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According to Robin Elise Weiss, author of "Guarantee the Sex of Your Baby," men and women have been trying to control the sex of the babies they conceive since time began. From having sex only at certain points of the moon phase to douching with questionable substances, people have wanted to be sure they got the boy or the girl they want.

In reality, the only thing that controls whether you get a girl or a boy is the sperm. There are high-tech ways to improve your chances of getting one sex or the other, but they're expensive. For example, doctors can use in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to fertilize eggs and then "put back" only the female or male embryos in the woman's body....

According to Robin Elise Weiss, author of "Guarantee the Sex of Your Baby," men and women have been trying to control the sex of the babies they conceive since time began. From having sex only at certain points of the moon phase to douching with questionable substances, people have wanted to be sure they got the boy or the girl they want.

In reality, the only thing that controls whether you get a girl or a boy is the sperm. There are high-tech ways to improve your chances of getting one sex or the other, but they're expensive. For example, doctors can use in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to fertilize eggs and then "put back" only the female or male embryos in the woman's body.

There are the low-tech methods, but they are definitely not foolproof. For example, one popular method is The Shettles Method, developed by Dr. Landrum Shettles, author of "How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby." He argues that:

• It's possible that having sex the day of ovulation makes you more likely to conceive a girl. This is especially true, say some researchers, if the man has abstained from ejaculating for at least a week prior. This is because some experts argue that "girl" sperm swim faster.
• Likewise if sperm are already lying in wait for the egg the day it's released from your ovaries, you're more likely to conceive a boy. Researchers argue that while "girl" sperm swim faster, "boy" sperm are hardier and are more likely to stick around for that egg.

Though some people claim to have had success using this method, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that timing for ovulation does not affect the sex of the baby.

If having a boy or a girl is extremely important to you -- or a matter of genetic health (for example if you and your partner are carriers for a disease that impacts only boys or only girls) -- talk to your doctor about your options.

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