This blew me away. And if true, how cool would that be.
Sperm carrying the Y chromosome are said to consume energy faster than sperm carrying the X chromosome. Energy utilization is said to be due to the speed at which the sperm swim. Supposedly, Y sperm is fast or contains fewer mitochondria, while X sperm is slower or contains more mitochondria. Mitochondria are the energy-producing cellular components that are absolutely necessary for life.
Sperm contain, and can only make, so much fuel for their journey. If one type of sperm swims faster than another, the consequence of that, of course, is a faster arrival, but also a faster expiration.
That said, if a woman knows her cycle and when she ovulates, the odds of predicting the gender of the baby may be in her favor.
Sperm can reach the fallopian tubes in about 20 minutes to 2 hours. Sperm are viable for about 4-7 days inside the woman. [This is dependent upon numerous factors – one main factor being the consistency of her cervical fluid.]
Since the sperm that carry the X chromosome live longer, then it is possible to predict the gender.
As??
Let us give an example of how this baby gender prediction or sex determination would work.
You want – a girl.
You know Sue ovulates 15 days into her cycle. You know that you should deliver sperm no earlier than 4 days before ovulation. In this way, the Y-bearing sperm is likely to expire and the X-bearing sperm is still viable. When the egg is released about 5 days after intercourse, the X-carrying sperm will be waiting in the fallopian tube. Lady. The X chromosome sperm touches the egg and a girl has begun!
The critical and perhaps not so obvious piece of advice: don’t have intercourse again for a week! Make sure you have been fertilized with ‘mature sperm’
To sum up:
If you want a girl… aim to have sex before ovulation, at least 4 days before she ovulates.
If you want a boy… try having sex later before ovulation, say about 1 day before she ovulates.
Does older sperm mean less healthy? This is not known; however, it is not the genetic material that dies immediately. It is the motility or movement of the sperm that is limited and also the fuel reserves.
How do you know when Sue ovulates? She charts her cycle by temperature. In the morning, she takes her temperature even before getting out of bed. Not consuming alcohol the night before or an erratic schedule, such as staying up late at night. The temperature log will show a slight normal variation of about +/- 0.2 points. When there is a ‘spike’ in temperature, she has ovulated. The rising peak is usually about 0.4 to 0.6 degree points. It will hold steady for a while and then gradually decrease. If the temperature doesn’t drop, she’s pregnant!
Now, is this prediction of the sex of the baby scientifically proven? I’m not sure but I doubt it. The viability of the spermatozoa is proven. The difference in the speed and viability of the x vs y chromosomes is demonstrated. So the information presented here is postulated and assumed based on that data.
Why not give it a try? Baby gender prediction can only be fun! And if it works, how cool would that be?
We need to investigate this. Oh really. I don’t think it’s that difficult to do a study. Does anyone want to try it and tell me how it turns out? 😉
In health,
Good