15 Completely Bonkers Ways People Used To Try To Control The Gender Of Their Baby

Men who only sort of wanted a boy could drink cola, but the truly committed took even more drastic actions. According to an 18th-century French text, The Art of Boys, the best way to guarantee a male baby was to cut off the left testicle. The left side was clearly where girls came from, so once it was gone, a man was biologically incapable of having a girl. Of course, this theory was completely wrong. The men who did self-castrate were probably very disappointed!

One of the most revered medical authorities in history, the ancient Roman Galen, claimed that placing a black ribbon on a woman’s left foot would lead to the conception of a girl. He also warned about the power of parsley. If parsley is placed on a pregnant woman’s head without her knowledge, her baby’s sex will be determined by the first person with whom she speaks. Men who really want sons could hide out with parsley waiting for the right moment. Galen also suggests rubbing a woman’s body with goose grease for two days and then copulating the next day – this will certainly result in a boy.

The Trotula, a 12th-century medical text, had some interesting advice for women who want to conceive a male child. “Let her husband take the womb and the vagina of a hare and let him dry them, and let him mix the powder with wine and drink it.” But before you start stalking rabbits, keep reading. “Let the woman do the same thing with the testicles of a hare, and at the end of her period let her lie with her husband and then she will conceive a male.” This advice is clearly only for people who are really serious about having a son.

Until the 17th century, many believed that the direction of the wind or even the direction of the bed controlled the baby’s sex. Arrange your bed in a north-south direction to have a boy, recommended the Hebrew Talmud. And the wind theory claimed that a north wind at the moment of conception would guarantee a boy, while a south wind meant a girl. If it was too difficult to make sure the winds were correct, you could always ask a friend to help out.

Sex-selection theories are nothing new in human history. As early as 2000 BCE, people were writing down tips for controlling the sex of your baby. An Egyptian papyrus written 4,000 years ago said that women with a greenish cast would certainly have boys. Once you’ve found a green-skinned woman, she can perform a pregnancy test that will predict the sex of her baby. She should urinate on emmer and barley, and if the barley grows, she is pregnant with a boy.

One 19th-century theory said that the time of day would determine the sex of the baby. Girls were more likely to be conceived in the afternoon, while boys were conceived at night. This theory even warned prospective parents to pay attention to the calendar: girls were conceived on even days of the month, while boys were conceived on odd days. Of course, another theory said that couples who got frisky under a full moon would conceive a girl.

Many gender selection theories were based on diet. Red meat and salty snacks will mean a boy, while fish, chocolate, and dairy mean a girl. But one of the strangest recommendations is that men should drink cola if they want to have a boy. There’s no science behind the theory that drinking cola increases the chances of having a boy – but it’s definitely a genius marketing ploy.

Pliny the Elder reported in his Natural History that tying up one testicle can determine the sex of an animal’s offspring. The method was guaranteed with sheep, Pliny promised. “If a ligature is put on the right testicle [the ram] gets females and if on the left, males.” Others pointed out that the same held true for cattle. Pliny was silent on whether the same technique applied to humans, but it’s pretty much guaranteed that some Roman tried.

Two Greek authorities, Anaxagoras and Parmenides, argued that sex is determined by how men aim during sex. “The seed of the man is naturally cast from his right side into the right side of the womb, or from the left side of the man into the left side of the womb.” If a man aimed according to this law of nature, a boy would result. However, “when there is an alteration in this course of nature, females are generated.” If a man really wants a son, it’s all up to his aim, say the Greeks.

Most theories about choosing a baby’s sex aim for boys. Throughout much of history, boys were considered more desirable than girls, and they were seen as necessary for the continuation of the royal line. Henry VIII sent Anne Boleyn to the chopping block after she had a daughter – even though the baby went on to become Queen Elizabeth I, one of England's greatest monarchs. But some theories also promote female babies. A woman who wants a daughter should stash a spoon under the bed, but not just any spoon: it has to be wooden. To increase your chances of a girl, you should also put a pink ribbon under the pillow. Perhaps some warring couples checked under the bed before sex to make sure the spoon wouldn't give them the wrong baby.

According to 12th-century nun Hildegard of Bingen, the sex of a baby is determined by the strength of the man’s seed. “When a man has intercourse with a woman with an emission of strong semen... a male child is conceived, since it is ordained by God.” If, on the other hand, the semen is thin, “then a female child is born, due to the weakness of the semen.” Yes, Hildegard was a celibate nun – but she was also a saint known for her medical writings, so people probably paid attention to her warnings.

Another theory claimed that you could control the sex of your baby by eating different parts of a loaf of bread. Truly dedicated future parents should only eat the ends of the loaves if they want a boy – and stick to the middles if they want a girl. If you accidentally ate the middle of a loaf of bread, all hope might not be lost. Another theory said that men who drink coffee right before gettin' busy are more likely to have a boy – because the coffee would perk up the male swimmers.

Crazy ideas about predicting a baby's sex continued into the Victorian age. The Victorians had some strange ideas about sex, and gender selection is no exception. Women who wanted boys should go on a strict diet on the theory that the male was the “starved sex.” In fact, more recent scientific studies show that women on a high-calorie diet are slightly more likely to give birth to a boy. Wrong again, Victorians.

Women should lie on their right sides after sex to make sure that the seed implants on the right side of the uterus, according to one 16th-century theory. The uterus had seven chambers: three on the right, three on the left, and one in the middle. Males grew on the right side, while females grew on the left side. And the middle? That meant a hermaphrodite. The idea that females grew on the left was related to the Latin term sinestra, which means left but also “unfavorable” or “evil.” Again, most of these theories assumed that female babies were undesirable and even unnatural.

One old wives’ tale claimed that eating bananas made one more likely to have a boy. Whether the banana’s power came from the potassium or its phallic shape, the theory claimed that the banana was the most powerful tool to choose a baby’s sex. And in 2008, a scientific study confirmed that women who eat bananas are slightly more likely to have a boy.