One of the most popular methods for conceiving a boy (or girl) is using the Shettles Method. This method relies on ovulation timing to increase your chances of falling pregnant with a boy baby. Over the last twenty-five years, thousands of couples have turned to the Shettles Method for learning how to conceive a boy.
Shettles says in order to increase the chances of having a boy; you should have Sex no earlier than 24 hours before ovulation to 12 hours after ovulation.
While this method is a still not a guarantee that you’ll be painting the nursery blue (even ardent Shettles fans admit that it only has around an 85% success rate for producing a boy baby) it is better than the 50/50 shot you would have in normal circumstances.
Timing of intercourse in relation to ovulation is a vital factor in increasing your chances of having a boy.
So how does it work?
The Shettles Method is based on the fact that the Y chromosome bearing sperm ( boy sperm ) are smaller and less robust but move faster than the larger X chromosome bearing sperm (girl sperm ).
The cervical mucus present at ovulation is less acidic and “slippery” enough to help the Y (boy) sperm reach the egg more quickly.
The key to making the Shettles method for conceiving a boy work is knowing when you ovulate. Don’t just assume that you ovulate on Day 14 as this is just an average day for most women. There are many ways to find out when you ovulate and here are some of the more popular ways:
Body Basal Temperature
By taking your temperature every morning before you get out of bed you will notice that your temperature will rise by half to one degree once you have ovulated each month and charting this will help you find out what your usual day is so that in following months you have a better idea of timing it correctly.
BBT Charting
Shettles also suggests that you use BBT charting along with charting your cervical mucus in order to gain as much information as possible in order to pinpoint when exactly you are ovulating.
Considering that you need to have sex as close to ovulation as possible in order to increase your chances of having a boy, you will need to chart at least two months before you can make good use of the information that your chart reveals.
You can download our FREE BBT Chart to use here (right click, save as).
Saliva Monitors
Saliva monitors like Maybe Baby are actually mini microscopes which look for a ferning pattern that happens to a woman’s saliva as she approaches ovulation.
Ovulation Predictor Kit’s (OPK’s)
The final way Shettles recommends for finding out the exact time you are ovulating is by using ovulation predictor kits. Like pregnancy tests this strips work with urine in detecting the surge or hormones that occurs just before your body is about to release an egg. It will give you advance warning of your upcoming ovulation.
When all factors are considered, ovulation will most likely occur about 24 hours after the time when you get a positive result for the LH surge on your ovulation predictor kit. Dr. Shettles offers in-depth explanations on how to interpret the ovulation predictor kits in his Book so be sure to read all the information he provides.
The Days you need to try for a baby
Shettles recommends that you have Sex as early as 24 hours before ovulation to no more than 12 hours past ovulation in order to increase your chances of conceiving a boy. Having sex too far in advance to ovulation will dramatically decrease your chances of conceiving a boy.
The timing of intercourse in relation to ovulation is a vital factor in increasing your chances of having a boy.
Once you know your ovulation day the Shettles Method recommends having intercourse starting two days before you are due to ovulate right up to the day you release your egg. This will give the fast Y male chromosome the best chance of fertilizing the egg so you can have a baby boy.
Are There Good Positions for Trying For a Boy?
Shettles suggests that if you are trying to conceive a boy, deep penetration from your partner, preferably with the “doggy style” position, will deposit the sperm closer to the cervix giving the more aggressive and quicker moving “boy” sperm a head start to fertilizating the egg first.
When trying to conceive a boy, Shettles suggests that orgasms during Sex are a good thing as the body produces substances after orgasm that makes the vaginal environment more alkaline, which favors the “boy” sperm.
The contractions which accompany an orgasm help move the sperm up and into the cervix, giving the “boy” sperm an extra chance at being available when your egg is available for fertilization.
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I have more tips for conceiving a boy on this blog which also contains lots of other helpful information if you are trying to get pregnant. Or if you’d prefer to try for a girl then I recommend the o+12 method.