Oga that girl pikin, na ya fault o – Emeka Nwolisa

My guy, I  strong die! Na baby boy my wife born. 

Across cultures and ethnic groups, the male child has always been desired and treasured. The man without one is often the butt of jokes in male circles and the jokes can be really mean, crude and depressing. The lot of his wife is better imagined. Her taunts come from numerous and diverse sources. From the mother and sister- in-laws to any cantankerous woman looking for a soft target. She is blamed for everything including being as selfish as to want her husband’s lineage to go into extinction. Some women have been abandoned in the hospital by their husbands on account of the delivery of another girl child instead of the sought-after male child.

Oga husband sprouts about in righteous indignation with occasional threats of matching on outside with a lady who has the potentials to bring forth the all-important male child. Several have carried out the threat and with the attendant birth of the male child but hmmm…some things are better left for DNA analysis to say. I shall not be the one to proclaim that …teacher mama haff mess.

But then, humanly speaking, who plays the significant role in the determination of the child’s gender? The man obviously! It is what you give that is delivered.  You can’t sow cocoyam like Majek sang and hope to reap cassava. The male is XY and the female is XX. At the point of fertilisation if Oga’s sperm that does the job is X a female ensures and if Y a male result. Chikena!  So why troublest madam, who only just received and presented what she was given after 9months. Shouldn’t we instead be troubling the presenter, madam can obviously not give what she doesn’t have.

Since the 1960s, Dr. Shettles has recommended gender selection methods which are commonly believed to be scientific. The Shettles method is based on the assumption that male sperm cells are faster but more fragile, than female sperm cells. In order to get pregnant with a male child, you, therefore, have to create conditions that favour the fast-moving male sperm rather than the more robust female sperm. The principles require basic common sense.In the Shettles method, the most important element is the timing of the intercourse. The basis is that since male sperm cells move faster, having intercourse as closely to ovulation as possible increases the chance that a male sperm will reach the egg first. The challenge in this becomes pinpointing the time of ovulation very precisely. Charting body temperature and observing the cervical mucus secretion  are known to aid in determining the time of ovulation.

According to Shettles, a low vaginal pH will kill the weaker male sperm first, favouring the more robust female sperm. In order to get pregnant with a boy, you should, therefore, strive to create a more alkaline vaginal environment. The area around the cervix is more alkaline than the entrance to the vagina so adopting a position that allows deeper penetration will make sure the sperm cells are released as close to the cervix as possible which favours the male sperms.

There are several other commonsense actions requiring minimal logistics.  Use of boxer shorts instead of briefs, avoiding tight-fitting clothing by oga at the top, in general, would be helpful in ensuring quality sperm cells are produced. A couple of cups of coffee about 15-30 minutes before intercourse is also believed to give both male and female sperm an extra boost but usually, male sperm would be most favoured.

Oga sir, rather than harassing and threatening madam for what is obviously no fault of hers, shouldn’t you be activating commonsense logistics that are doable at home and if the desired doesn’t come do well to consult a fertility expert.  I don talk my own.

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