Shettles Method for Gender Selection
The Shettles method, another unproven method for gender selection, is based on the premise that sperm carrying the X and Y chromosomes have different characteristics and that you can influence the reproductive environment to favor one or the other. In Shettles method, it is considered that under different circumstances either X- or Y-chromosome-carrying sperm will be more likely to fertilize the egg.
The Y-chromosome-carrying sperm are said to be faster and smaller than the X-chromosome carrying sperm and die faster than the X-chromosome-carrying sperm. The X-chromosome-carrying sperm are said to be slower than the Y-chromosome carrying sperm and be better able to withstand the acidic cervical environment before fertile cervical fluid is produced.
Based on these premises – according to Shettles – you can time intercourse, choose a sexual position that favors conception of your preferred sex, and influence the reproductive environment to increase the likelihood of conceiving your preferred sex. However, there is no scientific evidence in support of Shettles method for gender selection, and physicians of Gender Selection Center strongly caution against using this method.
Meet our Doctors
Norbert Gleicher, MD and David Barad, MD, MS have a combined experience of over 55 years in research and treatment of infertility, with extensive experience in Gender Selection since the early days of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in the 1990s.
