#conceive-a-boy

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Shettles Method History

Almost from the beginning of his career as a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Shettles was confronted by parents eager to choose the sex of their children. Up until the early 1960s, Dr. Shettles did not believe there was anything he or anyone else could do to beat Mother Nature’s odds. “It looked like it was going to have to stay roughly fifty-fifty,” he recalls. Still, in part because his patients kept prodding him, he began looking for “anything that might be exploited toward this end, particularly anything related to differences in the two sperm types we then knew existed.”

The Two Sperm Types

The two types of sperm, as discussed in the preceding chapter, are the Y-bearing (boy-producing) sperm and the X-bearing (female-producing) sperm. It was known some years ago that the Y chromosome is markedly smaller than the X chromosome. Dr. Shettles hoped that this difference might be expressed in the overall head (nucleus) sizes of the two different types of sperm. This might provide a means of fairly easily identifying and perhaps of separating the two types for use in artificial insemination, and so on. Unfortunately, using standard microscopes and staining techniques, Dr. Shettles failed to discern anything that would visually distinguish the two types of sperm.

But he kept trying different approaches and, “one night,” he recalls, “I decided to examine some living sperm cells under a phase-contrast microscope.” This type of microscope, relatively new at that time, illuminates microscopic objects in startling ways, immersing them in halos of light that sometimes reveal hitherto unseen details. In expert hands, phase-contrast microscopy can produce images of greater depth, images that are closer to reality than those seen under some other microscopes. The phase scope lent an electrifying new dimension to the living sperm, which darted across the field of vision looking a little, Dr. Shettles says, “like electric eels.” He decided he could have a still better look if he could just slow down the sperm somehow. He did this by introducing a small amount of carbon dioxide gas into the fluid through which the sperm were swimming. The gas put the sperm cells into “slow motion.”

“The very moment they slowed down I could see the difference,” Dr. Shettles asserts. “There were two distinct populations. I was so excited that I ran upstairs and grabbed the first lab technician I could find. I had to show somebody what I’d found.”

Dr. Shettles promptly published his findings in the May 21, 1960, issue of the prestigious British journal Nature. On June 5, 1960, this discovery was reported in the New York Times.

Dr. Shettles continued to examine sperm specimens, and his observations continued to hold up. In most specimens he’d find more of the round-headed sperm than the larger, oval-headed type. This finding was in keeping with the established fact that far more boys than girls are conceived (various studies have shown 110 to 170 male conceptions for every 90 to 100 female conceptions) and that for every 100 female births, there are approximately 105 male births.

Occasionally Dr. Shettles would come across a semen specimen that contained sperm of unusual uniformity, being almost all of one or the other type. In cases where these were of the larger, oval shape, Dr. Shettles recalls, “I’d find men who had given birth mainly to girls.” And where the uniformity was of the other type, “I’d find men who had fathered an excessive number of boys.”

Early in his studies, Dr. Shettles encountered a specimen that contained nothing but small, round-headed sperm. The sperm donor, Dr. Shettles discovered, came from a family which, for 256 years, had produced almost nothing but male offspring. During two and a half centuries, only two girls had been born to the men in this family.

Speed Versus Staying Power

From these early studies, Dr. Shettles reached three conclusions that were to be of great importance in the development of his sex-selection theories: (1) the male-producing sperm are smaller and more compact than the female-producing variety of sperm; (2) the male-producing sperm are, therefore, very likely faster than their bulkier, female-producing counterparts; (3) the female-producing sperm, on the other hand, because of their greater bulk, probably have greater staying power.

Even though there is still a dispute over whether it is possible to visually distinguish between the two types of sperm, what is important is that others have confirmed beyond any doubt what Dr. Shettles hypothesized: that the Y-bearing, male-producing sperm are, indeed, smaller and faster than the X-bearing variety. This has been demonstrated by means other than phase-contrast microscopy, as will be discussed in more detail later in this book. Dr. Shettles and some others still believe the differences can be visualized under the phase-contrast scope, given the proper preparation and requisite expertise. But, for all practical purposes, that issue is moot. It has been rendered beside the point by other—more persuasive—confirmations of Dr. Shettles’ conclusions with respect to sperm speed and size.

