Gender Selection via IVF
When model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen openly admitted to having handpicked her daughter Luna's gender, she faced a lot of backlash for endorsing the controversial trend of sex selection for non-medical reasons.
What is Gender Selection?
Embryo sex may be reported during an IVF cycle when a fertility clinic performs appropriate preimplantation genetic testing. The tests available, their accuracy, and whether non-medical sex selection is offered depend on the clinic, laboratory, jurisdiction, and individual treatment plan. Testing does not guarantee implantation, pregnancy, birth, or a child without genetic disease.
MicroSort is a sperm sorting technology used in laboratories around the world that allows for preconception sex selection through a flow cytometry technique. Based on the X and Y chromosomal content sperm are separated and sorted from the seminal fluid in order to fertilize the egg.
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis or PGD is normally conducted during an IVF cycle prior to embryo implantation in high-risk cases such as previous failed cycles, multiple miscarriages, or a history of genetic disorders. It is an elective procedure with a hefty price tag, making the already costly IVF treatment even more expensive.
What happens during PGD?
Preimplantation genetic testing is performed as part of IVF. A trained embryology team may biopsy a small number of cells from a blastocyst and send them to a laboratory for the specific screening ordered by the treating clinic. The procedure has limitations and potential risks that should be discussed with the fertility specialist and a genetic counselor; it cannot ensure that an embryo is unaffected.
As such, there's only a small percentage of people who can actually afford to opt for PGD and subsequently, gender selection, one reason why embryos resulting from this practice are sometimes nicknamed "designer babies."
Designer Babies?
The debate around so-called designer babies is controversial. Preimplantation testing can screen for the particular chromosomal or genetic findings included in the ordered test, but it does not detect every condition, eliminate genetic risk, or allow parents to tailor every trait. A fertility specialist and genetic counselor can explain what a specific test can and cannot show.
Some critics have even gone as far as analogizing this technique of gene manipulation to Hitler's idea of breeding a superior Aryan race based on the Nazi philosophy of racial purity. Although the comparison is undoubtedly extreme, opponents of the practice claim that technology is a slippery slope paving the way for obstructing the mechanism of natural selection.
Preimplantation genetic testing is screening, not gene editing, and it does not eradicate disease or make an embryo risk-free. Legal rules, clinic policies, and professional guidance concerning embryo sex disclosure or selection vary. Anyone considering testing should ask the treating clinic and a genetic counselor about the medical purpose, limitations, alternatives, and rules that apply to the case.
Is sex selection for you?
The answer to that depends singularly on what your motivation is behind considering this option. If you're thinking of opting for it in order to eliminate chances of carrying forward a certain hereditary disorder, there shouldn't be any controversy surrounding it. If you are contemplating sex selection in order to balance out your family or just because you have a personal preference, it's better to research thoroughly and make a well-thought-out decision before taking the leap as PGD, the more accurate method has its fair share of risks involved.
Surrogacy is a legal and medical-adjacent topic. This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal or medical advice.
Reviewed by Patriot Conceptions Editorial Team. Last reviewed Aug 11, 2020.
Gender Selection via IVF
When model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen openly admitted to having handpicked her daughter Luna's gender, she faced a lot of backlash for endorsing the controversial trend of sex selection for non-medical reasons.
What is Gender Selection?
Embryo sex may be reported during an IVF cycle when a fertility clinic performs appropriate preimplantation genetic testing. The tests available, their accuracy, and whether non-medical sex selection is offered depend on the clinic, laboratory, jurisdiction, and individual treatment plan. Testing does not guarantee implantation, pregnancy, birth, or a child without genetic disease.
MicroSort is a sperm sorting technology used in laboratories around the world that allows for preconception sex selection through a flow cytometry technique. Based on the X and Y chromosomal content sperm are separated and sorted from the seminal fluid in order to fertilize the egg.
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis or PGD is normally conducted during an IVF cycle prior to embryo implantation in high-risk cases such as previous failed cycles, multiple miscarriages, or a history of genetic disorders. It is an elective procedure with a hefty price tag, making the already costly IVF treatment even more expensive.
What happens during PGD?
Preimplantation genetic testing is performed as part of IVF. A trained embryology team may biopsy a small number of cells from a blastocyst and send them to a laboratory for the specific screening ordered by the treating clinic. The procedure has limitations and potential risks that should be discussed with the fertility specialist and a genetic counselor; it cannot ensure that an embryo is unaffected.
As such, there's only a small percentage of people who can actually afford to opt for PGD and subsequently, gender selection, one reason why embryos resulting from this practice are sometimes nicknamed "designer babies."
Designer Babies?
The debate around so-called designer babies is controversial. Preimplantation testing can screen for the particular chromosomal or genetic findings included in the ordered test, but it does not detect every condition, eliminate genetic risk, or allow parents to tailor every trait. A fertility specialist and genetic counselor can explain what a specific test can and cannot show.
Some critics have even gone as far as analogizing this technique of gene manipulation to Hitler's idea of breeding a superior Aryan race based on the Nazi philosophy of racial purity. Although the comparison is undoubtedly extreme, opponents of the practice claim that technology is a slippery slope paving the way for obstructing the mechanism of natural selection.
Preimplantation genetic testing is screening, not gene editing, and it does not eradicate disease or make an embryo risk-free. Legal rules, clinic policies, and professional guidance concerning embryo sex disclosure or selection vary. Anyone considering testing should ask the treating clinic and a genetic counselor about the medical purpose, limitations, alternatives, and rules that apply to the case.
Is sex selection for you?
The answer to that depends singularly on what your motivation is behind considering this option. If you're thinking of opting for it in order to eliminate chances of carrying forward a certain hereditary disorder, there shouldn't be any controversy surrounding it. If you are contemplating sex selection in order to balance out your family or just because you have a personal preference, it's better to research thoroughly and make a well-thought-out decision before taking the leap as PGD, the more accurate method has its fair share of risks involved.
For your own case, confirm legal and medical details with your attorney and clinic.
Reviewed by Patriot Conceptions Editorial Team. Last reviewed Aug 11, 2020.