Do you dream of starting or growing your family? Having a baby is a big, beautiful step everyone deserves to experience — but not everyone can conceive on their own. If you’re a single woman, a couple struggling with fertility or a same-sex couple looking for a way to have a child, Western Fertility Institute is the right place to start. With a dedication to bringing your dream of a family to life, we work with you through every step of the prenatal, conception and pregnancy process. Whether you choose IVF or opt for a surrogate, we won’t leave your side until your baby is born.
During your prenatal appointments and your genetic screenings, you may have questions about different fertility treatments and the options available — like gender selection. When you’re taking the next step and making decisions about your future family, here’s what you should know about choosing the sex of a baby.
What Is Gender Selection?
Also known as sex selection, gender selection is a procedure prospective parents use to pick the gender of the child before conception. Some families may choose sex selection for personal preferences or to achieve “gender-balance” — meaning they hope to have one girl and one boy, or they have children of all one gender and are hoping for one of the other. In other cases, gender selection is used for medical purposes to prevent sex-linked genetic diseases.
Genetic diseases like muscular dystrophy, hemophilia and other disorders can be passed from parent to child via recessive genes. Certain disorders only appear in one gender or are more likely to appear in one than the other, which is why parents carrying the gene may choose gender selection to reduce the risk of the child being affected.
How Does Sex Selection Work?
For IVF and embryo transfer, gender selection works by analyzing the fertilized eggs after they begin to develop outside the body. First, the sperm and eggs are retrieved from the prospective parents or donor. Then, they are fertilized and incubated in the lab. After the embryos have developed for a few days, doctors analyze the chromosomes and determine whether the embryo is male or female. When it’s time to implant the egg into the uterus, we can transfer only embryos of the chosen gender.
How Successful Is Gender Selection?
The method of in-vitro fertilization gender selection is called Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), and it is the most reliable available method for choosing the sex of a baby. PGD provides an almost infallible gender success rate when the IVF leads to a successful pregnancy — which means your chances of having the gender you choose are almost certain.
Find Gender-Balance With Western Fertility Institute
When you’re looking for the best way to begin your new or continuing family by choosing fertility treatment, Western Fertility Institute is here to help. From picking the right fertility option and gender to the birth of your new baby, we work with you to make your dream come true. Call 888-261-4574 or reach out to us online for more information today.