IVF Gender Selection
We have the best technologies to bring the baby we want into this world. Yes, we are talking about the gender selection of babies.
Did you know you can select the gender of your future baby through IVF? This article briefly explains IVF Gender Selection.
Why would you want to select the Gender of your Baby
It is all about a person’s choice whether he or she wants to select the gender of their baby.
The common reason why most people want to select their baby’s gender is to balance their family. Couples prefer to have one daughter and one son.
IVF Gender Selection – Why would you want to select the Gender of your Baby
While others want to have two daughters or two sons, the choice is personal and it all depends upon the couple who are going for the IVF treatment for a baby’s gender selection.
In some countries, gender selection plays a vital role. Some families prefer to have boys only. Thankfully, we have the technology that helps us select the gender of a baby.
Professionals use the IVF Gender Selection method to select the gender of the baby.
Let’s understand the treatment and its cost.
What is IVF Gender Selection
IVF Gender Selection, also known as sex selection, is the process through which couples can choose the sex of their baby through IVF and Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT). In this method, medical professionals test out the embryo created through IVF treatment.
The testing process of an embryo is done before its implant in the uterus of the female.
Gender selection is specifically performed as part of an IVF treatment combined with PGT.
You can’t select the child’s gender while conceiving through the natural process.
IVF Gender Selection involves creating embryos through IVF, which are then tested using Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) to determine their sex.
What is PGT
PGT stands for Preimplantation Genetic Testing. It is a technique used by specialists to identify the gender of the embryo.
Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) is conducted on embryos before they are transferred to the uterus to check for genetic disorders and determine the sex of the embryo. This process is used to detect the child’s genetic disabilities.
However, the same procedure is followed by the fertility specialist to identify the gender of the child.
How does the Process work
As noted above, the process of gender selection through PGT is done only if the couple is going for the IVF treatment.
In this process, a woman’s egg is retrieved by the fertility specialist and then fertilized with her partner’s sperm or the donor’s sperm.
This process created embryos outside the uterus. After creating the embryos from the woman’s egg and her partner’s egg, the fertility specialist would then determine the gender of the child by two different chromosomes.
Sex is determined by the combination of X and Y chromosomes in an embryo; females have two X chromosomes (XX) and males have one X and one Y chromosome (XY).
While testing the embryos, the chromosomal makeup of the embryo showed up.
A fertility specialist creates multiple embryos before selecting the gender of the child. After detecting a particular or the desired gender, the selected embryo will be transferred or implanted in the female’s uterus.
Unused embryos can be cryopreserved for future use, donated, or discarded based on the couple’s preference.
Cryopreserved embryos can be donated to other individuals or couples, used for research, or discarded, according to the biological parents’ wishes. The remaining embryos can be used by the laboratories for further studies etc.
Gender Selection is an opportunity for those who can’t conceive a baby naturally. They have to go for IVF treatment for conceiving.
Now the advantage for them here is they can ask for one more help from the fertility specialist. They can ask him to select the gender of the child.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Can we select the gender of the frozen embryos?
Gender selection is typically performed before embryo freezing, but frozen embryos can also be thawed, biopsied for PGT to determine sex, and refrozen. However, a couple of IVF centers provide this service.
Question 2: Is the Selection of Gender through PGT is 100% accurate?
Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) for gender selection is highly accurate, with success rates close to 99%.
Question 3: Can we do both IVF and Gender Selection together?
Yes, you can! You can go through the gender selection process only through IVF treatment. You are not allowed to select the gender of your baby if you are conceiving it naturally.
Question 4: Do we have to pay extra for Gender Selection?
IVF treatment doesn’t include PGT for that reason, you have to pay additionally for the selection of gender i.e. for the PGT process.
However, if you have selected the IVF treatment with PGT included, you will not be asked to pay extra for the gender selection.
Question 5: How much does gender selection cost?
The cost of gender selection may vary from person to person depending upon their present condition and what treatments they require for the implantation of the embryo and for the selection of the gender. The total gender selection cost in the US is $2,000 to $5,000.
The Bottom Line
Gender Selection is an additional service included with the IVF treatment.
The process is not widely accepted; however, it is widely used in the United States for balancing the family, unlike other countries that prevent citizens from identifying the gender of their upcoming babies.
The current scenario is worrying as more and more people are facing fertility issues. They have only one option left to become parents and i.e. IVF.
Since gender selection is an add-on to IVF, one should go for it to bring the desired child into this world.
IVF Grants in the U.S.
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