.

When Gender Preference Becomes Emotional Strain

Gender Disappointment Is Real

While hoping for a boy or girl can be perfectly natural and part of the excitement of pregnancy, gender preference can trigger emotional strain, perhaps leading to disappointment if your baby isn't the gender you were expecting or wishing for.

These feelings can be a normal part of having a baby. However, if you feel these expectations are impacting your overall happiness during your pregnancy and post-partum, emotional support is always available to help you process these feelings. 

When to Seek Counseling

Knowing when to seek counseling can make a big difference in your well-being as a parent or an expectant parent. If you’re experiencing persistent feelings of sadness, resentment, or difficulty bonding with your baby, these may be signs that you need some support. Therapy can offer a safe space to open up and address these feelings, process the changes in your life, and learn ways to reconnect with yourself and your child. 

The Takeaway: Focus on Health, Not Control

As we wrap up this article, we’d like to remind you of the importance of focusing on health, not control. 

While it’s natural to have preferences, such as hoping for a boy, pregnancy and parenting is full of surprises that can’t be perfectly planned or controlled. No method for gender selection is foolproof or without ethical questions, so it’s best to prioritize the health of both parent and child first, along with love and flexibility, as you navigate the journey to conception. 

Above all, the most important thing is a healthy, happy family, however it comes together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who determines the sex of the baby?

The father determines the sex of the baby. His sperm carries either an X (for a girl) or Y (for a boy) chromosome, while the mother’s egg always carries an X chromosome.

What determines the sex of a baby?

The combination of sex chromosomes from the parents determines a baby’s sex. An X from the mother and an X or Y from the father results in either a daughter (XX) or a son (XY).

How to increase chances of having a boy?

There remains no proven method to guarantee a baby boy through natural conception. Instead, try prioritizing your fertility and general health and well being to help better your chances of conceiving.

When can you find out the baby's gender?

You can usually find out the baby's gender during an ultrasound when you’re roughly 18 - 20 weeks pregnant. A blood test as early as 10 weeks can also reveal the gender.