The thought of extending a family can bring a lot of joy in a couple’s life. With an increment in responsibilities, there is no comparison of the happiness and sense of content that a baby brings, after all  family is the ultimate safe space for any person. The comfort of a happy and complete family is unique.
Pregnancy can be a ride full of ups and downs and while you embrace the beautiful time of nine months connecting with your baby, it is a common curiosity to know whether you are going to have a baby girl or boy. It can be pretty tempting to have patience for a whole span of nine months.  
It does not matter what the gender of the baby is because the feeling of parenthood remains the same. Do not concentrate on the sex of the baby instead try going with your natural instincts. However, if you are someone who is more likely to prefer having a baby boy due to some strong personal or medical reasons, you can implement some of these tips but remember there is absolutely no guarantee whether these will work out for you as birth is an extremely natural process.
Let’s try to understand to what extent it is possible if you willingly want to have a boy.

Is it viable to make baby boys?
It is essential to keep it clear that though both father and mother are involved, the father is more responsible for deciding the gender of the baby than the mother. He may not be aware of which sperm will go through the fertilization process but the sperm of the male decides whether you will have a baby boy or a girl.

Each sperm carries two types of chromosomes- X and Y. The XY chromosome combination means a boy and XX combination is for a baby girl. All the unfertilized eggs have an X chromosome, now it solely depends on what chromosome the sperm contains. A sperm with X chromosome will make you welcome a baby girl and the one with Y chromosome will make a baby boy.

While this is the most practical explanation for determining the gender of the baby, there is no surity on having a boy or girl because of the intense competition among which sperm gets to the end. It highly depends on the type of chromosome carried by the sperm during fertilizing an egg.

In addition to this, it is also believed that the father’s family history can also affect the gender of his baby. The more brothers or male members he has in the family, it is possible he might have a boy or the pattern that his family has followed might impact the gender of his babies.

What are the ways to get pregnant with a baby boy?
There are many ways suggested to help you make a baby boy, some can be natural ways like modifying your diet and others can be done with the help of medical science. Firstly, Let us talk about some natural ways.
1. It will be like stating the obvious when talking about the importance of consuming a healthy diet and following a good lifestyle is beneficial for every individual but what role does it play in deciding the gender of your baby? As per some studies, it is observed that a good diet can influence your chances to have a baby boy. Given below are some changes that you can make in your diet.
●    There is a lot of advice given by different women around the world as per their personal experiences. Some shared their consumption of high calories helped them conceive a boy.You must remember not to overload your diet with calories and eat throughout the day but give yourself a balance of everything.
●    Second suggestion is regarding the increase in potassium. Many women included potassium rich food like bananas, avocados, watermelon, sweet potatoes, coconut water, etc. to have a baby boy.
●    Like potassium, adding sodium rich food with electrolytes is also a good option. You can sprinkle salt as much as possible on fruits and vegetables.
●    You can also add cereals to your breakfast because it proved to be helpful for quite a number of women. Anyway, it does not have any side effects and will act as a nutritious add on to your breakfast while maintaining a balanced diet.
●    Including alkaline food to your diet can also help you to fulfill your wish to make a baby boy.

2.There are two tried and tested methods known as the Shettles and the Whelan method. Both of these focus on the importance of understanding the right timing of intercourse. Well, it is true that choosing the right timing before or after the menstrual cycle of a female impacts the condition of her pregnancy.
●    Shettles method states the ideal time of intercourse after two to three days after but very close to your ovulation cycle. It focuses on accumulation of sperms closely near the cervix with appropriate positions. In his book, he also focused on the environmental conditions in which a sperm travels that are best suited to make a boy. According to shettles, you must avoid sexual activities during your period and before the ovulation starts.
What is ovulation?
Ovulation period occurs 14 days before your period. It is the time when matured eggs are released from your ovaries through the fallopian tube. This is the ideal time for conceiving because the released eggs are capable of fertilizing themselves. Ovulation can be stated as the start of your menstrual cycle.

As soon as the egg is released, they can last for upto 12-24 hours. You can track your ovulation cycle through a tracker but remember not to miss the ovulation period otherwise the eggs would die. It does not work in the same manner for every woman, like 14 days before the period, it depends on your menstrual cycle.