By 1960 Dr. Shettles had a starting point, a place at which he could begin building his sex-selection theory. It appeared to him, as already noted, that there were far more male-producing sperm than female-producing sperm in the average ejaculate. The numerical advantage of the Y sperm, he reasoned, must be a sort of compensation for their fragility, relative to the huskier X sperm. The male, it seems, starts out life, even at the preconception stage, in a state of “inferiority,” a state that is borne out all through life and is evidenced in the fact that there are far more stillbirths and miscarriages of male children than of female, in the fact that more boys than girls die in infancy, in the fact that women have longer life spans and are more resistant to many types of disease, and so on. It is only by having a numerical advantage at the outset that the male keeps roughly even with the female.

That advantage is taxed, Dr. Shettles hypothesized, from the very beginning—when the sperm are ejaculated into the vagina during intercourse. To test this hypothesis, he placed sperm in transparent tubes filled with cervical and vaginal fluids of varying degrees of acidity and alkalinity, such as naturally exist in the female reproductive tract. He found that when the fluids were most acidic, the larger, oval-shaped sperm were able to survive longer than the smaller, round types. He also found that when the fluids were highly alkaline, it was the male-producing sperm that would most quickly swim to the opposite ends of the tubes, which he likened to “physiological racetracks.” When the secretions were more acidic, the likely “winners” were the female sperm. The acids took a toll on both types, but the toll was heaviest on the more fragile boy sperm.

Now, in the normal course of events, a woman’s secretions tend to become most alkaline as ovulation approaches—nature’s way of enhancing chances for fertilization. As you move away from ovulation in either direction, either before or after, the secretions become more acidic. Experiments showed that the female-producing sperm could not only better withstand the acids, they could also better withstand a number of forms of stress, such as heat, toxic chemicals, and so on.

The Importance of Timing

With this information in hand, it became evident that timing of intercourse relative to the time of ovulation might be the most crucial element in sex selection. Dr. Shettles theorized that intercourse that occurs at or near the time of ovulation will, more likely than not, result in male offspring. This is because the secretions in the reproductive tract of the female are most alkaline at or near ovulation and thus most favorable to the speedy Y sperm. But if the intercourse that results in conception occurs two or three days before ovulation, when the secretions are more acidic, then the chances for female offspring would be enhanced. This is because the hardy X sperm are more likely to survive in the acidic environment during the lengthy wait for the egg. This is where the X sperm’s superior “staying power” comes into play.

Dr. Shettles sifted through the scientific and medical literature to see if he could find further support for his blossoming theory. He found that some past practitioners of sex selection had made observations with respect to acidity and alkalinity. Dr. Felix Unterberger, a German researcher, had, decades earlier, in the 1930s, treated some forms of infertility with baking soda douches. He had noted that a number of his infertile female patients had extremely acidic secretions. He guessed that the acids were adversely affecting the sperm. When the women used the douches containing the alkaline baking soda, the acids were neutralized somewhat, and a number of these women became pregnant. Equally astonishing was the fact that so many boys were born to these women—far more, Dr. Unterberger and others reported, than would have been expected by chance. Some other doctors followed up on the German researcher’s work with similar results.* Even Emperor Hirohito of Japan is said to have employed an alkaline douche in his successful quest for a male heir.

Dr. Shettles found neither truly adequate confirmation nor refutation of Dr. Unterberger’s work in the literature. Unterberger’s theory had enjoyed a brief popularity and then had faded away for lack of rigorous scientific follow-up by other doctors, most of whom seemed to find the notion of alkaline douches beneath their dignity. Nonetheless, the data from the 1930s was intriguing and certainly tended to support Dr. Shettles’ own developing ideas about sex selection. He doubted that alkaline douches alone would produce boys with any great reliability. Timing appeared to him to be a far more important component, but douching might be a potentially useful adjunct to timing.

Dr. Shettles also found numerous references, dating back to the nineteenth century, to the alleged influence female orgasm can exert on sex selection. Some researchers have claimed that when a woman has an orgasm during intercourse and, especially, when she has her orgasm before that of the man, the chances for having a boy are increased. If there was any truth to this persistent claim, Dr. Shettles decided, it might have to do with the fact that female orgasm makes the secretions somewhat more alkaline.

