Study unravels key to conceiving girl child

Instead, the diet of such women should be full of beans and hard cheese, aver researchers.

Scientists at Maastricht University in Holland have established that right food along with the correct timing of making love is the key to a soon-to-be mother's conceiving a girl child.

The researchers based their conclusions on a 5-year study of 172 Western European women aged between 23 and 42.

All these participants were mothers, had given birth to boys, but wanted girls.

By the end of the study, only 21 of these women actually adhered to the stringent dietary norms and on stipulations on when to have sex. The others dropped out of the study at different times.

16 of these final 21 participants gave birth to daughters, an astounding success rate of close to 80 percent.

What to eat, what to avoid
In terms of food, the study suggests that it is imperative that the mothers-to-be refrain from eating foods such as anchovies, olives, bacon, salami, potatoes, processed meats, bread, and pastries which are rich in sodium and potassium.

The researchers aver that the trick is to concentrate on foods rich in calcium and magnesium.

Thus, yoghurt, canned salmon, spinach, tofu, almonds, oatmeal, broccoli which are rich in calcium and cashew nuts, whole wheat cereals, figs and beans which are rich in magnesium is the ideal diet for a woman who would want to don her little one in pink.

The study also established that the father’s diet has no role to play in determining the gender of the baby.

Timing of sex
The 2nd aspect of the study that dealt with timing of having sex has suggested that having regular sex, but not on days immediately prior or after ovulation, increases the chances of bearing a girl child.

Previous studies have established that the sperm which carries the female gene and therefore lasts relatively longer than the faster, short-lived male sperm. The findings of the present study corroborate with earlier studies upto that extent.

“The results show that both diet and timing methods increase the probability of
a girl – the impact of the diet being the most pronounced,” said a spokesman for the
scientists.

“It shows a substantial success rate when both methods are applied correctly,” noted the spokesperson.