A woman with a regular menstrual cycle of 28 days will start ovulating before 14 days from your period.If your cycle is irregular, the time for ovulation will also differ. Using a good ovulation kit is also a good option for checking.

Symptoms of ovulation
●    If your body’s temperature at rest increases, there is a high chance that you're ovulating. You can check it with a basal thermometer before you start your day and record it to understand the pattern. When an egg is released, your body will feel a slight rise in temperature. Before the temperature goes high, you will have the most fertile days.
●    Change in the secretions from your vagina can also indicate your ovulation period. It is aligned with the hormonal changes that occur in your body before the menstrual cycle. The secretion will appear like raw eggs and the texture will be different than the other days.
●    Some women experience constant abdominal pain during their ovulation. But keep in mind that it should be mild and not cause discomfort to you. High intensity of pain can be a sign of some serious medical issues that can impact your pregnancy. Consult a doctor in such a case.
●    Other symptoms might include- breast tenderness, you might face some occasional spotting due to changing levels of estrogen and some blood might be seen, higher sense of smell and taste which can make you feel sensitive to certain fragrances, an energy rush throughout at the time of your ovulation, etc. 

As per his studies, the speed of Y sperms that can make a female is slower than the X sperms which can produce a male but female sperms are known to have a long life. As stated earlier, an alkaline environment is more preferable for a boy and a woman has a higher alkaline state near the time of ovulation which is why it is the best time for having a boy. Otherwise, the vagina has an acidic environment.

In addition to that, he also advises to let the woman orgasm prior to the male which is favourable in case you want to have a boy. Female orgasm can lead to secretion of more alkaline into the vagina. This will help the male sperm to reach fertilization.

●    The Whelan’s method is just the opposite of the previous one. It states the ideal time for having a boy is before your ovulation starts. Choose a time that is four to six days prior to ovulation. This method is purely based on the bodily changes that occur during ovulation.

According to the Whelan’s method, the best time for male sperms with Y chromosomes to reach the egg for fertilization is prior to ovulation than the female sperms with X chromosomes. They will probably find the suitable environment for fertilization before ovulation due to the reactions in the body.

However, there is no assurity which one will become the best for you. These methods worked out differently for different couples. You can opt for the one which suits you the most or try both. The success rate with such methods is again according to people’s experiences and there is always an equal probability of having a girl or boy.

3.To sum up, deciding the right time for intercourse and the position can assist in conceiving a baby boy. You can also have sex during your peak fertile periods which means just a day before or on the day your ovulation starts. Doing it too early from ovulation may not help because the male sperms might die and the female sperms will be left for fertilization.Track your cycle well and record any changes in your body during that time. It will also help you to understand your body better.

Male sperms are said to be light and can travel faster and age is also a deciding factor here as young males have a high sperm count. Younger women can also have a favourable alkaline environment which supports in making a boy.

Other than these, today the “artificial insemination” process is also used for such cases. It is the method in which the sperm is manually injected into the cervix or uterus. This method is found to be effective in certain circumstances but there are conditions.

Time to carry this process is the same as others, around the ovulation period. The cost for getting this done is not very expensive and the physical pain is also not too much. A little bleeding or some minor effects can be felt afterwards. You might be given some drugs before the process so that you can release multiple eggs for ovulation.

Above mentioned were some natural ways to get a baby boy but with the support of medical science also you can increase the possibility. These ways can be helpful for some but always remember these are not natural methods hence it is crucial to decide properly before you opt for one of these. Also, listen to your body because mainly it has to bear with the impact.


4. PGD which stands for Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is a method used to decide the sex of the baby. It is used with IVF (In vitro fertilization) to produce embryos and then give a check on the sex of embryos. After this, the embryo is implanted in the uterus for the desired gender of the baby. PGD is also known as PGS (Preimplantation genetic selection).

IVF is basically used to help people with fertility issues and stop genetic disorders. The families with any disorders genetically usually opt for this method so that the embryos with any defect can be removed.

It is a kind of ART(assistive reproductive technology) and provides hope to people who are facing issues while trying to conceive a baby. In this method, eggs are taken from the female’s ovaries and fertilized with sperm manually with the help of technology.

Later, they can be freezed or implanted in the uterus. Although IVF has been fairly successful, there is no strong assurance whether it will work properly till the end because complications always come along.

