How to Test PH for Conceiving a Baby | Hello Motherhood

How to Test PH for Conceiving a Baby

How to Test PH for Conceiving a Baby
Written By
Lillian Downey
Lillian Downey
Oct 13, 2010
2 minute read

Vaginal pH is one of the folk wisdom methods of determining if you'll have a boy or girl. The idea behind testing your vaginal pH is that a more acidic vaginal environment favors a girl and a more alkaline environment favors a boy, notes BabyZone. The fact is, according to the Baby Center website, that unless you undergo an expensive sperm sorting or in-vitro fertilization procedure, you're odds of having a boy or a girl are still 50/50. Still, some who have tried this and other folk remedies swear by them. Because testing and slightly altering your vaginal pH through diet isn't dangerous, it falls sunder the "might help, can't hurt" category.

Tear off a 3- to 4-inch piece of pH paper or remove one pH test strip from its container.

Use one hand to gently separate the labia. Use the other hand to insert the pH paper or pH strip into your vagina.

Press the paper or the paper side of the strip to the side of your vaginal wall for a few seconds, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Remove the pH paper and immediately use the guide on the side of your pH product's packaging to determine vaginal pH.

Check your pH regularly and compare results over time. Your body naturally maintains a pH of around 7.36 out of 14, which is slightly alkaline, according to BabyZone. Aim to get your pH slightly lower for a girl and slightly higher for a boy.

Tips

There are no exact vaginal pH recommendations for conception because this method hasn't been scientifically verified.

Lillian Downey

A Jill-of-all-trades, Lillian Downey is a certified Responsible Sexuality Educator, certified clinical phlebotomist and a certified non-profit administrator. She's also written extensively on gardening and cooking. She also authors blogs…

Sponsored
Hello Motherhood Logo

Hello Motherhood offers expert parenting advice on pregnancy, babies, feeding, and raising healthy, happy kids.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.