Pregnancy Day by Day: Day 16
From the moment of conception, your baby has a pre-determined sex. If the baby has two x-chromosomes, it will be a girl. If it has an x and a y chromosome, then it will be a boy. It is the sperm that fertilised the egg that determines the sex of the baby since all ovum (eggs) are x-chromosome.
Whilst you may not care what sex your baby is, there is no way of changing it once fertilisation has occured!
However, bear in mind that some studies suggest that diet may play a role in the days before conception. Some foods it is believed make it easier or more difficult for "male" or "female" sperm to make the journey towards the ovum.
Other studies suggest that the time of the month that you have sex can also play a role in determining the likelihood of a male or female baby since male sperm are strong but swim slower than females. So if you would like a girl, have sex as soon as your period ends and just before ovulation occurs as the fast swimming female sperm will be more likely to be ready and waiting for the egg as soon as it ripens. If you'd like a boy, then wait until you ovulate before having sex. The theory is that the strong fast swimming male sperm will beat the slower, weaker females and a baby boy is more likely!
There are no guarantees either approach will work... but it might be fun to give them a go!
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