Even the Talmud, compiled centuries ago, notes a connection between female orgasm and the sex of offspring. “The determination of sex takes place at the moment of cohabitation,” the Talmud declares. “When the woman emits her semen before the man [when she has orgasm first], the child will be a boy. Otherwise it will be a girl.” The man, if he wanted a boy, was directed therefore to “hold back” until after his wife had an orgasm.

This was interesting in and of itself, meshing as it did with the reports of researchers in more recent times. But Dr. Shettles found another directive in the Talmud that was equally or even more interesting. Orthodox Jews were instructed not to engage in sexual intercourse during a woman’s “unclean” period, meaning during her menstrual period; nor should they have intercourse for a full week thereafter, declared the Talmud. Orthodox Jewish authorities Dr. Shettles consulted confirmed that many Jewish couples abstain from intercourse for the first two weeks of the cycle; thus the first intercourse of each cycle would occur at or near the time of ovulation for most of these women. Taking this into account and considering the less important but still noteworthy directive on female orgasm (which might be expected to increase alkalinity), Dr. Shettles wondered if he hadn’t found the reason why Orthodox Jews have a disproportionate number of male offspring, as has been reported for decades.

Of still greater importance to Dr. Shettles was the data on artificial insemination. It seemed clear to Dr. Shettles that if his theory was valid, then artificial insemination should produce significantly more boys than girls. The reason for this is that artificial insemination is usually timed to coincide as closely as possible with ovulation, so as to maximize the chances of conception occurring. (Artificial insemination can be costly and somewhat traumatizing to some women; thus doctors try to achieve pregnancy via artificial insemination with as few attempts as possible.) Prior to any artificial insemination, the conscientious doctor does everything he can to pinpoint as closely as possible the woman’s ovulation time.

Dr. Shettles looked at the records of thousands of women who conceived by artificial insemination. He found that about 160 boys were conceived for every 100 girls! Many others have confirmed this fact. Artificial insemination does, indeed, result in a preponderance of male offspring, just as would be predicted by the Shettles theory.

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Shettles Method Boy: Intro

The procedure for begetting male offspring is somewhat easier than the method for female offspring. You will recall that the intercourse that coincides as closely as possible with ovulation will be the most likely to yield sons. This has been shown to be the case in numerous studies involving both artificial insemination and natural insemination.

We don’t pretend to know all the possible reasons why more sons result, given this timing, but it has been established that the boy-producing sperm are smaller and, under ideal conditions, are capable of swimming faster than female-producing sperm. Since the cervical secretions are most ideal at or near the time of ovulation, Dr. Shettles has long held that intercourse at that time should favor the male-producing sperm, which can use their greater speed to get to the egg first.

Even if intercourse takes place several hours before ovulation occurs, but within a day of it, the secretions still will be most conducive to Y-sperm penetration, permitting many of the boy producers to get into the fallopian tube to await the arrival of the egg. Some girl producers will arrive there, too, but the Y sperm should, for several hours at least, maintain a numerical superiority in the fertilizing zone. For the boy, then, you want to time intercourse for the day of ovulation.

It is easier to come in “on target” for the boy than it is to play the “waiting game” for the girl, as described in the next chapter. (Even those who are interested only in conceiving sons at this point should also read the girl chapter; by doing so you will learn more about what you shouldn’t do.)

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Shettles Method Boy: Timing

We have discussed how to determine your time of ovulation. That has to be your first and most important order of business. You will probably have to go through several cycles before you feel confident that you can tell when you are ovulating. If you have been on birth-control pills, you will want to wait at least six months after discontinuing them before trying to conceive a child of either sex. It has been shown, in numerous studies, that women who conceive within a few months of discontinuing the Pill are far more likely than other women to suffer miscarriages and other complications of pregnancy. Besides, once you’ve been on the Pill and have discontinued it, you will need time to get your cycle back to normal.

If you have been using an IUD, there is not the same danger, though Dr. Shettles and some others recommend that women wait a few months after removal of IUDs before attempting to conceive, just to make sure everything is back to normal. Contraceptive foams and jellies should not be used by couples who want to conceive boys. These substances are highly acidic and could thus be expected to most adversely affect the smaller, less hardy, male-producing sperm. And, in fact, studies have shown that pregnancies that result from failures of these methods of birth control yield a greater than expected number of girls.

