Is it possible to influence the gender of the unborn child: what and which parent it depends on

It is quite logical that any couple expecting or planning procreation is interested in what determines the sex of the child. Unfortunately, the issue of a baby’s gender is surrounded by illogical myths that contradict common sense and the laws of biology and physiology.

In our article, we will dispel these myths and figure out what determines the gender of a person’s child, and also consider who exactly it depends on – a man or a woman. We will separately touch upon the question of what determines the sex of a child when conceiving a child, and how this process can be influenced.

What determines the gender of a child?

Each human somatic cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, which carry genetic information - such a set of chromosomes is called diploid (46 chromosomes). 22 pairs are called autosomes and do not depend on the sex of the person; therefore, they are the same in men and women.

The chromosomes of the 23rd pair are called sex chromosomes, since they determine gender. These chromosomes can differ in shape, and they are usually designated by the letters X or Y. If a person has a combination of X and Y chromosomes in the 23rd pair, this is a male individual; if these are two identical X chromosomes, it is female. Consequently, the cells of the female body have a set of 46XX (46 chromosomes; identical sex X chromosomes), and the male body has a set of 46XY (46 chromosomes; different sex X and Y chromosomes).

Human sex cells, sperm and eggs, contain 23 chromosomes instead of 46 - this set is called haploid. This set of chromosomes is necessary for the formation of a diploid zygote - a cell formed by the fusion of a sperm and an egg, which is the first stage of embryo development. But still, the gender of the child depends on the man. Why? Let's figure it out now.

Chromosome set of man and woman

Is the gender of the baby visible on an ultrasound?

Probably everyone has seen in films or even in person an ultrasound examination procedure (ultrasound) of a pregnant woman.
The mystery of the development of a new life and everyone's attention around this process has turned an initially ordinary procedure into a ritual that has been inevitably observed ever since ultrasound machines became indispensable assistants for parents trying to understand at what week of pregnancy it is possible to find out the sex of the child.

Initially, ultrasound diagnostics was intended to identify problems inside the body without surgery, and its appearance marked a huge breakthrough in medicine, as well as in obstetrics. According to ultrasound data, not only an obstetrician, but also an ordinary person can see a child in the womb.

It doesn’t matter what week the baby’s sex is determined by ultrasound - the device will show the baby in all its glory. First of all, doctors determine that the fetus is developing normally, and growth occurs in accordance with the term. Only after these necessary observations will the obstetrician begin to determine the sex.

The procedure itself is absolutely painless and brings extremely pleasant sensations and impressions - the expectant mother is shown on the screen what her baby looks like and whether everything is fine with him.

The process of determining gender using an ultrasound machine:

First, if you are in your first trimester of pregnancy, you will most likely be offered a transvaginal ultrasound. It differs from the traditional one in that the sensor is applied to the uterus from the inside and it becomes much easier to examine the fetus.
If the early stages of pregnancy have already passed, you will undergo a standard ultrasound examination for pregnant women - even if you asked everyone around about what week you can determine the sex of the baby at an ultrasound session, and hope to see something stunning for yourself, the process will not disappoint you . You don’t even need to undergo any preparation, no enemas or refusal to eat before the procedure.
You will be given a well-known element of ultrasound examination - a transparent sticky gel, which is smeared in moderate quantities on the pregnant woman's stomach. This is done for a reason and not even out of convenience, so that the sensors slide better. The gel performs the very important function of eliminating air between the surface of the sensor and the skin, ensuring maximum contact and the best signal conductivity.
Now you can find out the gender of the baby, and in what week it should be visible, if you did not specify such important information in advance. In general, the fetus is always visible, but the timing directly determines whether you will see the baby fully or half developed.

It is not very critical to make a mistake and not know at what week of pregnancy you can determine the sex of the child. If the abdomen has already formed, then the fetus can definitely be identified during the study - primary sexual characteristics develop very early and are obviously different.

The only problem for parents may be the position of the baby in the uterus. The baby lies in the womb in a natural position for him - the fetal position, that is, the legs are tucked in and often you have to wait until the baby moves. This will definitely happen, you just have to wait a little. At these moments you will have something to do, because through the sensors you can see the face and all the movements of the future newborn in quite detail.

Types of ultrasound during pregnancy

On whom does it depend more - on a woman or a man?

Many people still ask the question: “Who determines the gender of a child: a woman or a man?” The answer is obvious if you understand which sex chromosomes the sex cells carry.

