Dear doctor;

I am a 28-year-old mother of three, all girls. I am desperate for a boy. Is there a special way one can engage in sex like people always talk about and conceive a boy? Sonia.

Dear Sonia,

The sex of a child is matter of chance. A boy is born due to fusion of Y chromosome of the sperm with egg, it is said to be more aggressive and fast. If intercourse is done within 12 hours of ovulation, it is said to increase the chances of producing a baby boy. Deeper penetration and orgasm achieved by a woman are said to increase chances of conceiving a boy. An alkaline pH of the vagina is more conducive for Y chromosomes to enter and fuse with the ovum resulting in a boy. Alkali rich diets like cabbage, boroccoli, increase alkalinity of vagina, thus increasing chances of conceiving a male baby. However, all these are stories of midwives passed on through their observation and experience over the years. Science has not refuted them either, but  not much research is done on this. For technical expertise, there are specialised fertility clinics, where they determine the precise date of ovulation and assist in reproduction of a child of particular gender, by separating the sperms and assisting in fertilisation by in-vitro techniques.