Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: thedoc on 11/07/2016 11:56:16

Title: Why can't I concieve a boy?
Post by: thedoc on 11/07/2016 11:56:16
I have 5 girls. For 15 years, I have wanted to have a boy - I changed my diet, used ovlution kits, etc but they did not work. Could you please try to explain to me why I could not conceive a boy????
Asked by Safia


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[chapter podcast=1001386 track=16.07.05/Naked_Scientists_Show_16.07.05_1005377.mp3](https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenakedscientists.com%2FHTML%2Ftypo3conf%2Fext%2Fnaksci_podcast%2Fgnome-settings-sound.gif&hash=f2b0d108dc173aeaa367f8db2e2171bd)  ...or Listen to the Answer[/chapter] or [download as MP3] (http://nakeddiscovery.com/downloads/split_individual/16.07.05/Naked_Scientists_Show_16.07.05_1005377.mp3)

Title: Re: Why can't I concieve a boy?
Post by: evan_au on 17/06/2016 11:29:40
On a population-wide basis, every time you have a child, there is about a 50% chance that it will be a boy.
If you tried again, the chance would still be around 50%.
The odds of getting 5 girls in a row is 1:25=1:32, or about 3%.

Since there are many women having babies, somebody has to be in this 3%.

The really interesting question is if there is some factor that biases the sex ratio in your case.
My old boss used to say that electrical engineers have 2/3 girls, but I'm not sure how scientific that was.

One study suggested that women in high-stress jobs tended to have more daughters:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2888741/

Another study found no significant relation to father's occupation:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1128967/
Title: Re: Why can't I concieve a boy?
Post by: Tim the Plumber on 17/06/2016 12:33:08
Quote from: thedoc on 17/06/2016 09:50:01
Safia asked the Naked Scientists:
   I have 5 girls. For 15 years, I have wanted to have a boy - I changed diet, used ovlution kit & etc but they did not work . Could you please try to expline to my why I could not conceive a boy????
What do you think?

Congratulations on having 5 girls.
Title: Re: Why can't I concieve a boy?
Post by: eeyore on 01/07/2016 10:05:42
In order to conceive a boy child, you need....wait for it.....a male sperm.

If you have not conceived a boy, then you are not getting enough male sperm to do it. There are lab procedures to concentrate male sperm cells if you still want a boy.

You should think twice about that, at this time, I think.. I have known men who were raised with 5 older sisters. They grew up to despise women.
Title: Re: Why can't I concieve a boy?
Post by: alancalverd on 01/07/2016 10:31:37
Exactly. The sex of a child is determined by the sperm, not the ovum. Ther's an old wives' saying that it takes a strong man to father a daughter, so you have obviously chosen your partner(s) well.

And believe me, girls are much less trouble to raise. Even if you long for the smell and the fighting and the dirty clothes and the insatiable appetite and the drunken friends and the bent cars and bits of motorbike....you'll appreciate a conversation that goes beyond "yeah."
Title: Re: Why can't I concieve a boy?
Post by: RD on 01/07/2016 12:32:19
Quote from: alancalverd on 01/07/2016 10:31:37
... The sex of a child is determined by the sperm, not the ovum ...

The sex of the live-born child can be affected by the prenatal environment ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivers%E2%80%93Willard_hypothesis
http://www.livescience.com/574-survival-fetus-males-rough.html
Title: Re: Why can't I concieve a boy?
Post by: alancalverd on 01/07/2016 13:39:52
OK, let's be pedantic. The sex of a blastocyst is determined by the sperm, but its survival is determined by the placenta, and it may just be that women who consistenly bear children of one sex alternating with miscarriages, are indeed selecting the sex of their offspring.

The problem is that spontaneous abortion in very early pregnancy is so common that few women notice it, and you would need to have about a dozen healthy daughters for the bias to be statistically significant. That said, five on the trot, especially if they have different fathers (which is why I raised the possibility earlier) , does indeed raise a suspicion of placental bias.   
Title: Re: Why can't I concieve a boy?
Post by: eeyore on 02/07/2016 00:50:37
Here is how the question of why a woman cannot conceive a boy is resolved among the Montagnards of Viet-Nam and Laos.

The man marries an additional wife. If she only conceives daughters, then the matter is settled.

That having been said, I believe the lady is asking for help in conceiving a boy. This is no place to get help. The lady's obstetrician is the proper venue.
Title: Hear the answer to this question on our show
Post by: thedoc on 11/07/2016 11:56:16
We discussed this question on our  show







Kat Arney put this to fellow Naked Scientist Chris Smith...







[Transcript to follow]







Click to visit the show page for the podcast in which this question is answered. (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts/naked-scientists/show/20160705/) Alternatively, [chapter podcast=1001386 track=16.07.05/Naked_Scientists_Show_16.07.05_1005377.mp3](https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenakedscientists.com%2FHTML%2Ftypo3conf%2Fext%2Fnaksci_podcast%2Fgnome-settings-sound.gif&hash=f2b0d108dc173aeaa367f8db2e2171bd) listen to the answer now[/chapter] or [download as MP3] (http://nakeddiscovery.com/downloads/split_individual/16.07.05/Naked_Scientists_Show_16.07.05_1005377.mp3)