Whelan Method

Created by Elizabeth Whelan, the Whelan Method, a scientifically unproven method of gender selection, is simply timing intercourse on specific days of the menstrual cycle in order to achieve conception of the desired gender. Whelan claims her technique is 68 percent effective for boys and 56 percent effective for girls, but most experts, including physicians at Gender Selection Center, dispute this.

For one thing, even if the claim were true, the quoted percentage of having a boy or a girl is too close to the natural 50/50 chance. This fact alone should dissuade any couples seriously desiring a baby of one gender over another. Furthermore, there is no evidence in the scientific literature that Whelan method is effective for gender selection.

According to Whelan, if a woman wants a boy, she should have intercourse four to six days before her basal body temperature goes up. If she wants a girl she should have sex two to three days before she ovulates. The woman must take her basal body temperature every day to figure out when she is ovulating, or use an ovulation prediction kit.

Whelan also suggested that women follow a certain diet: if a woman wants a boy, she needs to make sure her diet is rich in salt and potassium. If it is a girl she is after, her diet should include lots of calcium and magnesium. Examples of boy diet foods are salty meats such as bacon, ham, or sausage, salted chips and nuts, and lots of carbohydrates. Some girl diet foods include dairy products, ice cream, fruit juice, and very low- or no-salt items.

The Whelan method directly contradicts the Shettles method. Gender Selection Center physicians strongly caution against using this method, as Whelan gender selection is not proven to be effective in scientific literature.

Contact us to find out what reliable methods are available for gender selection.