Choose the Sex of Your Baby

West Coast Fertility Centers has the technology to help you choose the sex of your baby. Our methods are designed to increase the probability of a couple having a child of the desired gender.

How Is Gender Determined?

At the time of conception, the sex of a baby is determined by the sex chromosome carried inside the sperm that fertilizes the woman's egg.

A sperm cell containing an "X" chromosome unites with the "X" chromosome in the female egg resulting in an "XX" pregnancy that produces a female child.

A sperm cell bearing a "Y" chromosome unites with the "X" chromosome in the female egg, resulting in an "XY" pregnancy that produces a male child.

The fertilized egg starts to divide into many cells and is called an embryo. Once the egg becomes an embryo, its gender has already been determined as it passes through the fallopian tube and ultimately attaches inside the uterus.

PGD Technique

It is now possible to remove cells from an embryo formed in our laboratory by IVF. This technique is called Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) and means that we can determine the "XX" or "XY" sex chromosome content of an embryo with over 99% certainty. Our patients can then select the embryo they wish to transfer into the intended mother's uterus. If the pregnancy occurs, the parents will have a child of the desired gender.

Pregnancy success rates will depend on several factors such as the mother's age, the embryo quality, and the health of her uterus.

PGD may also be used to diagnose embryos that carry genetic abnormalities that can lead to a miscarriage or a genetic disorder in the baby. PGD is also useful for patients who have repeated pregnancy losses or after multiple IVF attempts when implantation does not occur. With advancing maternal age, PGD allows for the selection of the best quality embryos which may then be transferred during an IVF procedure. The embryo transfer can be performed in either the initial fresh cycle or more commonly in a later frozen cycle, depending on which genetic tests are being performed.

Indications for PGD with sex selection include family balancing, as well as, prevention of transmission of sex-linked genetic disorders.