THE MOTHER'S DIET BEFORE PREGNANCY COULD INFLUENCE THE BABY'S SEX, ACCORDING TO SOME STUDIES

Although for many parents it is not relevant to know the sex of the child they expect, for others the personal desire to have a child of a certain sex is especially important, especially when the couple yearns for, they already have several children of the same sex, or when members of a certain sex abound in the family.

In these cases, there are couples who during the search for a baby resort to natural methods to try to influence their sex, such as modifying the mother's diet. But are there studies on the influence of pre-pregnancy feeding on the fact of fathering a boy or a girl? In today's article we review what has been published to date.

In Babies and more29 food for the diet when you are looking to get pregnant but they are always good

The Baretta method and the influence of feeding on the sex of the baby

The Baretta method is, perhaps, one of the most popularly known and our partner Armando Bastida already told us about him a long time ago. It is a method devised by the biochemist Adriana Baretta after several years of research, and which has been reflected in the book "Boy or girl? Now you can choose."

This method combines the mother's diet prior to conception, with the time when ovulation occurs. Thus, it has been observed that sperm with X load (those that give rise to the conception of a girl) are more resistant in acidic environments, while Y (those that give rise to the conception of a boy) are more effective in alkaline media.

Thus, if the couple wishes to father a child, they must favor an acidic environment during at least three months before conception, with a maternal diet that includes products rich in calcium and magnesium, such as milk and derivatives, daughter's vegetables, eggs or almonds. On the other hand, if what is desired is to conceive a child, the woman should have a diet rich in sodium and potassium, with foods such as fresh fruits, legumes, meats or fish.

But trying to influence the sex of the baby through this method is not as simple as it seems, because as we can read on its official website, a diagnosis, controls and food plan applied individually are necessary and professional, because each woman has her own physiology, her own cervical mucus pattern and her own eating pattern.

In addition, remember the importance of always maintaining a varied and balanced diet, but especially when you are looking for pregnancy, because nutritional deficiencies and the deficit of certain vitamins can be very dangerous, and even affect fertility.

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The studies of the University of Pretoria: this is how glucose influences

In 2007, a group of biologists from the University of Pretoria (South Africa) conducted a study in mice to determine if changes in the maternal diet could influence the sex of the offspring.

To do this, they altered blood sugar levels in female mice during conception, fed the animals with a steroid called dexamethasone, responsible for inhibiting the transport of glucose to the bloodstream.

This proved that females with higher blood sugar levels after conception had more male offspring, while those who had been given medication to lower glucose levels had more female offspring.

The biologists who participated in this study related the data obtained with evolutionary theories, according to which in times of stress or poor diet in which sugar levels fall, it is more likely that mothers generate females to ensure the perpetuation of species.

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Interestingly, this study would be related to some of the popular beliefs that relate a greater consumption of red meat with the birth of children, and fish, vegetables, chocolates and sweets with that of girls. In this regard, Elissa Cameron, responsible for the study, explained in the News Cientist magazine:

"The truth is that meat increases blood sugar for a prolonged period of time, while sugary foods raise it momentarily, then producing a downturn."

The studies of the Universities of Exeter and Oxford: this is how calories influence

In 2008 a study was carried out following the premise of the previous one, - and Armando also informed us in this post -, which related a high-calorie diet with a higher chance of conceiving male children.

The study, published on the scientific website of the National Center for Biotechnology Information in the United States, was conducted by researchers from the Universities of Exeter and Oxford, using a sample of 740 pregnant women of their first baby.

After carrying out detailed questionnaires to the mothers to know their eating habits before and during pregnancy, the group was divided into three parts according to the calories they consumed. And that is how it was determined that women who had consumed more calories when they were looking for a baby were more likely to have a male child than those who had taken a low-calorie diet.

Although there are very caloric foods that are especially healthy, It is important to control the intake we make of calories, since higher consumption is usually associated with an increase in weight. In this regard, it is essential to take care of our weight when we look for a baby, because eating more than we need could affect our fertility.

In Babies and more Check the weight and keep obesity at bay: do not expect to be pregnant Ultimately, these theories would show that when determining the sex of the baby the father does not play an exclusive role, as always It had been believed, but according to the conditions that occur in the mother's womb, some sperm will be more likely to fertilize the egg than others.

But the really important thing, and in what all the experts agree, is in the need to maintain a balanced and healthy diet at all stages of our life, but especially when we seek pregnancy. It will depend not only our fertility, but the health and well-being of our baby.

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