The form of birth control that should be used during your practice sessions is the condom. This will not interfere with the acidity/alkalinity of the female reproductive tract and, in addition, will enable the woman to observe and test her cervical secretions on a daily basis, as outlined in the preceding chapter, without confusing seminal fluid with CM.

We recommend charting the CM as your first and best means of finding ovulation time. Remember that you may show a pattern of peak symptoms on two days in a row, rather than just one. That’s one of the reasons why you should go through several practice cycles—so you won’t “jump the gun.” Even if you show a highly regular pattern, we suggest going through three cycles so that you can proceed with greater confidence. If your cycle turns out to be irregular, ultimately you may have to do a lot of cross-checking, using both CM and BBT.

We recommend that the BBT method be used in conjunction with the CM method. BBT will provide additional and, we hope, confirming information. If there is a conflict, place a higher trust in your CM readings unless you have some particular difficulty in interpreting them. If you are lucky enough to experience clear-cut Mittelschmerz, you can use that, as well, to help you pinpoint your ovulation time.

In previous books, where we have recommended primary reliance on BBT, Dr. Shettles has noted that, in the average woman, ovulation occurs somewhere between the dip in temperature and the sustained rise. If a woman took her temperature one morning and, from experience with previous charts, knew that by the next morning her temperature would be sharply up, then Dr. Shettles would recommend that intercourse be timed for that evening—about halfway between the dip and the top of the rise. If the woman was not sure that she had recorded her dip, then Dr. Shettles would recommend that she wait until the following morning (when the dip followed by the sharp rise would be evident) to have intercourse with the objective of conceiving a boy. The same recommendations still hold.

To repeat, if you are using BBT alone, intercourse for the boy should occur either on the day the dip is observed—if you are confident that this is the dip—or on the following morning, after the dip has been confirmed and the rise observed. In either case, you will be having intercourse during a twenty-four-hour period that we believe marks the day of ovulation. If you are confident that your morning temperature marks your dip, then intercourse later in the day would be ideal, rather than waiting until the next morning. The ovulation kits we discussed in the preceding chapter may also be helpful for those with consistently irregular cycles. (See discussion later in this chapter.)

Of course, we don’t recommend that BBT be used alone. CM will give you more up-to-the-minute information. What we suggest is that you take your BBT before you get up each morning; then check your CM after each urination throughout the day (and even during the night if you get up to urinate). You will soon begin to notice correlations between the BBT and CM that will be very helpful to you in assessing the status of your cycle at any given time. You may find, for example, that at the point you record your last low temperature, you are very near ovulation (as indicated by the CM) and that you will have maximal chances of conceiving a boy if you have intercourse that morning rather than wait until the following morning. On the other hand, your CM readings may tell you that you still have plenty of time after that last low reading.

Your best chances of conceiving a boy are in the twelve hours before ovulation occurs. But you still have significantly higher chances of conceiving a boy than a girl when intercourse occurs within twenty-four hours before ovulation.

You may feel that you know when you are within twenty-four hours of ovulation but may feel less certain about knowing when it has already taken place. If you are relying on the BBT method, we don’t recommend having intercourse for the boy any later than the morning on which you note that the temperature has risen abruptly. CM is even a better guide. When ovulation has occurred, your secretions will abruptly turn thicker and cloudier again. If you have been checking every few hours and suddenly note this change, we recommend that you not have intercourse. If you find, by charting several cycles, that your peak symptoms tend to last a day and a half, time intercourse near the end of that peak period—well into the peak period but before the change in CM takes place. Again, however, intercourse anytime during the last twenty-four hours of peak symptoms will increase your chances of having a boy.

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Shettles Method Boy: Irregular Cycles

Let’s consider two cases, based on a composite of actual patients, to help clear up any ambiguities.

SALLY

Sally has been charting her cycle for three months now. She is happy to discover that her cycle is highly regular. Each has been twenty-nine days long. She is confident that she can determine her time of ovulation, and she and her husband feel they are now ready to try for a boy. Here’s what they experience.

