Family balancing used to involve old wives tales and advice on positions, diet and timing, but now fertility doctors can determine the sex of your baby with nearly 100 percent accuracy. Breakthroughs in genetic testing make it possible to analyze embryos in the lab. (An egg fertilized by sperm will develop into an embryo.)
At Innovative Fertility Center, we view gender selection as a means to provide parents-to-be with newfound freedom to plan for and balance their families.
Gender Selection for Family Balancing
Gender selection sounds space-age, but it’s really simple. A scientist or embryologist can look inside a single cell of a developing embryo to find out 1) the sex 2) genetic disease markers prior to in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
Dr. Rispler offers family balancing at his Manhattan Beach fertility clinic as part of comprehensive infertility treatment services.
Old School Family Balancing
You may decide to try to get pregnant using timed intercourse to try for a girl. A review of high school biology tells us that the man determines the sex of a baby, adding his Y-chromosome to an egg to tip the scale in favor of blue. A woman’s eggs have two X-chromosomes, while a man’s sperm carries an X- and a Y-chromosome.
- If a man’s sperm carries a Y chromosome and fertilizes the egg, the baby will be a boy.
- If a man’s sperm carries an X chromosome and fertilizes the egg, the baby will be a girl.
The low-tech method for family balancing relied on evidence that Y-chromosome carrying sperm swim faster, but died sooner than girl X-sperm. If a couple has sex 2-3 days prior to ovulation, then abstains, some speculate that only the X-bearing sperm will survive.
Deciding on Family Balancing
The technology exists to greatly increase the odds of having a baby, either a boy or girl, to balance your family. Dr. Rispler sees couples with medical reasons for wanting a baby of a certain sex. Some inheritable genetic diseases are linked to boys or girls. He also sees parents with a strong desire to complete their family with a child of the opposite sex.
Dr. Rispler can explain your family building options in a fertility consultation. Contact Innovative Fertility Center for an appointment.