What Are the Gender Selection Methods?
For couples planning to have a baby, gender selection may be relevant for medical reasons or for the purpose of family balancing. Gender selection methods may be utilized in these cases. These range from options that can be tried at home and carry a low rate of accuracy to options that can be performed through medical intervention and are much more likely to be successful. Couples who are very serious about having a child of a specific gender will want to address the issue from a medical standpoint for the highest level of success.
Reasons for Gender Selection
The most common reasons for selecting a baby’s gender involve trying to reduce genetic disease. There are some diseases which are much more common in males or in females, so avoiding having a child of that gender can protect children from struggling with these diseases. Additionally, parents who already have one or more children of a particular gender may want to balance out their family with a child of another gender. In that case, selecting gender can make it easier for a family to feel complete. No matter the reasons behind parents wanting a child of a particular gender, there are options to help make that a reality.
Common Gender Selection Methods
There are gender selection methods that were commonly tried in the past, including sorting sperm and timing intercourse for certain days. These methods have problems with accuracy and most studies show they are accurate approximately 50% of the time. Because this accuracy is no greater than standard odds with any conception, individuals interested in a particular gender are less likely to have success with these older methods. More advanced methods that involve a higher level of medical intervention are now used, and when these methods are tried the success rates for selecting gender are extremely high.
Choosing Gender Through IVF
With in vitro fertilization (IVF) and Preimplantation genetic screening, there is a much higher chance of getting a child of the gender a parent desires. In this process, the X and Y chromosomes are detected, thus determining genetic gender. Additionally, through the process, the other pairs of chromosomes are analyzed to determine if other abnormalities exist such as Down’s Syndrome. This method, therefore, also increases the chances of a healthy pregnancy overall.
