Can You Choose Baby Gender?
Pick a Baby's Gender Using Embryo Screening, Sperm Selection
Many couples who are considering pregnancy usually hope for a particular baby gender. But some couples go as far as to choose the sex of a baby. There is no 100% guarantee that a couple will conceive a baby girl or a baby boy, but at least one of these procedures designed to allow couples to pick their baby's gender does come very close, with a 99% chance of getting pregnant with a child of the selected gender.
How is Baby Gender Determined?
The baby's gender is decided by the chromosomal makeup of the sperm that fertilizes the egg. Baby boys have an XY chromosome make-up, while baby girls have an XX chromosome make-up.
The woman can only contribute an X to the equation, but the male can contribute an X or a Y. If the sperm that fertilizes the egg carries an X chromosome, the woman will conceive a baby girl. If the sperm carries a Y chromosome, the woman will conceive a baby boy.
In their physical appearance, all embryos remain the same until the eighth week of pregnancy. A week eight, the embryo's gonads will either remain inside the body and evolve into ovaries in the case of a girl baby, or they will descend and turn into testicles in the case of a boy baby.
The soonest gender ultrasounds can be performed at 12 weeks of pregnancy, but in a healthy pregnancy, mothers must wait until the 15th week of pregnancy to determine baby gender by ultrasound. In the case of a pregnant woman who has chosen the baby's gender, there is no suspense to learn the sex of the baby.
How Do You Choose the Sex of a Baby With Sperm Selection?
One of the two basic methods used to select baby gender involves screening sperm and performing artificial insemination.
The first method to choose the sex of a baby involves screening for sperm that contain the desired chromosomal make-up. With this sperm selection method, the baby's gender is determined before fertilization occurs.
According to ChooseBabyGender.net, this method for choosing the sex of a baby costs approximately $1,000. The benefit of this method is that it's relatively inexpensive (when compared to the other option) and the intra-uterine insemination process can be performed at home or at a physician's office.
The primary disadvantage to using sperm selection to choose baby gender is that the success rate is only 80% for a baby boy and 72% for a baby girl.
Choosing Baby Gender With Embryo Selection and IVF
The second method of deciding baby gender involves creating a "test tube baby" and selecting an embryo of the desired sex. The embryo of the chosen gender is then implanted through IVF. This method has a much higher success rate of "near 100%" according to ChooseBabyGender.net.
In addition to the high success rate for choosing baby gender, another positive is that this method also lends itself to genetic screening for conditions like Down Syndrome and hemophilia through a method called preimplantation genetic diagnosis or "PGD."
The main disadvantage to this method of choosing the sex of a baby is the expense, which ranges from $12,000 to $15,000. There is also a risk of multiple births, since IVF usually involves implantation of multiple embryos in the hope that at least one will implant and lead to a viable pregnancy.
The Ethics of Pre-Determining Baby Gender
Picking a baby's gender is quite controversial, as some claim it's a form of "playing God." Choosing baby gender leads to ethical questions, like, "Is choosing a baby's sex the first step toward creating a so-called designer baby?"
There is also the issue of whether choosing baby sex could ultimately lead to serious societal problems if a majority parents were to pick mostly baby boys or mostly baby girls. Right now, the cost of choosing baby gender makes it prohibitive for many individuals who are hoping to get pregnant. But as technology advances, it's possible the world could ultimately see an affordable home kit for choosing baby gender and this has some people concerned.
Today, kits to exist to determine baby gender at home and some boast a 95% accuracy rate. To learn more, read Home Gender Tests for Pregnant Women to learn more about the IntelliGender test or the Pink or Blue DNA test to determine baby gender.
Individuals who are planning a family may also enjoy reading Pregnancy Myths – Determining Baby Gender or Myths on How to Choose Baby Gender at Conception.
Choosing Baby Gender – Expecting a Baby Girl
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