Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for gender selection

Thanks to modern methods of scientific baby gender selection, it is really possible to choose the gender of your baby - although still highly controversial!

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is one of those gender selection methods: a fertility procedure that can be used - and it is used currently - for gender selection.

PGD is most often used by couples wanting to avoid some hereditary genetic illnesses. However its use for gender selection is what regularly raises ethical questions.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis involves in vitro fertilization (IVF) during the fertility treatment in which the woman is given fertility drugs in order to create multiple eggs.

Resulting multiple eggs are then removed, and taken to the fertilization laboratory where they are fertilized - usually with the sperm that was processed by the MicroSort method of sperm spinning.

The resulting embryos are then allowed to grow for three days. When they are consisting of six to eight cells, one of the cell is taken to be biopsied. From that one cell, scientists in the lab can tell the gender!

Of course, they can also tell if the embryo suffers from some abnormality such as Dawn syndrome etc.

The embryos with desirable characteristics (like the wanted gender) are then implanted in woman's uterus.

This is the only medical gender selection method that's almost 100 % successful. Unfortunately, it is not available in every fertility clinic!

If you find the clinic that does PGD for gender selection, like the one in the video below, you can expect to pay up to $15 000.