The Results Are In

The results of the great cereal/sex study are below. But first, I have to give credit where due! A huge thank you to the lovely Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry. She did my incredible blog makeover, changing me overnight from boring black to fabulous. You can see more of her designs at BeDesign. As if that wasn't enough, she also sent her readers over to boost my research numbers. You are all awesome - thanks!

A few of you asked about why mom's diet would impact the sex of a baby at all. We all know that it's dad's little swimmers that determine the gender question. Well, make sure you are sitting down because this is good. Apparently, while dad's sperm has the X/Y code thing going for them, the father's contribution does not dictate the outcome. That's right, you heard me. The EGG can pick the sperm of her choice from among the likely candidates. Think Bachlorette coming to a fallopian tube near you. The lady gets the final say.

Here's my lay (giggle) interpretation of some biology - hopefully no one reading this is a real scientist. The egg has a membrane that can reject potential sperm suitors in favor of others. I really like this part. Girl embryos are a little hardier than boys. Girls are a little more likely to survive in slightly less than ideal conditions. Boy embryos are a little higher maintenance and do better in cushy quarters. If for example, there are less available resources, like lower blood sugar (due to skipping your healthy special K breakfast), eggs favor girl sperm slightly.

Um, what was that about the weaker sex?

Here's the salient point: In just slightly less than ideal conditions, the egg can reject her Y carrying sperm visitors and opt for the tougher, more resilient girls.

Is anyone else picturing this or am I just weird? The lovely Eggwina exits her ovary all dressed up and looking for a decent sperm. Y sperm sidles up to Eggwina at the Ovary Bar downtown, Fallopian Tube.
Y sperm: Hey, you're looking gloriously ripe for fertilization this evening, want to make a beautiful boy together?
Eggwina: You look like a nice Y, but conditions are a little harsh these days, what with all the coffee and no decent breakfast. I think my chances are better with an X.
Y sperm: Sweetheart, I'm tough. Check out this genetic material. I can take a little low blood sugar.
Eggwina: Yeah, big man, I'm sure you are. But, I need code with a little resiliency and staying power. I need a sperm that can take the heat. I need girl sperm.

Some visuals:

Last one, I promise.


Okay, okay. The original study found that 56% of woman in the 'high energy intake' category had boys. Cereal bumped that up even more. 59% of woman eating cereal daily had boys. We blew them away, my friends. Even with a margin of error for some iffy variables like questionable counting on my part, twins (not sure whether to count once or twice) and unclear breakfast choices, we have proven that cereal equals more boys. I counted ninety-two kids total. Out of fifty-one children conceived under the influence of cereal - 76% boys!!!! Forty-one conceived not under the influence of cereal - 63% girls!!!! Wow.