Whelan Method

The Whelan method, created by Elizabeth Whelan, is simply timing intercourse on specific days of the menstral cycle in order to achieve conception of the desired gender. Whelan claims her technique is 68 percent effective for boys and 56 percent effective for girls, but many experts dispute this.

According to Whelan, if a woman wants a boy, she should have intercourse four to six days before her basal body temperature goes up. If she wants a girl she should have sex two to three days before she ovulates. The woman must take her basal body temperature every day to figure out when she is ovulating, or use an ovulation prediction kit.

Whelan also suggested that women follow a certain diet: if a woman wants a boy, she needs to make sure her diet is rich in salt and potassium. If it is a girl she is after, her diet should include lots of calcium and magnesium. Examples of boy diet foods are salty meats such as bacon, ham, or sausage, salted chips and nuts, and lots of carbohydrates. Some girl diet foods include dairy products, ice cream, fruit juice, and very low- or no-salt items.

The Whelan method directly contradicts the Shettles method.