male vs female sperm

[jemima]

Hi

I am not sure if I am posting this in the correct area, but here it goes. I was told the other day that some males are only able to produce male sperm while other males are only able to produce female sperm? Which means some couples will only ever have boy babys while others will only have girl babys as when this occurs the male only had the ability to produce the one sex. Is this correct, I had always thought it was a 50/50 chance of getting either a baby boy or girl? Hope this makes sense.

Thanks
Jem

[{sarah}]

I've never heard that Jem.... Here's some info for you as to why it's not necessarily a 50/50 chance.

The X sperm (which are the sperm that make females) live longer than the Y sperm (which are the sperm that make males). However, the Y sperm swim faster, so the chances are equally good that you will get a girl or a boy. If the Y sperm swim fast enough before they die to fertilize the egg, then you'll have a boy. If the Y sperm don't reach the egg before they die, chances are an X sperm will get there shortly, and then you'll have a girl.

Here is more input and advice:

* XX sperm are stronger than XY sperm but both will perish very quickly if allowed to dry out.

* The female carrying sperm are the slower sperm because of the genetic material it carries. The female sperm contain an X chromosome, while the male carrying sperm contain a Y chromosome. The Y chromosome is very small and contains very little genetic material in comparison to the X chromosome, so the male carrying sperm are able to swim faster and reach the egg sooner than the X carrying sperm.

* A baby's gender is determined by the chromosomes in the sperm, not the egg. XX makes female, XY makes male, all eggs contain an X chromosome, so sperm donates other X or Y chromosome. Female sperm live up to 5 days, male sperm up to 3 days. (Egg lives 12 to 24, maybe even 36 hours after ovulation.) Female sperm live longer but swim slower than male sperm. (Vaginal environment supposedly contributes to sperm longevity, alkaline/acidic - male sperm prefer baking soda douche prior to sex, female prefer acidic (vinegar) (supposedly) - but most importantly of all, male swim quicker, so for male baby, have sex within 6 hours before ovulation, to beat female sperm to egg. Vice versa, for female baby, have sex 4-5 days before ovulation, for better chances of having a girl baby. Test for ovulation with home ovulation testing kit, get familiar with when you ovulate, and plan accordingly for future ovulations and future timing of intercourse.

* Men produce two types of sperm, those containing the X chromosome, female sperm, and those containing the Y chromosome, male sperm. Sperm are being produced continuously, they take about a month from the beginning until they are mature. As the Y chromosome is smaller than the X chromosome the male sperm is lighter and faster than the female sperm and therefore gets a head start towards the egg. Female sperm being heavier have more staying power and can keep going for longer.

[jemima]

Thanks Sarah
Who would ever thought it could be so complicated LOL!! The info you sent through has made things much clearer.

Jem

[{sarah}]

Not a problem

[AnyDream]

Hi Jem, also remember, that (for some reason) the Y chromosome is genetically weaker, so in some instances men will only have daughters as the XX is more robust than the XY and results in viable pregnancies. The sort of example I'm thinking of is Airforce men who work on the airfield or with electronic warfare things, the radar waves interfere with the Y chromosomes so they all end up with lots of daughters but no sons. I have never heard of a man only producing Y sperms as they are formed from his own genetic material which divides equally into X and Y, I would imagine that is biologically impossible to only have Y sperms.
:-)