Photo: Melissa Trachtenberg According to a study done by
researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, the
longer it takes a woman to get pregnant, the greater her chances
of having a boy. See, one reason why some women have trouble
conceiving is that the mucous around their cervix is extra
thick. That makes it harder for sperm to reach the egg. Now, the
Y chromosome, which is the one that makes boys, contains less
DNA than the X chromosome, which makes girls. This means that
sperm that contain a Y chromosome are a bit lighter than sperm
with two X chromosomes. The lighter, Y chromosome carrying sperm
are faster and better at swimming through thick cervical mucous.
At least the Y chromosome carrying sperm may have a better shot
at getting through the mucous and reaching the egg. So,
according to the study, it may be the case that women who take a
long time to get pregnant because of thick mucous have a better
chance of having a boy.