Sex Selection
Sex Selection
Sex selection, also known as gender selection, is the attempt to control the sex of the offspring to achieve a desired sex. It can be accomplished in several ways, in IVF it is done before implantation of an embryo.
Medical Reasons For Carrying Out Sex Selection
There are several hundred known genetic diseases that affect only males – e.g. haemophilia and Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy. In families that have a history of such disease, parents may wish to reduce the chance of their child suffering serious illness by having a girl.
Non Medical Reasons For Carrying Out Sex Selection
- to have a family that includes children of both sexes (known as ‘family balancing’)
- to rebuild a family after the death of a child with another of the same sex (see box opposite)
- to fulfil a general preference for children of one sex over another. This could be related to economic, cultural or social reasons.
Medical Reasons For Carrying Out Sex Selection
Sperm Sorting
Sperm carry either an X chromosome or a Y chromosome; all eggs carry an X chromosome. If an egg is fertilised by an X-bearing sperm, the child will be female, while a Y-bearing sperm will produce a male. Sperm sorting aims to produce a sample with a higher proportion of X- or Y-bearing sperm; this increases the chance of conceiving a child of the preferred sex.
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)
Pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT) is combined with IF for couples with a known genetic condition or a preference for a specific sex, enabling them to avoid passing genetic disorders to future generations. In PT, only embryos with the desired sex or specific genetic traits are selected for implantation. This process can also help parents who may unknowingly carry a genetic condition to avoid passing it on, ensuring that only healthy embryos are transferred to the uterus.