Since I often write about and have a website dedicated to helping folks conceive a baby girl, I'm very often asked about Lydia Pinkham's herbal compound. There's information floating around on the internet (and through old wive's tale lore) claiming that this old menstruation remedy can somehow stack the odds in your favor of conceiving a daughter. In this article, I will answer this question and explain my answer.
Why Lydia Pinkham's Is Not A Great Idea, But Why You're On The Right Track:The theory behind this supplement is that the ingredients in it (dandelion root, black cohosh, Jamaica dogwood bark, motherwort leaf, pleurisy, licorice and gentian roots) help turn your PH acidic and thus create an environment conducive to conceiving a girl. Actually, I agree wholeheartedly with this theory. You DO need an acidic environment because having one will favor the hardier X sperm (girl) and discourage the weaker Y sperm (boys). PH and gender selection is a commonly known formula which is why you sometimes hear about sexual positions and shallow penetration helping with a girl. (This places sperm further away from the cervix and favors X sperm, since it survives longer.) And, I believe it does work.
While PH is vitally important, so too is the time of conception. Since the X sperm can survive much longer, it's recommended that you conceive days before ovulation. If you miss this window, the faster boy sperm may beat the girl sperm to the egg. Thus, it's vitally important that you know exactly when you are going to ovulate.
Black cohosh and licorice root ( ingredients in LP) can affect estrogen levels. Obviously, swings in sex hormones are not what is needed for regular and predictable ovulation like is needed here.
A Better, More Natural, Less Intrusive Option To Alter PH:It's well known that it's much more advisable (as well as more effective) to obtain your nutrients and herbs from food rather than from supplements. Foods are also more effective at altering PH.
But, the most immediate and accurate way to obtain the PH necessary for conceiving a girl is by douching with the appropriate solution based on your PH level prior to conception. (You can easily test this with PH strips.) This method is very popular and gender selection clinics even sell these solutions for well over $400. (Home mixes of vinegar or baking soda, and / or water often don't cut it, but there are replicas of the clinic formulas.)
Some people just don't want to douche though. For those folks I would stress that you CAN change PH by eating certain foods and avoiding others and this method is much safer and less hormone altering than by taking questionable supplements that were invented before modern technology and medicine dictated better.
Conceive A Girl is a website that offers hints, tips, and natural, inexpensive methods for couples wishing to conceive a baby girl, as well as a resource for the $400 gender clinic douche recipe mentioned in this article. Visit us at /
