A child’s sex is not quite a matter of chance, American scientists say. Based on data from nearly 60,000 women, they found that every mother, without knowing it, plays a role in this delicate mechanism. Some women have only boys, others only girls. And it is not only a matter of chance, but also of genetics and age.
Women who had their first child later in life are more likely to become mothers of children of the same sex. Researchers also identified genes in the mother’s body associated with a higher likelihood of having daughters (NSUN6) or sons (TSHZ1). In other words, a mother may unknowingly be a true “sex programmer” for her future children.
And if you already have three sons or three daughters, that is not just a streak but almost a pattern. The chance that the next child will be the same sex reaches 61%.
Science still does not offer a way to choose a child’s sex on demand, but one thing is already reassuring: in this story, the mother is not just a statistic, but a secret director.