An egg always has a sex X chromosome, but a sperm can contain both an X and a Y chromosome. If the egg is fertilized by a sperm with an X chromosome, the sex of the baby will be female (23X+23X=46XX). In the case when a sperm with a Y chromosome fuses with an egg, the sex of the child will be male (23X+23Y=46XY). So who determines the gender of the child?

What gender the child will be depends purely on the sperm that fertilizes the egg. It turns out that the gender of the child depends on the man.

What determines the sex of a child at conception? This is a random process when the probability of fertilizing an egg with one or another sperm is approximately the same. The fact that the baby will be a boy or a girl is a coincidence.

Women with feminist inclinations will either have to accept the fact that the gender of the child depends on the man, or women will try long and tediously to influence themselves by modifying their diet, frequency of sexual intercourse and sleep time, without in any way increasing the likelihood of having a boy or a girl. .

How gender is formed at conception

The surprising thing is that every person currently existing was once always two separate cells. They couldn't even be distinguished with the naked eye.

The nucleus of each cell of the human body contains a certain number of chromosomes. There are 46 or 22 pairs, the principle of their construction is the same for everyone, men and women. Essentially, this is compressed, encoded information about what a person, their carrier, is like. The chromosomal code records how tall its owner is, what color his eyes are, for example. It can be used to track what is inherited from close relatives. In addition to these 22 pairs, there is one more, the 23rd. That is, chromosomes 47 and 48. They are different for girls and boys. It is this pair, gonosomes, that is responsible for what gender the newborn will be.

How chromosomes affect gender

The child takes one cell from each parent: an egg from the mother and a sperm from the father. Each of them contains half of the genetic set. By merging, they start the process of division; from two cells, in the end, a whole little person will turn out. Depending on the chromosomal combination, the sex of the baby is obtained:

XX – girl;
XY is a boy.

Examples of different chromosome sets

Important! One of the chromosomes is always X, that is, the combination YY is impossible.

What does gender depend on?

The sex of the baby depends on the chromosomes, and only on them. Once upon a time, people tried to determine what determines whether a boy or a girl will be born. During pregnancy, women were encouraged to eat asparagus for the birth of a son, and to surround themselves with objects of art for a daughter. These are all old myths that have no basis in reality. It is impossible to program the body so that it combines only certain chromosomes.

Who determines the sex of the child

The child takes one cell from his father and mother. For a long time it was believed that it was the woman who determined what gender the baby would be, and her efforts. Suffice it to recall the story of the Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Cavendish. First, she gave birth to three daughters (a son also appeared, but much later). Her husband was unhappy that she did not “try hard” and did not give him an heir.

Important! What really affects the gender of the unborn child is what chromosome the sperm that reached the egg first carried.

One of the gonosomes is always X. It is given by a woman, because her chromosome set is XX. The man, the father of the unborn child, has an XY set of chromosomes. That is, what chromosome the sperm carries (they can be either “female” X or “male” Y) determines who the newborn will be.

How can the chromosomes of parents be combined?

At one time there was a myth that the gender of the baby depends on the father. This is actually not fiction. But it is also impossible to say that this statement is one hundred percent true. Of course, the sex of the child is determined by the father, not the mother. It is the sperm that determines whether a boy or a girl will be born. This is a scientific fact.

It is impossible to say that dad can somehow influence gender, because this is not something that can be programmed. In fact, it is a lottery as to which chromosome set the baby will get. Therefore, although only the male reproductive cell influences the gender of the child, it is impossible to say that everything depends on the dad and he can do something to change the situation.

Why exactly does a sperm with a Y chromosome fertilize an egg?

During the ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle, the egg is released into the fallopian tube.
If at this time a woman has sexual contact with a man, the sperm in the semen enter the vagina, the cervical canal, and then into the uterus and fallopian tubes. On the way to the egg, sperm have many obstacles:

acidic vaginal environment;
thick mucus in the cervical canal;
reverse flow of fluid in the fallopian tubes;
woman's immune system;
corona radiata and zona pellucida.

Only one sperm can fertilize an egg, and this sperm can be either a carrier of the X chromosome or the Y chromosome. The position in which sexual intercourse occurs, what diet the man followed, etc. does not affect which sperm will be the “winner”.

There is an opinion that X-sperm are more resistant to the “aggressive” environment in the female genital organs, but at the same time they are slower than Y-sperm, but there is no reliable evidence for this.

