Gender Selection

The gender of a child is determined by the father, or, more precisely, by his sperm. While all of a woman’s eggs carry an X chromosome, half of a man’s sperm carry an X, with the other half carrying a Y chromosome. The gender of the embryo and therefore the baby is thus determined by which sperm fertilizes the egg, the X or the Y – with two X chromosomes (XX) creating a girl and an X and a Y (XY) creating a boy.

In the past, couples were unable to influence or choose the gender of their unborn child. However, today there is new fertility technology that allows couples to safely choose the gender of their unborn child.

Gender Selection Techniques at New England Fertility

At New England Fertility, we rely on two leading methods, or gender selection techniques, to help couples choose the gender of the child:  combining in vitro fertilization (IVF) with preimplantation genetic screening (PGS), with the woman being implanted with only with the embryo of the desired gender, and sperm sorting, both of which are described below.

Gender Selection Using IVF and PGD

In this technique each one of the embryos created after fertilization has one cell removed. This cell is then analyzed to determine its gender. The couple is then able to decide which embryos they wish to have implanted into the woman's uterus, with the option of freezing and storing extra embryos for future use.

To learn more about any of New England Fertility’s services, click on a link, below.

• Diagnosis & Treatment
• In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
• Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)
• Egg Donation
• Gestational Surrogacy
• Cryopreservation
• Egg Freezing
• Sperm Freezing
• Gender Selection
• Counseling & Wellness
• Same Sex Couples