How Gender Selection Works, Its Costs, and Benefits

Gender selection allows couples to choose their child’s gender through genetic testing. Thanks to advanced reproductive technologies like preimplantation genetic testing, a fertility doctor can determine your child’s gender before implanting the embryo into the uterus.

The gender selection costs are usually included together with egg donation as one package, but these costs may vary depending on the experience of the doctor and the health facility.

What Are the Reasons for Gender Selection?

• Family balancing: Couples desire to select gender during IVF for various reasons, mainly family balancing; when a couple already has sons but now wants a girl, gender selection makes this possible.
• Genetic conditions: Some genetically transmitted conditions can be specific to gender; in this case, the couple can choose the gender with good genes during the IVF procedure.
• Loss of a child: A couple that just lost a child of a given gender may be more psychologically inclined to desire another child of the same sex.
• Gender preference: Some parents feel more equipped to raise a male or female child and may be biased to choose one sex over the other.

Thanks to science, gender selection plays a crucial and priceless role in preparing parents to raise their future kids.

What Are the Success Rates of Gender Selection?

Gender selection at the early stages of embryo development has a 99% success rate; embryo conception after In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) guarantees that your child’s gender will be that of your choosing.

The Cost Implications of Gender Selection

A single IVF cycle can be costly, ranging from $15,000 to $30,000, with medications taking up 35% of these charges; the total treatment charges depend on the patient’s medication needs and the medical fertility clinic they are consulting. 

The whole medical package includes the following:

• Ovarian stimulation
• Egg retrieval from the donor
• Embryo transfers into the womb.

This price tag can be out of reach for many, considering that patients might need several IVF cycles before they conceive.

Gender Selection With Embryonic Genetic Diagnosis (EGD) and IVF

Gender selection with EDG and IVF is the most advanced gender selection procedure, with over 99%. During gender selection, the fertility doctor removes a small number of cells from an embryo after fertilization. The doctor then sends them to a genetics lab for chromosomal analysis.

The embryos are then frozen, awaiting the genetic analysis results. Once they are processed, the couple then decides the sex of their child.

IVF gender selection involves:

Ovarian Stimulation

The fertility doctor prescribes hormone-based medications to stimulate the production of many fully-developed eggs.

Egg Retrieval

The doctor then removes the eggs from the ovaries.

Embryology

In the embryology lab, the fertility doctor fertilizes the eggs and leaves the embryo to develop for three to seven days.

Genetic Testing

At the lab, your medical provider performs preimplantation genetic testing to analyze the type and number of chromosomes in each cell. And then, the doctor classifies the cells as either XY or XX. Parents can then select which gender they want.

Embryo Transfer

The doctor finally transfers the embryo into the womb of the intended parent.

Is Gender Selection Worth it?

Some cultures place much importance on having a particular child’s gender, and gender selection can help a potential couple realize this dream. Apart from choosing the preferred gender, the couple can select desirable traits in the child and avoid undesirable genetic traits.

Gender Selection FAQ

Q: What are the chances of success in gender selection?

A: Gender selection has a high success rate of over 99%.

Q: What happens to the embryos of the opposite sex after gender selection?

A: You can donate these embryos to other infertile couples or freeze them for future use.

Q: Can my insurance reduce the cost of gender selection?

A: If you have comprehensive health insurance coverage, it can significantly lower your out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Q: What are the main advantages of gender selection?

A: Gender selection helps to avoid gender-specific chromosomal disorders and genetic diseases. In addition, the prospective couple decides the child’s gender.

Q: How does gender selection help a couple to prepare adequately?

A: When couples know their gender early, they can save for the necessary clothing, prepare a nursery area, and buy toys.

Q: Is it ethical to choose your baby’s gender?

A: While some people question gender selection, it serves some cultural interests, as some cultures place more importance on having one gender over another.

Q: How does gender selection help in family balancing?

A: A couple may have several boys, for example, and may want more girls to balance the ratio. Gender selection helps them achieve this, with a 99% success rate.