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Having only boys or girls may run in the family

BBC Science Focus

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September 2025

It's not just chance: women who've had multiple children of the same sex are more likely to have another baby of the same sex

Having only boys or girls may run in the family

Rather than every child having a truly random 50/50 chance of being a boy or a girl, maternal age and genetics could be 'weighting the coin toss' during conception, a new study has found.

Specifically, older mothers are more likely to have multiple children of the same sex, and two genes could increase the likelihood of having all-female or all-male children.

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