Some other ART methods include- GIFT ( Gamete intrafallopian transfer) and ZIFT ( Zygote intrafallopian transfer). These can be considered as close to natural ways because of the less complications involved.

For GIFT, the eggs are collected like other processes and then placed with sperms in the fallopian tube manually. It will require you to take some injections or pills for increased production of eggs in the ovaries. It is expected that at least one egg will be fertilized but it needs more eggs to be inserted and increases the risk of multiple pregnancies. As unfertilized eggs are placed inside, there is no update on the fertilization process.

ZIFT is more assuring than GIFT. The whole process is the same till the collection of eggs but here the sperm and eggs are fertilized before being placed in the fallopian tube. This increases the possibility of pregnancy as the eggs are already fertilized. Also, less eggs are used which leads to lesser risk for multiple babies.
5. Sperm sorting is a process where the father provides sperm samples and then they are seperated into X and Y chromosomes. As mentioned earlier, the X chromosome which is responsible for producing a baby girl is heavier than the Y chromosome which makes it identifiable. This whole process is carried through flow cytometry. At the end, the chromosomes of your chosen gender are selected for IVF.

Technology has obviously proved to be a useful tool for families in bringing new lives but it is essential to note that these methods have their pros and cons. While they might be effective to a certain limit, being highly expensive does not make them easily accessible to all. Every IVF cycle can cost a whopping amount of  around $12,000-$15,000.

IVF requires a lot of  your savings and financial planning and nobody can take the guarantee of success. Apart from the financial burden, it can be exhausting   for physical  and mental health. What should you know about the consequences of IVF?
●    There can be a possibility of multiple pregnancies if more embryos are implanted. Are you mentally and financially prepared for such a scenario?
●    Make a keen decision on how many embryos you want to be implanted
●    You must know about what to do for the embryos that will remain after the process
●    Make sure to be aware of all the legal terms and conditions regarding the whole process to avoid any unnecessary issues.
●    Make up your mind about the physical and mental issues that you might face during the process
Are there any physical complications involved?
●    If by any chance there are multiple pregnancies, the health of the babies can be affected and there can be premature birth.
●    The risk of misscarriage is also associated
●    OHSS ( ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome) where the abdomen and chest have excess fluids. This happens when the ovaries become swollen and secrete extra fluids, it is common among women who go through some kind of treatments for fertility.
The ovaries swell up due to excess pressure on them for producing eggs than its normal capacity. The fluid flows to the body parts and can cause major pain in the ovaries. In some cases, it is recoverable in one or two weeks but it can get serious and can last for a long time.

Some common mild symptoms can be- nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea or vomiting, pain near the ovary area while the serious condition can result in- blood clots, difficulty in breathing, rapid gain in weight, and heavy abdomen pain. If you get pregnant, OHSS can become severe and last for many days or weeks.
●    It might happen that the eggs grow outside the uterus known as ectopic pregnancy which is immensely risky as it can cause serious bleeding issues and gets difficult to recognize at first. Also, there is hardly any chance of survival for the fetus.
●    Some rare cases have faced kinds of infections or bleeding or damage to the bladder

There are several other methods other than IVF but they might require you to consume some drugs that can cause long lasting hormonal imbalance or some kind of serious side effects. Moreover, you do not want to take unnecessary risks for your baby and the mom to be.

Making a decision for such methods can be very tricky and complicated therefore always make sure to consult your doctor very well, talk to other couples who have prior experience, indulge in extensive research and invest enough time with your partner and  yourself before opting for one of these processes.

Legal considerations you must be aware of
It is essential to know that the process of PGD or PGS is still considered illegal in many countries like the United kingdoms, China, Australia, Canada. These methods have raised hopes for couples in the modern world but many countries have prohibited the use of such technologies for gender selection.

Before you decide to go for any such methods, it is important to know about the laws that your country follows. However, despite the ban many practices like infanticide, abortions are still active in many countries but you should  always try to be on the safer side.

If there are serious medical reasons to choose a specific gender before having a baby, then you can carry out these processes in other countries where they are not illegal like The USA, Italy, Thailand. In a nutshell, if you live in countries like the UK, China, knowing or selecting the gender of your baby is next to impossible while in countries like Italy, the USA, it is comparatively simple.

In reality , it has been given a specific name “reproductive tourism” because people exclusively travel for gender selection and treatments for infertility. Although, it might cost a financial load on your pocket and can be complex with all the concerns due to travelling.

