BD on ovulation = boy??

[juleswa]

Hi Guys,

Who's had any experience with (I think it is the..) Shettles method?

I've been doing a bit of reading where they say that BD as close to ovulation as possible increases chances of having a boy.

Any experiences / stories / advice to share???

[Indadhanu]

Hi there - well I don't have any experience, except to say yep, thats right, apparently girl sperm swim slower and live longer, and boy sperm swim fast but die quicker.

Personally, I kinda wonder about it...

And have always heard that it's not wise to put hope in having one sex over another (that said, would love a boy over a girl... but of course, I'm sure I'll be absolutely stoked with whatever happens to grow!).

[Liz]

Worked for us I spose hehe. BD on O day = boy, and now we're having a girl, and it was maybe 3 days before O.

But tbh I think it's 50/50 chance either way Just makes us feel better that we 'tried' for a girl, even if it might not turn out that way.

[Tobily]

Yep worked for me

We were trying for a boy - we BD'd once, on O day. Did not do it at all before O to minimise the chances of any girly sperm still hanging around when the egg was released, and we got our boy.

Although we weren't trying to get pregnant with DD, she was conceived how Shettle's says to favour a girl - we did the deed about two days before O.

This method isn't about guaranteeing one sex or the other, it's only about swaying the odds more in favour of getting the sex you're trying for. It's certainly not foolproof and we would have been elated with another girl in any case, we just thought it wouldn't hurt to try.

Good luck

[Indadhanu]

Don't mean to urn this around to me... but this defineately wouldn't work for anyone having/had an IUI (...me? lol), or using washed/spun sperm, would it? Because the sperm is placed directly in the uterus on the day of ovulation...? Or would we have a better chance of having a boy

[juleswa]

I do feel kind of bad trying to narrow it down so much, cause no matter boy or girl, a miracle is born, but
I guess you can try and sway the odds.

I was just a bit concerned that trying to pinpoint O and BD exactly on day of ovulation was going to give us less strikes at the goal posts and then less chance of actually conceiving. So i guess my next question would be....

I'm charting, so wait for temp to go up?? but isn't that already post-O

and also using OPK's, so when that's positive I've got 24-36 hours, so i guess that's really as close as you're gonna get it?

Sorry Leasha - I wouldn't have a clue??

[Liz]

Yeah, if you wait until your temp goes up.. you're likely to have missed the egg.. unless it's a durable egg! hehe.

Best thing is to look for other signs like CM, sometimes there's a dip in your temp before it rises... OPK's give you a pretty good window to time it. You get to know your own cycle tho after a few months of temping, and get to know the signs.

Leasha - I don't know the answer there either. Unless you can choose the sperm that's used.. X or Y.. dunno if you can do that tho! heh.

[juleswa]

Liz,

Got the CM signs already and have had a couple of OPK's come back with faint lines, which I know isn't a positive, but might be leading up to it??

I'll do another OPK this afternoon and see how that goes. Think we might BD tonight anyways - not that you probably wanted to really know that!?! but you gotta have some fun along the way too huh?

[~Shoegal~]

I dont believe in timing, i do however, believe in environment and ph. I know alot of woman who BD on O day and get girls.

[satya]

I'm with Shoegal. It is simply a 50/50 chance where timing is concerned.

Apart from anything else it is impossible to tell exactly when you will O in advance so how are you going to pinpoint the right day.... even with temping and OPKs, monitoring CM you are still guessing. You only know for sure that you have O'd after the fact and by then it is too late. Far too much stress.

By limiting BDing to one day you are reducing your chances of conceiving for sure. Many women who BD every day around O time take months to conceive. I guess you could give it a go if you are willing to take a chance for a few cycles.

[juleswa]

Just to add to my confusion and I already know the answer to this question but want to know what you all think, what IS the best way to determine O? What are you all doing to know exactly when you're O'ing?

Temping? OPK's? CM? It's a combination of all of them isn't it. How do you know how to narrow it down to the exact day?

[ElleJay]

I read this in regards to the Shettles system - I think I'd rather try for a boy! There's no way I'd be giving up my orgasms!
btw, found on BB's own website

Orgasm

For a boy, the woman should try to achieve orgasm either before or at the same time as her partner – or if you are lucky enough, multiple female orgasms can help! The theory on this is that the waves of the orgasm help to draw up the sperm quicker to the egg, again the boys getting a head start on the girls.

For a girl, Shettles recommends women avoid orgasm.

[Tobily]

Just to add to my confusion and I already know the answer to this question but want to know what you all think, what IS the best way to determine O? What are you all doing to know exactly when you're O'ing?

Temping? OPK's? CM? It's a combination of all of them isn't it. How do you know how to narrow it down to the exact day?

I've always used a combination of charting (temping) and CM observation. I've never used OPK's so can't really comment on them, but I've charted for many years and become pretty proficient at it

As someone pointed out you can't confirm that you've O'd until after the fact when you have a temperature shift - but you can definitely know when it's about to happen and make the most of it. Admittedly it is definitely easier if you have fairly regular cycles that follow a similar pattern every month as I do.

The best advice I can give is to actually chart for a few months and you'll learn alot about what your body is doing. If you're keeping records you will likely start to see that you're o'ing in the same 2-3 day timeframe (or thereabouts) every month...which is a good thing to know if your ttc! There is a charting site you can find online if you google "fertility friend" which is very good. You just input your data and it will predict when you're about to O, draw in coverlines etc.

There's an excellent book about charting called "Taking Charge of your Fertility" by Toni Weschler. It's the charting bible and I learnt so much from it. Definitely a worthwhile investment. I've found charting has been a learning process over time but such a valuable one - you learn so much more about your body than what you need to know to get pregnant.

Good luck