With pregnancy itself being one of the most magical scientific processes many women still hold on to the dream of having a child from each gender, a son and a daughter. So many of us suffer pregnancy losses and complications leaving many moms with single sex families. Is there any real truth behind the inability to carry a male fetus?
Key Highlight
There is no conclusion to any studies or researches that state that any woman is unable to carry male fetus inside her.
Inability to Carry Male Fetus? – Is There Any Proof?
Do you have a heavily female populated family? So many couples want at least a daughter and a son it leaves them questioning if they are unable to carry a male fetus. Initially, male sperms are proven to be more vulnerable and weaker compared to their female counterparts but genetically there is a 50% chance of carrying either gender full term.
Gender Disappointment
Ok let’s get one thing straight, gender disappointment is a thing! Having a child is of course the most amazing process and we all say we don’t mind the gender as long as the baby is healthy. Now obviously this is how many of us feel but there can be times when the thought of never having a boy or girl can haunt your happiness.
Having your heart set on that little person being of a certain gender may seem trivial to some people. A healthy baby is a blessing and of course, you agree you would never regret any pregnancy but feeling down if you are pregnant with your fourth girl you may have convinced yourself that you have the inability to carry a male fetus.
Crazy Chromosomes
There is one thing we can all agree on and that is the genetics of your baby is pure science. I come from a family of girls, which may have you believe that my genetics have a biased approach when I had my two daughters, yet both my parents’ siblings were dominated by boys. So even though many people may resonate with their family tree it really doesn’t have anything to do with it.
Having either a boy or a girl is based on your crazy Chromosomes from your egg and your partner’s sperm. A woman’s egg always carries the X chromosome whilst sperms can carry both X and Y.
- X chromosome = female
- Y chromosome = male
As a woman only carries a female chromosome it is clear that the choice of gender lies with the dad right?
Even in this modern scientific world, we are still flabbergasted as to why there are families with only boys and families with only girls. It poses the question of whether we as females are unable to carry a male fetus or female fetus.
Let’s dig deeper into research to see if we can find an answer.
Math Behind The Mystery
A study at Newcastle University researched whether science actually involved our family tree. Their findings were interesting and confirmed that it is the sperm that indicates the gender but their family history also has a part to play.
A typical healthy man will inherit the chance of having either a boy or girl based on their parents. If they have many brothers then it is likely that they will produce more sons and vice versa for a man with sisters he shall have many daughters.
Contradictory to this study Dr. Kimberly Langdon states that the probability of having either a boy or girl is always 50% even if you have five girls the probability of having a boy would still stand as a 50% chance. She has acknowledged the study is based on siblings but has put the science of the sperm at the forefront of gender making decisions.
Why Pregnant Women Cannot Carry Baby of a Particular Sex?
So we have looked at the chromosome, math, and science to point out that gender decisions are based on the sperm. But what about women who have successful pregnancies alongside reoccurring miscarriages?
My poor mum has been pregnant a total of six times yet I am one of three girls. This leads us to believe that the three babies she lost could have been male right?
The key word there is could. We will never know for certain what the gender of my lost siblings was but can a woman’s body actually reject a male fetus?
According to leading research from the University of Exeter, they gathered many publications to see if there is a connection between a woman carrying a male fetus and an increased risk of loss.
Their findings are pretty interesting, to say the least. Out of 30 million pregnancies, they have found that 10% of male fetuses’ are at risk of still birth or miscarriage. This is irrelevant to the country of origin, or ethnicity.
Why?
An article named The fragile male has found some interesting reasons behind the differences between a male and female pregnancy. It has been identified that sperm carrying the female chromosome are faster swimmers so irrelevant to anything else male sperm are already starting on the back foot. There have also been links to the stress that mom is under around the time of conception. Maternal stress can hinder a pregnancy and as male sperm is seen to be more vulnerable than female this can result in birth defects or loss.
Girls are known to mature quicker than boys and this begins at conception. Whilst a male fetus is developing, any factor or risk can hinder the growth or continuation of pregnancy. As a female fetus would be developing quicker it is thought they can withstand environmental stresses and other factors that could hinder pregnancy.
Why Does A Woman’s Body Reject a Pregnancy?
History of miscarriage or stillbirth might be the reason a woman’s body could reject a pregnancy for a certain period. Our immune system helps fight any foreign bodies to help keep them healthy and during a normal pregnancy it is at the implantation stage that all changes.
Researchers from NYU Medical School found that once implantation has begun it initiates a break in the normal immunity cycle. This prevents your immune system from attacking the developing fetus. It also explains why pregnant women are classed as high risk when it comes to the flu and viruses. With a hindered immune system you are open to catching an array of things.
Pregnancy loss is devastating, as I mentioned my mom lost 3 babies and I myself, have lost one. Nothing prepares you for the heartache which is why I dived into medical reasons why women lose their babies.
‣ Miscarriage
When a miscarriage happens it is usually before the 20th week of pregnancy. Around 20% of women can have a miscarriage which is considerably high in my opinion.
They happen because the fetus isn’t developing as expected and with the lack of hormones a woman’s body expels the pregnancy.
Even though a miscarriage is common it doesn’t take away the fact you are suffering a tremendous loss no matter where you were on your journey.
If you are suffering from reoccurring miscarriages then seek advice from your fertility clinic your emotional health is plummeting causing your stress levels to rise which is not great for any planned pregnancy.
There is no known evidence to suggest that a woman will undergo a miscarriage depending on the gender of the fetus. This tells us that the possibility of carrying either gender can both be subjected to the heart wrenching loss through miscarriage.
‣ Stillbirth
Delivering a baby who is stillborn is sadly still a part of many parents’ lives. In the US a stillbirth is classed as a baby who has been born without a heartbeat from 20 weeks in pregnancy.
According to the CDC sadly stillbirth is known to affect 1 in every 160 babies. Whilst many can be totally unexplained there are many factors that contribute to having a stillborn baby.
- Black Race
- Over 35 years of age
- Smoking during pregnancy
- Being diabetic
- Had previous loss
- Multiple pregnancy twins or triplets
As you can see these factors do not include the gender of the baby so is it fair to determine the outcome of a devastating and unexpected tragedy from not being able to carry a certain sex?
Wrapping Up
I think it is fair to say that there is not enough research or evidence that suggests any mom has the inability to carry male fetus.
As we walk through life we will meet many moms who have accepted the fact they “cannot” carry a male but I believe that this is their way of coping with the fact they won’t have the little boy or little girl they wished for.
Being pregnant and having a successful birth is a blessing and any mom will say as long as the baby is healthy I don’t mind but it would be ignorant to ignore gender disappointment is real.
I will leave you with this:
Becoming pregnant is a moment in your life where you immediately have responsibility for someone else. Whether they have girl or boy parts they will need you and love you unconditionally as you will them.
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