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Can You Choose the Sex of Your Baby?

Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)

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What is PGD?

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) technique in which embryos are created and scientifically examined outside of the womb. PGD was first introduced in 1990.

PGD involves removing a cell from an embryo when it is a few days old (when the embryo has reached the eight-cell stage of development). This cell is then tested for genetic disorders and gender. Embryos that do not carry the disorders can be implanted into the mother's womb.

Is PGD widely available?

PGD can only be used to help people with serious genetic disorders, such as haemophilia or cystic fibrosis. The benefit of the technique is to reduce the risk of having a child who suffers from the same medical condition as the parent/s.

As such, PGD is very strictly regulated in the UK and is only available in fertility clinics with a PGD licence. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) will decide whether PGD can be used on a case-by-case basis.

A medical reason for needing to choose one gender of embryo over another is where a disease follows either the male or female line, for example Duchene muscular dystrophy, which only affects males.

How does PGD work?

When a woman or a couple go through an IVF cycle, doctors fertilise eggs with sperm in a Petri dish in a lab rather than in the woman's womb (uterus).

Once the embryos are between 3 and 5 days old, a single cell is removed from each embryo and tested thoroughly for any genetic abnormalities and, in cases where sex selection is needed, for gender.

Only healthy embryos are inserted into the woman's uterus, reducing the risk of miscarriage or of having a baby with a genetic disorder.

How effective is PGD?

PGD is almost 100% effective at identifying the gender of an embryo.

What are the advantages of PGD?

PGD guarantees that you will have the baby boy or girl that you desire.

In PGD, fertility doctors will transfer no more than two embryos to the womb as embryos that are unlikely to implant will have been identified and will not be used. This means that should you have some remaining embryos; these will be frozen and could be used in another attempt to get pregnant in the future. There is not as much success with frozen embryo transfers, but the procedure is less invasive and much cheaper.

What are the disadvantages of PGD?

PGD is very expensive, with only limited funding available on the NHS.

So that your eggs can be removed, you would need to take fertility drugs which can have some unpleasant side effects, for example bloating, swelling, weight gain and blurred vision.

The PGD egg removal procedure is invasive and it can be painful.

PGD results in a live birth in around 20% of cycles - slightly lower than the rates for IVF. Also, because two embryos will be transferred into the uterus there is a higher chance of having twins.

If there are any embryos of the undesired sex you will need to decide what to do: freeze them, destroy them, or donate them to research.

How much does PGD cost?

An IVF cycle costs around £3,000, but this does not cover the cost of consultations, the fertility drugs or tests. There will be an additional cost for PGD on top of all this.

Where can I find out more about PGD?

The HFEA website (http://www.hfea.gov.uk/) covers recommendations on the use of PGD, and gives information about the medical conditions that qualify.

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This internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult a doctor or other healthcare professional.