Myths and their debunking

What can cause ear pain in a child under one year old?

The process of procreation has always been mystified. Everything that a person could not know or study gradually acquired beliefs, traditions and signs. In particular, the most popular are the following speculations:

French diet. At one time, it caused a lot of noise - scientists suggested that if certain substances and microelements are accumulated in the bodies of both partners, this makes it more likely to conceive a child of a particular gender. In particular, for a boy you need to eat more fish, meat, and beans. Mushrooms, potatoes, strong tea and biscuits are also suitable. For some reason, the chances of getting a girl are influenced by the dairy products, caviar, and pancakes eaten. There is also a recommendation not to limit yourself to sweets.
In Tudor times, a belief stated that it was necessary to eat a lot of asparagus after conception in order to give birth to a male child. It is noteworthy that according to the French diet described above, asparagus is considered a “girl’s” food.
The relationship between partners affects the gender of the child, some believe. They believe that if a child is conceived in passion, then most likely it will be a boy. When the relationship between mom and dad is rather friendly, then the chances are high that they will have a girl.
There are also recommendations about how many times sexual intercourse should occur to conceive a child of the desired gender. For my son - as often as possible. In order to get a daughter, it is useful to abstain for some time.
Gender prediction tables have recently gained popularity. According to them, the sex of the child is determined by the age of the parents and the month of conception. From this data, compatibility points are calculated in a special way. Those who believe in this theory claim that it all comes down to how the blood of mom and dad is renewed.

An example of a myth is the Chinese table, based on the mother’s age and month of conception

Attention! All of the above methods of “planning” are nothing more than a myth. They have nothing to do with reality. This is influenced only by which sperm managed to fertilize the egg, and nothing else. All the children who were able to be “ordered” with one of the above images are an example of a successful coincidence of circumstances, nothing more.

It is difficult to imagine what would happen in the world if it was possible to plan in advance whether a boy or a girl would be born. Nature is wiser than people, and it is impossible to choose the sex of a baby during natural conception. Otherwise, this would lead to severe social imbalance.

Why shouldn’t folk methods and signs be taken seriously?

But because if you include logic and common sense, they have no justification. What are these methods?

Ancient calendar methods, for example:
the Japanese method, where the sex of the baby depends on the month of birth of the mother and father;
Methods associated with sexual intercourse: abstinence (for the appearance of a girl) and unrestraint (for the appearance of a boy), various positions as a predictor of the male or female gender of the baby;
Dietary Methods:
to get a boy child - foods with potassium (mushrooms, potatoes, oranges, bananas, peas...).

Now let’s put everything into pieces. Is it possible to eat ginger during pregnancy?

Chinese and Japanese methods involve the use of special tables to predict the sex of the baby. Who determines the sex of a child at conception? From the sperm that will fertilize the egg. The Chinese stubbornly believed that the sex of the baby depends on the mother, therefore, this method is already devoid of any logical rationale.

Does the sex of the fetus depend on the woman? In any case, the egg contains only the X chromosome, therefore, it is not responsible for whether a girl or a boy is born.

You can rely on the Japanese method if you firmly believe that the compatibility of couples is determined solely by the horoscope, because the essence of this option for determining gender is the same. Let’s remember what determines the sex of the unborn child at conception by studying this method!

Can the dates of birth of two partners influence the fact that after many years the X- or Y-sperm will be the most agile and powerful from a man’s sperm? Especially considering the randomness of the latter. This also includes all kinds of methods that promise the birth of a child of one gender or another depending on the day of the menstrual cycle.

Another way to determine the sex of the unborn child

The pace of sexual activity, as well as diet, can affect the quality of sperm and the likelihood of fertilization, but not the gender of the potential baby. Modifications of sexual life are not among those factors on which the sex of the unborn child depends, since they cannot speed up movement or increase the endurance of the “same” sperm.

Yes, both X- and Y-spermatozoa differ not in the amount of calcium and potassium, but only in a fragment of a chromosome containing DNA. And there’s no need to talk about a woman’s influence at all - we all remember which parent determines the gender of the child.

Consequently, folk methods of planning the sex of a baby are based on myths and ignorance of the peculiarities of the fertilization process, therefore they cannot be taken seriously. But you can find out about what methods you can use to determine pregnancy at home here.

Is it really possible to influence gender?

