A family in the US is making headlines after welcoming a baby girl for the first time since 1885.
Speaking to local TV station WZZM13, Carolyn Clark recalled how she was warned by her husband that his family didn't tend to have any girls. "I thought he was just messing with me," she admitted. But, Clark soon realised that her husband wasn't joking. In fact, no girls had been born on her husband's side of the family in 138 years.
After marrying, Clark and her husband unsurprisingly welcomed a son, later trying for more children. "When we decided to start growing our family, I just was like, 'I'm going to try for it'," Clark said, adding: "I want the girl." Sadly, Clark had two miscarriages before falling pregnant again in 2022.
Recalling the "gender reveal party" they hosted for baby number two, Clark said she and her husband were "overwhelmed with joy" at the prospect of breaking the centuries-old tradition by having a girl.
"Everyone was just screaming and jumping in disbelief, honestly," she said of the moment the family found out.
Clark and her husband went on to welcome their daughter on 17 March 2023, putting an end to the family's 138 year streak. "It was just [a] joy, you know, just that she was here and healthy," Clark told WZZM13. "It made it even more special that it was a girl because it was like, you were worth the wait and all the struggles."
So, what's the science between genetics and biological sex?
To find out more about the science behind the Clark family's story, we spoke to Dr Amit Shah, leading gynaecologist and co-founder of Harley Street practice, Fertility Plus.
"In my scientific opinion, if some families lean towards having one sex more than the other, this is a purely a random and natural occurrence, with absolutely no genetics involved," Dr Shah told us, adding that: "In every pregnancy, there is very much a 50:50 chance of having either sex."
Commenting on the Clark's case, Dr Shah went on: "This particular situation is incredibly unusual and highly unlikely to be a common experience for families.
"Any occurrences such as the one in the aforementioned story are incredibly rare, and any medical professional would find this a never-before-seen and unique situation."
Of course, the biological sex of your child doesn't really matter, and you'll love them however they're born and however they choose to present when they grow up.
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