In her fourth cycle, the one in which they plan to make their actual sex-selection attempt, Sally ceases bleeding on the sixth day. On the seventh, she begins charting her BBT and CM. Her temperature follows a pattern much like it has in the past. So does her CM, which first shows up on day 10. The CM gradually becomes thinner and more copious until, on day 15, it peaks: It is as thin, clear, and stretchable as it ever will be. It has the consistency and appearance of raw egg white. At the same time, on the morning of day 15 of the cycle, Sally notes that her temperature, which has drifted slightly downward for the past few days, looks like it has reached its characteristic low point—the last dip before the rise. She is sure that by the morning of day 16 her temperature will be sharply up—at least half a degree. That is what has happened in each of her previously charted cycles.

Does she tell her husband to call his office and inform the boss he’ll be a little late this morning? No. Another woman—with another pattern—might, but Sally knows from her previous charting that it is highly likely that her peak CM symptoms will persist all the way until the next morning. So she waits, wanting to get as close to the actual moment of ovulation as possible. When she takes her BBT the next morning she finds that, just as expected, her temperature has risen markedly. With some considerable excitement and a little anxiety, she quickly checks her CM. With relief she notes that, as in cycles past, it is still at its peak. She also knows, though, from past experience, that it won’t remain this way much longer.

Sally tells her husband that ovulation is at hand. Now he can call his office. It’s time to try for the boy without further delay.

MARIA

Maria is not quite so lucky as Sally. She has charted four cycles, and each has been a different length, ranging between twenty-seven and thirty-two days. Moreover, the most likely day of ovulation within each cycle, she and her husband have concluded, has been different. Nonetheless, they do feel that, looking back, they can tell just about when ovulation occurred in each cycle. Maria’s charts are all biphasic, that is, they show the normal temperature shift. The trouble is, since the temperature shift occurred at a different time in each cycle charted so far, this shift cannot, in and of itself, enable Maria and her husband to predict the time of ovulation in any individual cycle. They know when it happened—but only after it happened.

Still, they feel they are ready to make an attempt for the boy in the fifth cycle. The reason for their confidence is the fact that Maria’s CM readings have shown changes consistent with the BBT temperature shifts. This correlation gives them the confidence they need to proceed.

Here’s what happens in the fifth cycle.

Maria stops bleeding on the fifth day. She has two dry days and then the CM appears. The CM has shown up on different days in each cycle, but once it starts it persists, getting thinner and wetter with each day up to the time of probable ovulation. There is always one day, in each cycle Maria has noted, on which the CM symptoms are more “peak” than on any other day. And looking back at the BBT charts for the previous practice cycles, Maria and her husband began to notice that those peak CM days occurred on the days of the last low temperature. This is what makes them feel that they have indeed found a way to determine ovulation time, despite Maria’s considerable irregularity.

Therefore, in her fifth cycle Maria charts both her CM and her BBT but pays special attention to the CM. On the day she experiences her peak CM, she now assumes, on the basis of past experience, that she has recorded her last low temperature and that when she takes her BBT again the next morning, it will have risen markedly. She knows from past experience, too, that once the temperature rise has been recorded, her CM will already have turned thick and cloudy. Thus the day that she notes her peak CM symptoms is the day to try for a boy. She knows not to wait until the next morning. She and her husband have intercourse that day, and by evening Maria is glad that they did, for at that time she notes the sudden change in her secretions, from peak back to thick and cloudy. And, providing further confirmation that she did the right thing, the next morning Maria notes that her temperature has risen.

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Shettles Method Boy: Ovulation Predictor

If you decide to use one of the ovulation-prediction kits (see discussion in the previous chapter) to help you with your timing for a boy, here’s what we suggest:

First of all, if your cycles are regular or fairly regular but you simply want more assurance that you have pretty well pinned down your probable ovulation time, then by all means use one of these kits, if you don’t mind the extra expense. Given a fairly regular cycle, you may want to use the kit during just one of your practice cycles.

You could, for example, start testing four days before your other calculations have, in previous test cycles, indicated that you would probably ovulate. For the first few days you might test just once a day—either between 11 A.M. and 3 P.M. or in the evening. On the day before you think you will ovulate you might test twice—once at around noon and again at around 10 P.M. If you pick up the LH surge while testing on this day, then your estimate of your ovulation time has probably been accurate: Ovulation will most likely occur on the following day.

