In vitro fertilization is a lifeline for couples who, for whatever reason, cannot have a baby in a natural way. A man and a woman who decide on the procedure are wondering if it is possible to choose the sex of the child with IVF. Specialists answer in the affirmative.
A few words about IVF
Before talking about the baby’s gender, you need to understand what in vitro fertilization is and what couples need it.
IVF - assisted reproductive technology. During in vitro fertilization, an egg is removed from the body of a woman, which is fertilized in artificially created conditions in a special test tube. A few days after the procedure, the embryo is kept in an incubator and develops. All this time, specialists in the field of IVF monitor the state of the embryo, examine it for the presence of genetic diseases and pathologies. It is at this stage that the doctor will be able to satisfy the curiosity of the parents and answer the question of whether it is possible with IVF to choose the sex of the child.
After the doctors make sure that the embryo is healthy, the unborn baby is transplanted into the uterine cavity, where it subsequently develops.
Indications for in vitro fertilization are male and female infertility. Any married couple who do not have contraindications can undergo an IVF procedure to become the parents of a long-awaited baby. Before fertilization, a man and a woman need to undergo a lot of medical research in order to reduce the risks of unsuccessful attempts and find out if a woman is ready to bear a baby.
Where can I do IVF?
In vitro fertilization is carried out by doctors around the world. In any major city, there are medical centers in which young couples are invited to undergo the procedure.
In addition, young men and women can queue up at a government agency for IVF. In this case, the main expenses for a number of medical manipulations will be repaid by compulsory medical insurance.
What determines the sex of the future baby?
Sperm contain a set of chromosomes XU, while the female egg is XX. The sex of the child depends on which carrier of the chromosome was the sperm that fertilized the woman’s sex cell. If X are chromosomes, one should expect the birth of a girl. Accordingly, if the sperm was a carrier of the U-chromosome, a boy will be born in the couple.
In the early stages of fetal development, genetic information is laid down, which contains not only the sex of the unborn baby, but also all its distinctive features: eye color, hair color, etc. Initially, the embryo has female sexual characteristics. The laying of the genitals, female or male, occurs later, after the completion of the differentiation of gender.
Can I choose the gender of the child?
With IVF, the sex of the unborn baby can be determined with absolute accuracy using pre-implantation diagnostics, since the fertilization procedure takes place in a special test tube. As a rule, with IVF there are several embryos that will be planted in the uterus. That is why the doctor can choose the gender in accordance with the wishes of patients.
Many parents seek to determine in advance the sex of the unborn baby. With a natural pregnancy, determining the gender of the baby in advance is almost impossible. Young couples try to calculate the favorable days on which to conceive a child of their desired gender, turn to articles on the Internet that provide tips and "grandmother" methods that help in conception of a boy, or, conversely, a girl. Healers advise future parents to eat a certain set of product, put a talisman under a pillow, etc. But all this does not guarantee the birth of the baby of the desired gender.
When is gender important?
There are situations when parents do not just wonder whether it is possible to choose the sex of the child through IVF for their own whims, and planning the sex of the unborn baby is a prerequisite on which the health of the unborn baby depends.
Before replanting, the doctor conducts preimplantation diagnostics. It allows you to choose viable embryos that do not have genetic pathologies. PGD reveals more than a hundred developmental abnormalities, including Down and Patau syndrome.
The procedure is mandatory in some cases.
- Preimplantation diagnostics is mandatory for couples who have previously had children with a genetic pathology or in the family there have been cases of the birth of babies with serious diseases due to the wrong set of chromosomes or its changes.
- The risk group includes couples who have previously survived at least two unsuccessful attempts at in vitro fertilization.
- A procedure is mandatory if the woman is over thirty-five years old and the man is over thirty-nine. The older the potential parents, the higher the risk of having a baby with a pathology.
- PGD is mandatory for couples who have experienced more than two miscarriages.
- Diagnosis is also carried out if one or both spouses are carriers of chromosomal rearrangements, translocations, inversions and other pathologies and chromosomal abnormalities.
- PGD is recommended for potential parents who have chromosomes that are carriers of monogenic diseases, such as hemophilia or cystic fibrosis.
- Preimplantation diagnostics will help prevent Rh conflict, which can lead to serious consequences during pregnancy and during delivery.
- If ICSI was included in the IVF program, couples are also advised to undergo diagnostics.
- Cases of cystic drift, reflected in the anamnesis, are also an indication for preimplantation diagnostics.
The study is carried out by a qualified embryologist.
The benefits of preimplantation diagnostics
Preimplantation diagnostics enables doctors to choose a healthy embryo. This means that IVF guarantees the birth of an absolutely healthy baby who does not have genetic diseases and chromosomal abnormalities.
PGD significantly reduces the risk of abortion, reduces the chance of a multiple pregnancy. If desired, parents can freeze the embryos remaining after fertilization, the viability of which is confirmed by the study.
In addition, preimplantation diagnostics make it possible to choose the sex of the unborn baby. In the usual in vitro fertilization procedure, it is possible to implant up to three embryos, after PGD - two. Using IVF, you can choose the gender of the child. Before the start of preimplantation diagnosis, it is determined absolutely always. Future parents will know before the replanting whether a girl or boy will appear.
The main and main disadvantage of preimplantation diagnosis in IVF is the high cost of the procedure.
Baby Gender Planning Technology
Due to the high cost of PGD, the question arises of the existence of alternative methods. One of the latest technologies for planning the sex of the unborn baby is MicroSort. This method is less traumatic than IVF. This is due to the fact that specialists separate spermatozoa with an X chromosome from male germ cells that carry a Y chromosome.
The probability of conception of a boy through the use of MicroSort technology is on average 70% compared to 95% of the probability of conception of a girl. This difference is due to the fact that the Y chromosome cannot reach the size of the X chromosome, the small size of which can confuse the embryologist.
What are the chances of planning the sex of the unborn child using IVF?
As mentioned above, the probability of planning a child’s gender using IVF reaches 100% due to preimplantation diagnostics. But parents who have agreed to an IVF should understand that the first attempt is not always successful. According to statistics, the first time fertilization is successful only in 30-35% of cases. Subsequent attempts give a greater chance of successful fertilization. In the usual IVF procedure, the fertilization of an egg is carried out by a random sperm, which is located in the semen.
Instead of a conclusion
The in vitro fertilization procedure every year becomes more popular. The growth trend is due to an increase in the occurrence of female or male infertility, the detection of genetic and chromosomal abnormalities in potential parents.
Many potential parents are interested in whether it is possible to choose the sex of the child with IVF. This type of fertilization provides an opportunity for expectant mothers and dads to plan the sex of the baby. Using preimplantation diagnostics or using modern MicroSort technology. The cost of the latter is much lower than that of PGD.
Through IVF, you can choose the sex of the child and be sure that the most healthy and viable embryo has been chosen for replanting. PGD guarantees potential parents the absence of chromosomal abnormalities and genetic diseases in the child. MicroSort technology cannot provide such conditions.
Parents should understand that although the probability of determining the sex of the child with IVF is much higher, successful fertilization may not occur immediately, but only with the second or third attempt. This means that with each repeated attempt at in vitro fertilization, the diagnosis must be carried out again. Potential mom and dad should understand that the main purpose of conducting PGD is not to get an answer to the treasured question of whether it is possible to choose the sex of the child with IVF, but to guarantee that the baby is born healthy.