As per WHO, inclination towards one gender raises a concern towards moral values and it should not be allowed except for the cases with genetic disorders. It is to balance the population growth. Preference for one gender over the other will imbalance the male and female ratio and affect the future generations.

Today, many people have opted for IVF or PGD but it is still a matter of ethical values and requires some regulations to be imposed for balancing the family. Some places it is mandatory to have the first baby of the opposite sex so that you can choose the gender of your second baby. To sum up, the government also has a valid stance in enforcing such laws because it is necessary to have a wide thinking capacity for the future.

Symptoms that let you know it’s a baby boy!
It is always better to have some patience to know the gender of the baby till its birth but it is quite natural to make some assumptions out of curiosity and excitement whether it is a baby boy or girl. Here are some signs that can help you guess the gender of your baby but remember these are not based on solid proofs but personal experiences. Every pregnancy is different and it mostly depends on how your body is reacting to the changes.

1.    If your baby bump follows a lower direction, it is assumed that a baby boy is on the way. For girls, it goes in a higher direction. Although it is truly based on the shape and size of your body and uterus.
2.    For boys, the heart rate can be less than 140 per minute and for girls it is more than 140.
3.    Morning sickness can also be a sign to know the gender of your baby. With boys, it can be an easy go and you might not face much discomfort with morning sickness when compared with girls.
4.    Your skin can speak a lot about your baby. Boys can make your skin glow with less acne but it is the opposite with baby girls. The skin of your hands can feel dry most of the time.
5.    Hair Fall can be less and a shiny texture on your hair can be seen. The growth of the hair is also good. It depends more on how your hormones are reacting.
6.    Baby boys might make you crave for salty food like chips and sour food like pickles. If you feel like increasing your salt intake, maybe you are going to have a boy. For girls, it is more of sweets.
7.    Some women have visible spotting before their pregnancy and  later had a baby boy, but bleeding or spotting can also be due to pills, PCOS, etc. There is no factual proof of this.
8.    It is also believed that if the placenta is on the right side, there are chances you have a baby boy growing inside you. Placenta is an organ that grows in the uterus during pregnancy and provides food and oxygen to the baby. It also removes waste from the baby’s blood. Again, there is no evidence for this theory.
9.    Other symptoms may be- a constant headache during the time of pregnancy, you can experience cold feet more, your baby weight can be seen more in the front parts of the body, increased hair growth on the legs, changes in the colour of your urine and characteristics of your breast, etc.  can be possible indications that you have a boy in your belly.

The type of nutrition you take and the routine you follow for your skin has a major impact on the symptoms you face during pregnancy. Pregnancy is a crucial process and there is a lot going inside your body, so it is hard to assume the gender of the baby with few body changes. Above all, you need to take good care of yourself for the healthy growth of the baby.

To Summarize,
The whole journey from planning for a baby to having one can be overwhelming at times. You may witness many changes in your life and it is quite natural. It is important to keep in mind that the feeling of becoming a parent has nothing to do with the gender of your baby.

Whether it is a baby boy or girl, pregnancy will be a roller coaster ride because your body will go through many new changes. It is wise to accept the natural essence of the process of birth and focus on the baby’s good health. After waiting for nine months, you do not want to face any complications at the time of delivery.

Using any method other than the natural ones can turn out to be a bit challenging because of the artificial technology. Do not choose  any such option that can affect the health of mother and baby. Every gender is unique and there is always a wide area of opportunities for your baby.

As the father of the baby, it is your responsibility to take care of your partner in every aspect and provide complete emotional and mental support. Like the mother, the ph levels of father’s sperm does not affect the pregnancy but it is a common belief that drinking coffee before sex, the sperm’s Y chromosome becomes more active which will help you conceive a boy. You should make sure that there is no pressure from your side.

Emphasize more on eating right, take all your vitamins on time, consume a balanced diet, you can try some diet tips mentioned above if you are trying to get a baby boy because these are natural ways and do not cause any serious harm. It is always better to consult your doctor before you make changes in your diet to prevent any kind of allergies.

Choose a diet that suits your pre medical conditions. Take care of your skin by following a good ritual. Keep yourself mentally happy because if you feel good, your baby is going to automatically receive good vibes. A happy and healthy mom means a happy baby!