Black stool in a child - what causes dark stool

Humanity has always tried to find an explanation for everything incomprehensible. Among other things, people preferred to believe that it was possible to program the birth of a boy or a girl.

This was primarily due to the idea of inheritance. Historically, society lived according to the laws of patriarchy. The leading role was assigned to the man, the woman was second to him. Accordingly, ladies were considered nothing more than the property of fathers, brothers, and then husbands, necessary for the birth of children. There was no question of leaving an inheritance to his daughter. Over time, the situation changed. So, for example, a change in traditions gave the world two great queens: Elizabeth I, Victoria.

Elizabeth I Tudor

Since then, man has studied biology, anatomy, the mechanism of the origin and development of human life. Many unscientific explanations simply ceased to be relevant. Sometimes modern parents want to know what determines the sex of the child at conception. There is no exact formula. However, there is one assumption (however, which has not yet found scientific confirmation).

Spermatozoa can carry a female X chromosome and a male Y chromosome. Once in the female body, these germ cells still live in it for some time, and then die without fulfilling their purpose. The sperm can live like this for up to several days. Those that carry the female chromosome, X, are more tenacious. With male gonosome Y - more active.

Based on this theory we can conclude:

A couple is most likely to have a girl if intercourse occurs a few days before ovulation.
To get a boy, conception must occur during the ovulation period itself.

Important! This is not to say that the method is 100 percent accurate. These are just conclusions based on statistical data.

Today, in the 21st century, it is possible to choose the sex of a baby. True, conception in this case should be carried out through in vitro fertilization. In many countries, the sex selection procedure is prohibited, as it is considered inhumane and disrupts the natural balance, for example, in Israel. An exception can be made only for the following cases:

More than four same-sex children in a family.
Some diseases. For example, if an autistic girl is born into a family, there is a high chance that her sister will have the same diagnosis. Her brother is much less likely to have the same problem.

In Vitro Fertilization - IVF

Does the sex of the fetus affect the occurrence of toxicosis?

What was previously called toxicosis is now called gestosis. Preeclampsia is the result of pathological adaptation of the female body to pregnancy. The causes of gestosis include disruption of hormonal regulation of pregnancy, immunological changes, hereditary predisposition, peculiarities of placenta attachment and many other factors.

Preeclampsia manifests itself in the form of hemodynamic disorders (for example, increased blood pressure), deterioration of the function of the urinary system (nephropathy of pregnancy, manifested in the form of edema, the appearance of protein in the urine, etc.), in severe cases, a pathology of blood clotting is observed.

To the popular question “Does toxicosis depend on the gender of the unborn child?” There is only one answer: definitely not. None of the factors that cause gestosis can be influenced by the gender of the fetus.

All the first signs of pregnancy are described in detail in this article. And here it is written down at what period and in what week you can reliably find out the sex of the unborn child using an ultrasound.

Invasive methods

Chorionic villus biopsy. Often, future fathers and mothers ask the question: is it possible to determine the sex of the child not visually, using ultrasound (as we have seen, this method can hardly be called infallible), but in some more reliable way? Can. In cases where the birth of a male or female child in a family is undesirable for medical reasons (in case of severe genetic diseases), sex determination is carried out in the early stages (7-10 weeks) using a chorionic villus biopsy. In this case, a microscopic amount of its contents is taken from the uterus with a thin needle to determine the chromosome set of the fetus. In this case, the sex of the embryo is determined with almost 100% guarantee. However, it is unsafe to carry out this procedure only to determine the sex of the unborn baby: a miscarriage may occur.

Amniocentesis. It looks like this: at 16–18 weeks, a small amount of amniotic fluid is taken through a small puncture and its chromosomal composition is examined. The study of amniotic fluid is an invasive (penetrating) diagnostic method, that is, it is associated with a certain risk for mother and baby. Therefore, it is not done just to satisfy the curiosity of parents - only to identify genetic and chromosomal disorders. But it is in these cases that sometimes gender decides everything: some diseases are transmitted only to girls or only to boys. Usually, the results of amniocentesis are reassuring, and parents find out the sex of the future healthy baby, as they say, along the way. The reliability of the results obtained is 99%.

Cordocentesis. This research method is similar to the previous one, only fetal umbilical cord blood is taken for research. Cordocentesis helps identify sex-linked hereditary diseases such as hemophilia. It is done at the same time as amniocentesis.