Congratulations sir! It's a healthy baby boy! These are typical words that are often relayed to exhilarated fathers outside the delivery room. It is especially true during those times when the ultrasound technology wasn't discovered yet and the baby's gender comes as a big surprise. Even then, any opportunity to increase the likelihood of a particular gender for the baby has been an ancient practice.

Planning for a baby is one of the most thrilling stages in the life of married couples. Each parent would express their wishes for a baby boy or girl. This is the reason why various methods to gender selection have been devised and experimented on. Sex selection works under the assumption that each parent contributes half of the baby's hereditary makeup. Females have their XX chromosomes so she contributes an X while males have XY chromosomes that they can contribute either an X or a Y.

In this sense, it is the sperm that becomes the real determinant of the baby's gender. The trick then is to make sure that the sperm carrying an X should successfully penetrate the egg cell if a baby girl is preferred. Conversely, a Y chromosome sperm should be the victor if a boy is to be conceived.

According to the Shettles Method of gender selection, Y bearing sperms are faster but die rapidly. Thus, if a girl is preferred, a couple can do the missionary position so that only the X bearing sperm can persevere and get to the ovum. Other girl-favorable positions suggested include woman on top, sitting, and laying. In addition, it is advised that the woman avoid reaching orgasm during intercourse in this case as it increases the alkalinity of the vagina, making the possibility of a baby girl less likely.

On the other hand, the Chinese Gender Chart is another popular tool used that is said to have been found in an ancient Chinese tomb. It follows the Chinese lunar calendar and is believed to have 100% precision. The chart is composed of the mother's age at conception and the month of conception. The mother's age range in the chart is presented from 18 to 45 years old. Thus, if a certain gender is preferred, then a couple may look at the Chinese Gender Chart for their monthly guide.

One of the more hi-tech methods to gender selection is called MicroSort®. Using the MicroSort® technology, the male and female bearing sperm is sorted out. It is done by making use of a fluorescent dye on the sperms. If a sperm glows brighter under a special light, then that is likely to be an X bearing sperm. Then, the chosen sperm is embedded through an intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF). The likelihood of having a baby girl is at 92% and a baby boy is at 81%.

The race of the X and Y bearing sperms continue to this day. The couple's dedication to do everything to have the gender they want for their baby could be a careful and sometimes costly process. In the end though, the effort is always more than worth it.