The woman's blood pressure before conceiving could predict the sex of the baby

Many couples have the desire to conceive a child, whatever their sex, especially if it is the first baby. But there is also the case of have certain preferences, an illusion to have a boy or a girl. And then, it goes to myth or popular wisdom, to certain foods, to the Chinese table, to the moon ... No, the perfect "trick" has not yet been found, but a study could have given some clues.

The key would be in the woman's blood pressure before conceiving, which could predict the sex of the baby. Specifically, if the average systolic blood pressure of a woman about 26 weeks before conception is higher (106 mm Hg), the baby will be a child; on the other hand, if the pressure is lower (103 mm Hg) it will be a girl.

The research results suggest that a mother's low blood pressure is indicative that it is less conducive to the survival of a male fetus, while in the case of a higher one it would be less indicated for the survival of a female fetus. However, taking into account that normal blood pressure values ​​vary between 90/60 and 130/80 mmHg, the differences are minimal and not very significant, with a very narrow margin.

The study, published in the "American Journal of Hypertension," has been conducted by scientists at the University of Toronto. Its authors are prudent and, although they recognize the importance of the finding, they point out that they do not believe it is a cause and effect relationship. In addition, they warn, it is not their wish that women try to manipulate their blood pressure in an attempt to conceive one gender or another.

The team monitored the blood pressure of a group of 1,411 women in Liuyang (China) who planned to become pregnant, from the 26th week before conception. Other factors were also taken into account, such as women's age, if they smoked, their body mass index, glucose or cholesterol ... but the only thing that seemed to influence the sex of the baby was his blood pressure.

Another reason to be skeptical about these results is that they do not coincide with other previous studies that suggested that maternal stress (related to higher blood pressure) favors the birth of baby girls and non-boys.

In any case, the final advice would be "Do not try at home", since what you need to try in pregnancy (and before) is to have normal blood pressure values and not try to raise or lower them because of the risks that this entails.

I'm already pregnant: will it be a boy or a girl?

When the pregnancy has already occurred, how to know if it will be a boy or girl is still quite clear. But neither the shape nor the size of the belly predicts the sex of the baby as well as the cravings you have during pregnancy or a calendar table, like the famous Chinese table.

It is not possible to know if the baby will be a boy or a girl by other means that is not scientific. Either a blood test or an ultrasound, provided that the baby is clearly visible, and not always with a hundred percent reliability, as surprises can occur ...

In short, although the woman's blood pressure before conceiving could predict the sex of the baby, we are far from confirming it and from, what perhaps interests many couples, to be able to choose the sex of the future baby. The possibility of choosing whether it will be a boy or a girl may be closer, but there is still a long way to go ... and surprise also has its charm!