Perhaps a couple already has two male children, would like to have another child, but would only consider doing so if they knew they could have a girl? Technology has advanced significantly in the past several years that allows individuals and couples the option of selecting the sex of their next child.
With improvements in gender selection technology, demand for gender selection has also been growing steadily. The sex of a baby is determined by two chromosomes called sex chromosomes. Eggs from the mother carry an X chromosome, while sperm from the father carries either and X or a Y chromosome.
If a Y chromosome sperm fertilizes the egg, the embryo is male XY. If an X chromosome sperm fertilizes the egg, the embryo is female XX.
In natural conception, about half of all children are boys and half are girls. In order to be more certain of one sex or the other, embryos need to be created through in vitro fertilization IVF.
A few cells are removed from the ovary, the DNA is amplified, and the 23 pairs of chromosomes are determined, including whether the embryo is an XX girl or XY boy. The preferred sex embryo is then transferred into the womb. The technology to remove cells from an embryo to determine the chromosomes is called preimplantation genetic screening PGS. Sex selection is done with PGS technology, which looks at all 23 pairs of chromosomes to assure that your child is chromosomally normal. Patient portal.
