gender selection

[Anonymous]

My DH and I are doing IVF and we want to do gender selection as well, our doctor didn't seem enthusiastic about our request. Is there any place that offers it without the condescending attitude? I feel the process is already unnatural so why is it a big deal?

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I am a carrier of a genetic disease so have talked to my OB about preimplantation genetic testing and he says (and this is a direct quote) "the embryos just don't grow the same." Now this OB did his fellowship at UMASS and is also doing research at NIH and RE work at several respected clinics around town, so I do consider him a reputable source of info.

Not to knock PGD for those that need to do it (as I said, I can relate, I have a 25% chance of a horrible genetic disease w/ any pregnancy), but in your case, consider that you may actually be putting the embryo at risk unneccesarily. Not to mention if the odds for you getting pregnant are more difficult, adding the gender selection piece may further limit your chances. By all means if this is important to you, do it, but make sure you have an accurate assessment of the pros and cons first.

[Anonymous]

Well...just your statement about IVF being unnatural is sort of a touchy subject...to have to accept medical care for a fertility issue is just that...receiving medical care. THAT is not unnatural. And to be honest, since I have experience with IVF babies...they are pretty much as 'natural' as any other babies on the planet. As far as I can tell, there are no plastic parts on my babies!

Gender selection IS an ethical issue. Actually, a very contentious one. Especially if you are addressing a group of people who are working hard JUST to get pregnant with a healthy baby.

Many REs hesitate to discuss gender selection because they are working to help you grow your family...period. How that happens according to the 'natural' scheme of things (albeit in a culture dish, instead of the fallopian tubes) is sort of an important part of keeping the medical care as minimally 'invasive' as possible.

Some will discuss gender selection in certain situations...but depending on your personal situation, you may have to expect a certain amount of hesitation to even address the issue.

Simply, they are trying to get the woman pg, that is the goal. They are trying to get a healthy baby. End of discussion.

[Anonymous]

GIVF advertises sperm sorting as a way of doing gender selection. It's not 100% though (or at least that is what I read somewhere). The fact that they advertise it so aggressively makes me think they'd pretty much do whatever you want (if you have the $$$).

[Anonymous]

For some ivf is also an ethical issue, in the case where there are left over embryos that won't be used.

[Anonymous]

I believe Dominion Fertility offers gender selection too. I was thinking about that too since we will probably end up having just one child (I don't think I would want to go through the agony of TTC and fertility treatments again), but in the end decided not to pursue it.

[Anonymous]

I am a past Dominion patient...Dr. G addresses the issue of gender selection in his blog. Check it out.

I don't think gender selection is one of their primary concerns, though they may consider it in certain circumstances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, I am a carrier of a genetic disease so have talked to my OB about preimplantation genetic testing and he says (and this is a direct quote) "the embryos just don't grow the same." Now this OB did his fellowship at UMASS and is also doing research at NIH and RE work at several respected clinics around town, so I do consider him a reputable source of info.

Not to knock PGD for those that need to do it (as I said, I can relate, I have a 25% chance of a horrible genetic disease w/ any pregnancy), but in your case, consider that you may actually be putting the embryo at risk unneccesarily. Not to mention if the odds for you getting pregnant are more difficult, adding the gender selection piece may further limit your chances. By all means if this is important to you, do it, but make sure you have an accurate assessment of the pros and cons first.

I thought they do gender selection by sorting the sperm before introducing the sperm to the egg. While not 100% effective, this approach doesn't involve genetic testing -- it's all done before the embryo even starts growing.

[Anonymous]

I've looked into gender selection, and I assume that you are talking about Microsort or the traditional technique used at clinics like Dominion. First, the traditional technique doesn't really increase your chances of getting your preferred gender that much. A little, but it's no guarantee. Microsoft is much more likely to result in the outcome you like, but you would need to go to GIVF for that. I know that they work with some other clinics, but I don't know which one(s), or how that works.

PGD is the only way to *guarantee* the gender, and it is not really "selecting" as much as it is testing an embryo after-the-fact (already fertilized) and choosing to transfer back into the uterus only embryos that are the desired gender. As a PP said, the PGD process does make it somewhat less likely that you will be successful with IVF. They have not identified (to my knowledge) any issues with the process itself having long-term implications for offspring, except the process does manipulate the embryo. For fragile embryos, this could cause more fragmentation. Generally, the less you "bother" the embryo, the better.

Gender selection is highly debated, and most people take issue with people coming from other countries and requesting boys. The medical community fears that the natural ratio of boys/girls will be distorted over time, and that will hurt our race. Already, I could imagine that it would be hard for a man to find a spouse in certain countries where boys are highly desired. That said, I found it interesting that in the US, most requests for gender selection are for girls...

Whether we like to admit it or not, I think that a lot of people have a preference for a certain gender. When it is so hard to conceive a baby, it's easy to think, "Gee, you should just be grateful for ANY child." But still, I understand the desire. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Anonymous]

We have multiple children, all of the same gender, from my husband's first marriage. Probably because of this, Dr. Sacks raised the possibility of gender selection to us proactively, so I assume he'd be comfortable with it. (We haven't pursued fertility treatments, so I don't have more details, I'm afraid.)

[Anonymous]

I just found this site, I'm in the area for IVF at a local clinic and we are getting IVF with PGD basically to have a boy. My husband has to have an heir or he will have to marry again.

[Anonymous]

I believe that GIVF will do it using microsort, but only for family balancing. For example if you already have a girl and want a boy or vice versa. I don't think they will do it for a first pregnancy. And i'm not sure they would be willing to do PGD just for gender with no other indication. Also, PGD seems like way way too much effort just to get a selected gender.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just found this site, I'm in the area for IVF at a local clinic and we are getting IVF with PGD basically to have a boy. My husband has to have an heir or he will have to marry again.

Is this a joke?

[Anonymous]

I assume that it is a joke. Either that, or a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just found this site, I'm in the area for IVF at a local clinic and we are getting IVF with PGD basically to have a boy. My husband has to have an heir or he will have to marry again.

Is this a joke?

Joke or not.. I have no words for this.. so wrong on so many levels..