Gender Skewing

[karrie]

Okay, so the topic of cultural gender selection came up, and talk about odd timing. A friend sent me this article link today, about how scientists think there is perhaps a caloric link in how our bodies select the gender of our offspring. High calorie diets mean more boys. Our current low cal fascinated society, could be the result of the mysterious decline in males that has been noted over the last decade.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7358384.stm

So, diet, culture... what other things are we messing around with that can throw off gender balance? Hormones in foods/containers/run-off?

And isn't it interesting that the western women are apparently dieting ourselves closer to a balance with eastern cultures practicing gender selection?

 

[Dexter Sinister]

Hmm... yes, that *is* interesting. I have five siblings, among the six of us we've produced 8 female and 5 male children, and I note that the male children come predominantly from the bigger women. My wife also has five siblings, and the six of them have produced 5 female and 9 male children, and again the males come from the bigger women. I never noticed that pattern before. On the other hand, among our friends are some tiny skinny little women who've produced nothing but males, and nothing but females... Go figure.

 

[tracy]

It's men's sperm that selects the gender of the baby.

Each gender gives one sex chromosome to the baby. Women have XX so all they can give is an X. Men have XY. If they give an X, the baby is a girl (X from mom + X from dad= XX). If they give a Y the baby is a boy (X from mom + Y from dad= XY).

Plus, did you actually see the caloric difference they were talking about? 130 calories a day. That's one small cup of low fat yogurt. Not exactly a big difference. And these were self reported eating habits which are notoriously unreliable.

 

[karrie]

It's men's sperm that selects the gender of the baby. What a woman eats or how much she weighs doesn't matter one bit.

Each gender gives one sex chromosome to the baby. Women have XX so all they can give is an X. Men have XY. If they give an X, the baby is a girl (X from mom + X from dad= XX). If they give a Y the baby is a boy (X from mom + Y from dad= XY).

That's assuming the old thinking that eggs take whatever reaches them first. But I've seen articles that hypothesize that eggs are selective and can literally choose which sperm they allow in.