Many people think that gender selection is completely the influence of the man. Science is showing that things are not quite so simple; however it is the man that contributes the genetic material for either a boy or a girl. In this article I'll explain how the man provides this genetic material, called chromosomes, and some other factors that may influence gender through the father.
Male and Female Material
As you probably know, a baby is conceived when genetic material from the father and genetic from the mother come together. These materials are the egg and sperm. Both are sex cells. A sperm is a sex cell from the father, and it contains vital genetic material for determining gender. A mother's egg is fertilized with a sperm cell carrying either an X or a Y chromosome. An X chromosome will produce a daughter, a Y chromosome, a son.
A chromosome is essentially a package of DNA, which is the roadmap on how to build your body. The human body, and every cell within it, contains 46 chromosomes. It's almost like each cell contains a miniature blueprint on how to create the unique you. There are two exceptions to this -- the sex cells. Sperm and eggs only contain 23 chromosomes.
When the sperm fertilizes the egg within a mother's body, they join together to form the 46 chromosomes required to create a human baby. The sperm carries 22 chromosomes that form a matched pair with the mother's set. The mother's body always contributes an X chromosome, but as I shared above, the sperm cell may carry another X chromosome or a Y chromosome.
This is why it has long been thought that the only one who determined the sex of a child was the father. Scientific studies show that men tend to have an equal number of X-bearing and Y-bearing sperm, even if those men have only fathered children of one sex.
Other Factors
Science is showing that it's not simply luck that a sperm carrying an X or Y chromosome reaches the egg to fertilize it. In other words, it's not exactly random chance that a boy or girl is conceived.
Hormones have been shown to play a part in gender selection. A father who has higher levels of testosterone and other male hormones will tend to father male children more often. Fathers with lower testosterone tend to father female children. Serum testosterone is the measure of testosterone levels in the blood. Sperm that are bathed in higher serum testosterone tend to create boys. This is actually also true of eggs -- mothers who have higher testosterone levels to bathe their eggs in tend to produce more boys. Scientists favor a theory that terms it "dominance." A dominant personality (characteristic of a person with higher testosterone) produces more sons.
It's also thought that some vitamin and mineral levels may influence one gender over another. For instance, it's thought that semen rich in potassium may favor the conception of a son. Higher calcium may favor a daughter. Most studies on mineral levels have been done in women, so it's not conclusive how much of an effect it will for a father hoping for one gender or another.
Certain environment conditions also affect the gender of children produced by a father. Men who work in high-risk situations where there are a lot of heat or high altitudes consistently father more daughters. Scuba divers also tend to father more daughters. Any type of constant, increased heat around the father tends to lower fertility in general, but for those men that do conceive, they're far more likely to have a daughter than a son. Some theorize that cold may help father more sons, but there are no scientific studies to back this up.
Men can take various supplements, adjust their daily stress levels, and take other steps such as changing their exercise routine to help influence their chances of conceiving one gender or the other.
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