What you should do then, however, is continue to test the following day, as well. Keep testing until the results indicate you are no longer in the LH phase. This will tell you that ovulation has occurred, though not precisely when it occurred. By this procedure, you should be able to gain valuable additional information about your cycle.

If you have consistently irregular cycles so unpredictable that the CM and BBT methods haven’t worked for you, then you are even more likely to want to try one of these kits. Again, you may be able to relate the results to CM and BBT observations and finally make some sense of them. Or you may end up deciding just to use the kits and “go for it,” as one of our readers wrote she and her husband did (with success in that case).

Once again, we don’t recommend using the kits as your sole means of determining ovulation time because, as discussed earlier, these tests are not fail-safe. Still, it is somewhat easier to use them when trying for a boy. And if you decide you must rely on them solely, here’s what we suggest you do:

First of all, test twice a day without fail. Read the instructions in your test kit very carefully so you know how to interpret the results properly. When the test strip changes color, indicating that the LH surge has begun, you want to be sure that it really has just recently begun (within a few hours). Again, test between 11 A.M. and 3 P.M. and then between 5 P.M. and 10 P.M. Space the two tests apart by at least eight hours. Noon and 10 P.M. would be ideal testing times.

Let’s say that when you test during the midday period, you get negative results—that is, there is no indication of the surge. Then you test again, in the evening, let’s say at 8 P.M. This time there is a positive result—the LH surge is under way. You can assume that the surge actually occurred at least five or six hours earlier (since it is not detected in the urine until several hours after it actually occurs in the blood) and that, in most instances, ovulation will occur about thirty hours after the surge hits the blood. Thus, ovulation in this case is likely to occur about twenty-four hours after this test—in other words, at about 8 P.M. the following evening.

Our recommendation in a case like this is for the couple to have unprotected intercourse sometime between the following morning—about twelve hours before the suspected time of ovulation—and early evening. If you can split the difference and have intercourse around midday, so much the better.

Remember, you must test twice a day if you are going to use this method in your actual attempt to conceive a boy. And you must wait twelve hours after you first detect the LH surge before having intercourse. Intercourse immediately after detecting the surge could increase the possibility of conceiving a girl.

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Shettles Method Boy: Timing Summary

Here is a summary of timing techniques for the boy. In terms of BBT, try for the boy between the morning on which you observe what you believe to be the last low temperature and the morning on which you note the marked rise in temperature. Achieve finer tuning and greater accuracy by using your analysis of the CM. Try for the boy only on those days when you are experiencing peak symptoms. If you have more than one consecutive day of peak symptoms, the last day is the most likely day of ovulation. Use common sense, however. A few women with hormonal disturbances, which may be of only a transitory nature, sometimes exhibit clear, fertile-appearing mucus at odd times during the cycle. When things seem to be out of kilter with your normal experience, be particularly cautious and seek additional information through the use of BBT, Mittelschmerz, and the ovulation-prediction kits.

Your best chances of conceiving a boy arise when intercourse is timed as close as possible to the shift from peak mucus back to thicker, cloudier mucus. Ovulation actually may occur sometime before rather than at the time the mucus shifts back, so we don’t recommend having intercourse for the boy after this shift is noted. You still may have a greater chance of conceiving a boy for up to twelve hours after ovulation, but data on this remains ambiguous. It is always best to try to ensure that intercourse takes place before ovulation occurs. Once the mucus changes, it will be more difficult for the male-producing sperm to get to the egg first.

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Shettles Method Boy: Abstinence

Factors other than timing can enhance chances for conceiving male offspring. In the past, Dr. Shettles recommended sexual abstinence from the beginning of the cycle until the day on which sex selection is attempted. The reasoning behind this was that higher sperm counts have been associated with a higher incidence of male offspring, as discussed earlier in this book. By abstaining from sex until the target date, near the middle of the cycle, Dr. Shettles reasoned, the husband’s sperm count would be maximal.

A number of couples have complained that this is too long a period to abstain. We have come to agree, particularly since that long an abstinence might be counterproductive. After so long an abstinence, spontaneous nocturnal emissions may occur, possibly just before the time when sex selection will be tried. That would have the effect of lowering sperm count at just the wrong time.

