____When couples find out they're expecting, one of the things they can count on is that everyone will want to guess whether they're having a boy or a girl. But of course, no one ever actually has any control over it … or do they?
A new app called StorkDiet/Girl claims that it can help people conceive baby girls, all for the price of $9.99. So does it really work?
Read more ¿Qué más?: 6 apps that will save you money during summer vacations!
Creator of the app Alain Hanash used data from a study conducted by two British universities that tracked the diet of 740 pregnant women. It concluded that 56 percent of the women who followed low-sodium, low-calcium diets had baby girls. Banking off those results, the app creates a "natural and scientific based" nine-week diet for women hoping to give birth to a daughter. The creators of the app claim to have an 81 percent success rate.
But can you really determine your baby's sex from an app? Scientists say the evidence surrounding the concept that a certain diet can affect your child's gender is inconclusive. And even if it wasn't, they warn parents-to-be that nothing, including this app, is ever 100 percent guaranteed so it's best not to get too attached to the idea of having either a girl or a boy.
Call me a skeptic, but I have to side with the naysayers on this one. Whatever happened to just leaving it up to fate and then counting your lucky stars for the child you have? I mean, there's nothing wrong with wanting one particular gender, but it's important to be realistic about the odds and especially about these random techniques that claim to sway your luck one way or the other. After all, centuries of experience have shown us that gender is pretty much all about biology and timing.
Still, for those women who REALLY want a girl and are desperate to try this app, I hope they at least run the diet by their doctor beforehand. Safety first, right?
And no matter what side you fall on, I definitely recommend checking out these seven super helpful apps that can help women keep track of their pregnancy:
Image via Thinkstock
Ovuline
Ovuline is a free app that helps you keep track of your monthly cycles and helps you determine the best baby making time. It also gives you tips for improving your chances of conceiving.
Pregnancy/Sprout
This app costs $3.99, but it's well worth the money. It offers 3-D interactives that show how your baby develops from week to week, along with interesting facts about each stage of progression. It also includes a weight tracker, a contraction timer, and an organizer to keep track of appointments, as well as details like what to pack for the hospital.
Belly snaps
Whether or not you choose to wait until after the first trimester to announce your baby news, this app will help you do so in style! The app, which only costs $0.99, lets you turn a photo into a customized pregnancy announcement banner. You can also attach banners that reveal the baby's sex to photos of your bump!
Sculpt My Pregnancy
At $3.99, this app was developed by physical therapists to help you stay healthy and increase your strength while pregnant. It provides a rundown and video demonstration of a variety of exercises and stretches that are safe for each month.
Foods to Avoid When Pregnant
The name says it all! For $0.99, this app tells you exactly what foods you should avoid (broken into categories like dairy, meat, etc.) while pregnant.
Baby Names (by Schazisoft)
Having trouble deciding on a name? It's a tough decision! That's where this free app comes in. It allows you to browse through thousands of baby names and the details behind each possibility–including its origin, meaning, pronunciation, and even how popular the name is.
Full Term - Labor Contraction Timer
This app uses a simple and straightforward interface to allow you track contractions and figure out when it's time to head to the hospital. It also logs information so you can see the progression of labor and show it to the doctor if necessary.
