Gender selection is a reproductive technology that can increase a couple’s odds of having either a boy or a girl, depending on preference. There are a number of reasons couples may wish to do this: a desire to balance the gender of a family, to avoid genetic disorders that are more common in one sex or another, and sometimes, to accommodate cultural or social norms.
There are different types of procedures used for sex selection, most of which involve separating X and Y chromosomes from sperm or involve the selection of embryos with male or female DNA in order to produce a baby of the desired gender. PGD is one method used for this purpose. Once embryos have been analyzed for both cell structure and DNA, it is possible to determine their sex. Embryos of the desired gender will then be implanted into the mother’s uterus with the use of IVF procedures.
Sex selection can be controversial. Ethical concerns are particularly strong when the reasons for sex selection are social or emotional in nature, rather than for the purpose of avoiding a genetically based disorder. This procedure is available at some clinics throughout the United States, but is typically offered only to patients who have legitimate concern about genetic disorders or are dealing with family balancing.
While the long-term impact of this technique on the fetus is not known, there are no current reports of increased abnormalities following PGD. With PGD, there is a 98% chance that the implanted embryo will not carry the genetic abnormality. Also, the PGD method offers couples a 99 percent chance of having a child of the desired gender.
There is the risk with PGD, as with all tests, of either false positive or false negative test results. This is because many embryos show chromosomal inconsistencies from cell to cell. As a result, the cell taken for biopsy may not represent the other cells of the embryo.
Because only one or two cells are available for genetic testing, inconclusive genetic test results can lead to an inaccurate diagnosis. Because misdiagnosis is possible, PGD often is confirmed by additional testing typically done in early pregnancy to identify certain problems. Such tests include chorionic villi sampling or amniocentesis.
The desire to choose the sex of the unborn child is probably as old as history itself. Warlike societies in particular, prefer male children to inherit the throne. In modern times, however, girls are increasingly becoming the preferred sex. Throughout history, people have tried countless methods for sex selection but almost none of them have been successful. Sexual positions, timing intercourse according to seasons, trying different food and food preparations are all very unscientific ways for determining the sex of the baby. Some methods might increase the probability of conceiving a certain sex but none is guaranteed to be successful. Currently the most reliable way for choosing the sex of the baby is through a method called Preconception Gender Selection (PGS). This is a process where the embryo obtained has genetic testing on a cell removed from the embryo at the 8 cell stage.
Sex selection is only done on embryos that have been obtained during infertility treatment. Other techniques are deemed either ineffectual or unethical.
As is commonly known, X and Y are the sex chromosomes. A male has 46 chromosomes and an X and Y chromosome and this is written as 46, XY. Women have two X chromosomes and this is shown as 46, XX, a gamete from a woman contains 23 chromosomes: 22 chromosomes plus one X chromosome. Male gametes have either one X or Y chromosome in addition to the 22 other chromosomes to make a total of 23. While eggs carry the X chromosome only, there are two types of sperm cells, ones that carry the X and ones that carry the Y chromosome. One can deduce from this that the sex chromosome that’s on the sperm cell determines the gender of the baby. One can either determine the sex of the baby by sperm-separating technique or by testing the embryo and selecting the embryos with the desired sex to transfer back into the uterus.
Flow cytometric separation technology separates X bearing sperm from the Y bearing sperm. However, a sample that is prepared after the separation technique will not consist entirely of one type of sperm. Sex selection techniques work to increase your chances of having a child of one sex or the other.
Normally 50% of semen contains X bearing sperm and 50% Y bearing sperm. Through Microsort technology one can obtain a sample that contains 88% X bearing sperm or 73% Y bearing sperm. One can use the resulting sample for Artificial Insemination or In Vitro Fertilization (IUI). This results in a 60-70% chance of obtaining a desired gender.
This method is used in conjunction with standard IVF treatment. A cell is removed for testing from the embryos that form as a result of the treatment. FISH or PCR is used to ascertain the cell’s genetic make-up and embryos are selected accordingly. Healthy embryos or those with genetic mutations are identified through this method. The selected embryos are transferred back the mother one or two days later.
