Diet and sex of baby

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The concept of being able to predict the sex of a baby during early pregnancy or even influence it by eating or doing certain things when trying to conceive has been the subject of public fascination and debate for many centuries. But surely the sex of a fetus is exclusively determined by the father's sperm, carrying an X chromosome for girls and a Y chromosome for boys? It turns out this is not the full story.

I am trying for a baby. I've heard that certain foods can determine the sex of the baby. Is it also true that if you conceive before ovulation, you are likely to have a girl, and after ovulation, it's a boy? There has been much debate over the years about whether it is possible to increase the chances of having a baby of a particular sex by any means. There are many theories around but there is little in the way of scientific evidence to support them. Specific diets are advocated by some people, usually giving the advice that eating 'acid' foods helps in conceiving a boy, whereas eating 'alkaline' foods help in conceiving a girl. There is no proof that this is the case, and as eating a varied and nutritious diet is essential for the health of both mother and baby, restricting your diet in this way is not a good idea.

I'm pregnant, and we just found out that we're having a boy our third! Maybe this kid would have been a girl if I'd eaten this diet, day experts. Do you buy the concept that what you eat can effect the sex of your unborn baby? A new, and somewhat controversial, study by researchers at Maastricht University in The Netherlands claims that not only does the timing of sex matter avoiding sex before and after ovulation when a couple wants to conceive a baby girl, but also what the woman eats. The researchers say a mother is more likely to conceive a girl when she eats a diet rich in calcium and magnesium yogurt, spinach, tofu, almonds, cashews, beans, oatmeal, broccoli and oranges and consumes very little salt and potassium bye bye anchovies, olives, bacon, salami, smoked salmon, potatoes, etc.

After you see a positive pregnancy test result, one of the first questions on your mind will likely be when you will be due to give birth. You'll also likely start to get excited wondering whether your baby will be born a boy or a girl. Imagining the sex of your baby is a way to bond with your little one before they arrive. Friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers will also be curious. In some cases, knowing the sex of your unborn baby has medical purposes, such as if genetic diseases that are gender-specific run in your family.