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Bizarre ways people tried to control the sex of their babies

Gender selection theories through the years

Bizarre ways people tried to control the sex of their babies
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StarsInsider
08/04/2026 14:00 ‧ 14 hours ago | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE

Pregnancy

Humans have a tendency to want to control everything around them, but sometimes nature wins. While nowadays the sex of embryos can be selected through processes such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), for millennia, people have tried to predetermine the sex of their babies in natural conceptions. This has been attempted in a variety of ways, from dangerous surgeries to bizarre diets.

Click through the gallery to discover the strange ways parents have tried to influence the gender of their unborn children. 

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