Logistic Regression Model for Determining the Sex of a Child Using Age of the Mother and Month of Conception

Abstract

The issue of sex determination (before conception) is beyond the study of Science. Though current studies have developed means to determine gender, it is not until the baby has been conceived. After conception, scientific methods can be used to determine whether the baby will be a boy or a girl. This study seeks to use the age of the mother and the month in which she conceives to predict the gender of the baby, using appropriate statistical methods. The data used for this study was extracted from the delivery books of the Maternity Department of Achimota Hospital in the Amasaman District of Greater Accra Region in Ghana from 2000-2004. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data since the dependent variable has only two possible values (Male or Female). The results reveal that the odds of estimating correctly the gender of a baby improves by only 0.4% if one knows the age of the mother and by 1.1% if one knows the month within which the child was conceived.

Keywords: Sex Determination, Logistic Regression, Age, Month of Conception.