To perform molecular cytogenetic analysis the cells obtained from the embryo biopsies are marked with various florescent dyes in preparation for analysis. This method is called FISH (Fluorescent in Situ Hybridization). Different parts of the chromosome can be dyed based on the purpose of the test. The advantage of the FISH method is that the dye can be applied directly to the cell’s nucleus without having to isolate the specific chromosomes. For Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, a panel of as many as 9 chromosomes (13, 16, 18, 21, 22, 15, 17, X and Y) can be dyed for analysis.
The blastomeres which are removed from the embryo for biopsy are placed in tubes where the DNA is denatured and multiple copies of a gene are generated.
One can find out the baby’s gender as early as 8-10th week of pregnancy. This method, called Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS), entails genetic testing done on a biopsy taken from the placenta. Also one can run genetic tests on cells obtained from the amniotic fluid. This method is called amniocentesis and is done after the 16th week of pregnancy.
The Sex of the baby can usually be determined by ultrasound at any time after 12-14 weeks. Differentiation of external genitalia occurs after 12 weeks and ultrasonography has advanced technologically to distinguish the genitalia soon after that.
As a consequence, a couple might try to abort the baby if he/she isn’t the desired gender. This method, commonly seen in China and India, is highly unethical and is under no means practiced in our clinic.
Methods used after the birth of the baby
Unfortunately killing babies when they are not the desired gender is still practiced in several countries even though it is illegal. These countries are China, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, New Guinea, and some West African countries.
Abandoning children of unwanted sex is still practiced in some cultures even though it is also illegal.
Giving unwanted (for social reasons or sex selection) children up for adoption is commonly practiced in all countries. A famous example is Apple Computer Co.’s CEO Steve Jobs. His adoptive parents provided an entirely different social atmosphere from his biological parents who gave him up for adoption because they wanted a girl.
Efforts to perfect techniques for sex selection have been questioned both from an ethical and a moral standpoint.
Increasing preference of one sex over the other could lead to the sexism and oppression by violence or other means. In underdeveloped countries where sex selection is practiced more commonly, the ratio of women to men has decreased leading to prostitution, selling of women or girls or increased bride price.
PGD has not yet reached a stage where one can make “designer babies”. Technology does have the potential to develop ways to manipulate the genetic make up of an individual to create superior traits. This might lead to inequalities in the social structure. Even today selection of embryos that might lead to congenital abnormalities in the baby is considered unethical in some circles.
The technique is accurate but does not have a 100% guarantee. Sex selection might cause psychological harm if the procedure does not produce a child of the desired sex. This can affect the child born as well as the parents.
Selection of a baby’s gender allows parents to create a child to suit their needs and thus fail to respect the child as an individual. This topic is among the topics that ethicists discuss pertaining to sex selection.
Methods claiming to achieve sex selection have existed for thousands of years. Since the chance of obtaining one sex or other is 50%, some people are convinced of their efficacy. Practice of some of these methods continues in our day under the assumption that it has scientific backing.
Aristotle had suggested tying the left testes of those men who want to father boys in 330BC.
Some believe that timing intercourse can determine the sex of the baby and have developed astrological calendars to guide them. Among these the method that appears the most scientific is the Materina Baby choice method which claims 98% accurate results. It works under the premise that there are some days where the egg is receptive to the Y bearing sperm and other days where it is receptive to the X bearing sperm. There is a calendar developed for this purpose so couples can time their intercourse according to their desired gender.
Shattle Method:Practiced most commonly in Europe and the United States. This method relies on the assumption that the Y bearing sperm swim faster and the X bearing sperm live longer. Timing intercourse immediately after ovulation increases the probability of having a boy. In short the method suggests intercourse a couple of days before ovulation for a boy and a couple of days after ovulation for a girl. If the woman has an orgasm then chances are higher for a boy if she does not then it’s more likely a girl. If penetration during intercourse is deep then probability for a boy increases, if it’s not then the probability for a girl increase.
A publication from 2006 claims that the probability of a woman to have a boy increases if she has had a prior Toxoplasma infection.
It is illegal in all countries to terminate pregnancy if the baby is not of the desired gender. Unfortunately though, it is still practiced in China, India and Southern Asian countries. Although it is illegal, there are teams of people who travel from village to village with a portable ultrasound machine to identify the sex of the unborn baby and abort if requested Most developed countries have Preconception Gender Selection available legally. The methods used most commonly in these countries are PGS and sperm separation.
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