Baby boy or Baby Girl? The Science Of Gender Selection In IVF

Baby boy or Baby Girl? The Science Of Gender Selection In IVF

The journey to parenthood does not always happen as easily as the couple expects. Some people are easier to conceive while some people might find it the other way around. Today’s advanced technology in assisted reproductive technology has made conception possible for couples who are facing fertility issues.

I believe most of you here have heard the word IVF (In-Vitro Fertilisation). IVF was introduced in 1978 which has captured the attention of the public since the sensational birth of Louise Brown in 1978. It was the culmination of decades of scientific research in reproductive medicine. Since then, an abundance of breakthroughs in both clinical medicine and basic science have allowed increasing numbers of infertile couples the chance to have a baby.

What is IVF?

Basically, IVF is a procedure used to overcome a range of fertility issues in which an egg and sperm are joined outside the body in an IVF specialised laboratory. The fertilized egg (embryo) is allowed to grow in a protected environment for few days before being transferred into the woman’s uterus, with the aim to achieve a successful pregnancy.

Before the transfer of the embryo, the couple can also add on another technology known as Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy – PGT – A, or previously known as Preimplantation Genetic Screening – PGS. With PGT-A, embryos are screened on their 23 pairs of chromosomal status including chromosome X & Y. The most suitable embryos with normal chromosomes are fit to be selected for the transfer as they pose a high potential to establish into pregnancy.

So, the main purpose of this PGT-A is to identify the embryo with normal chromosomes in order to increase the chance of becoming pregnant and to lower the risk of miscarriage or risk of having a chromosomally abnormal child.

During the PGT-A analysis, sex chromosomes X&Y are hence revealed and enable prospective parents to know the gender of the embryos they are transferred into the womb.  As such, selecting the gender of a baby is then possible through this PGT-A procedure.

When a couple is at risk of having a child with an inherited genetic disorder linked to a particular gender, such as hemophilia, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, their best option is to go for IVF with PGT-A/PGS to eliminate the possibility of inheriting the same genetic disease on their offspring.

PGT-A in ALPHA IVF

Alpha IVF & Women’s Specialist is a world leader in providing fertility treatment services equipped with advanced technology called Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) with ION Torrent technology for PGT-A. This most advanced technology is capable of running different preimplantation genetic testings such as PGT-A and PGT-M (Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Monogenic Diseases – PGT M or previously known as Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis – PGD) on a single platform using a single biopsy which help to reduce the damage of the embryo by avoiding double biopsies.
Our doctors & embryologist were the first in Asia and Australia to perform a fresh embryo transfer following the screening of chromosomal abnormalities in embryos through MicroArray CGH.

Concerns 

Having said that, the possibility to prioritize certain sex of the embryo for transfer over this other using this advanced technology is raising ethical concerns. Most countries allow baby’s gender selection but for others, it may be not permissible due to the sensitivity of some religion, culture, and ethical reasons.

It is advisable for you to check with your fertility centre whether such treatments are allowed.