Dr. Shettles now advises that it is all right to have intercourse during the first days of the cycle, but, even here, it is absolutely essential that condoms be used. If you don’t use condoms and you are off at all in your timing, you could conceive a girl. When you believe you are within four days of your time of ovulation, abstain entirely from any sexual activity that results in male ejaculation. It is important to increase sperm count as much as possible—a factor that favors male conceptions. (We’ve heard from a few men who say they can’t abstain that long without having a spontaneous ejaculation. If this is a problem, then abstain beginning three days before suspected ovulation time.) Have intercourse without a condom only on the suspected day of ovulation.

We recommend having intercourse only once on the day of suspected ovulation. After having this one unprotected intercourse, you must resume using condoms for the next several days, to be entirely safe. It is especially important to use condoms for the first three days after ovulation has taken place.

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Shettles Method Boy: Tempeture

Some people thought Dr. Shettles a tad daft several years ago when he began telling men who want sons to avoid jockey shorts, jockstraps, and other tight-fitting clothing, all of which can have the effect, he warned, of raising the temperature within the testes to the point where sperm count is reduced. Some men wore such tight-fitting clothing, he found, that they actually rendered themselves temporarily infertile. Heat kills both types of sperm, but it kills the smaller, less protected, male-producing type first. For men who want sons, Dr. Shettles’ recommendation is “Keep it cool.”

Dr. Shettles has made a considerable study of the relationship among scrotal temperature, spermatogenesis, and the sex of offspring. He found that since the time of Hippocrates, hyperthermia (excessive heat) has been recognized as being injurious to reproductive functioning in the male. Reduced conception rates have been related to a number of heat sources, including tight-fitting jockey shorts, insulated underwear, overheated workplaces, and so on. Taking too many Turkish baths or soaking for too long in a hot tub can also lower sperm counts.

Studies are few on the relationship between heat and sex ratios, but those that exist tend to support Dr. Shettles’ argument that resulting lower sperm counts yield an excess of girls. Skin divers who spend a great deal of time in tight-fitting, heat-retaining rubber wet suits, for example, have been shown to father far more daughters than sons.

Some men may be unaware that their testes are, in fact, being exposed to abnormally high temperatures. It doesn’t take too much of a temperature increase to affect sperm production. Men who work in furnace rooms or in front of large industrial ovens are at risk; so are men who sit all day in heated vehicles, such as taxis or trucks. These are the kinds of men, Katherine Bouton reports in an article (“New Light on Male Infertility,” This World, July 11, 1982), whom infertility doctors are seeing more and more of. Men who work in bakeries, pizza parlors, and the like are also being seen in increasing numbers.

Dr. Shettles notes that men who jog in plastic suits (designed to increase weight loss) are at real risk. Even frequent saunas can lower sperm counts. Fortunately, once the heat is off, the sperm count gradually increases again. Men who have such low counts that they are infertile regain their fertility within a few months of avoiding whatever heat source caused their problem in the first place. Some fertility experts have recommended placing the testes on ice or immersing them in cold water to help speed things along. That isn’t one of Dr. Shettles recommendations (unless your doctor has suggested it and is supervising the process), but he does advise avoidance of anything that causes excessive heat to be generated in the scrotal area.

One woman who wanted a son wrote us that she had hidden her husband’s tight-fitting jockey shorts. Not a bad idea. Try boxer shorts.

Be aware, too, that any form of stress, not just heat, can lower sperm counts. Protracted illnesses, even a bout of the flu, can do this. Exposure to toxic chemicals reduces sperm counts, and, as with heat, there are studies showing that exposure to such chemicals can result in an excess number of female conceptions. Radiation lowers sperm counts; so do many drugs, both prescription and nonprescription. It has been established that prolonged use of marijuana can reduce male sex hormones and lower sperm counts.

Actually, there is one drug—a mild one—that may actually help you conceive a boy: coffee. This is purely optional, but drinking a couple of cups of strong caffeinated coffee fifteen to thirty minutes before having intercourse, on the try for the boy, may impart some extra speed to the male-producing sperm. A number of researchers have shown that caffeine can have a stimulating effect on sperm. It gives both types a boost but, according to Dr. Shettles, gives the male-producing type the greater boost. It won’t do any good for the wife to drink the coffee; the husband has to do it. And we don’t recommend long-term heavy use of coffee, which might actually have the opposite effect—a lowering of sperm count.