Until years ago, if someone asked if it was possible to determine the gender of the fetus before conception, the answer was no, or the answer was unproven or unguaranteed. But now, with the help of the advancement of science and various methods, it is possible to gender determination before pregnancy.
Different methods can be used to determine the gender of the baby before pregnancy. In these methods, criteria such as sex time, nutrition, and vaginal conditions are effective in determining the exact sex of the fetus. Another category of methods is the clinical methods of gender determination before pregnancy, which are more accurate and guaranteed. As a result, parents who are interested in gender determination can use these methods to decide whether to have a girl or a boy before pregnancy.
There are different methods and ways to determine gender before pregnancy and with the help of science and the progress made in this field, these methods are expanding and increasing. These methods can be classified into two categories: non-invasive methods with a low success rate such as (use of LH kits) and more reliable methods with a higher success rate such as assisted reproductive methods (IVF+PGD) for gender selection.
Of course, it cannot be said that these methods are guaranteed, but they can have serious effects.
The methods of determining the gender of the fetus have several general categories:
The sex of the fetus is determined at the moment the sperm meets the egg during pregnancy. A woman’s eggs are genetically determined by the X chromosome. On the other hand, men produce millions of sperm during ejaculation. About half of these sperm may be encoded by the X chromosome, while the other half carry the Y chromosome.
If the sperm that fertilizes the egg carries a Y chromosome, the resulting baby is likely to inherit XY, which we associate with being a boy. If the sperm that fertilizes the egg carries an X chromosome, the resulting baby will likely inherit XX, meaning a girl fetus. It is not possible to determine the final gender of the fetus in a natural pregnancy from the very beginning, and the pregnancy test only determines whether or not it is pregnant. To determine the sex of the fetus, parents should wait until the end of 3 months.
A very important and key point to determine gender before pregnancy is to firstly know the nature and characteristics of sperms. In addition to physical differences, male sperm (sperm carrying the .y chromosome) tend to move faster in alkaline environments, such as the cervix and the uterus. On the other hand, female sperms (sperm carrying the x chromosome) tend to survive more in the acidic conditions of the vaginal canal.
As a result, the actual method of conceiving a girl or a boy through LH kits is determined by timing and environmental conditions that favor male or female sperm. This should be taken into consideration in the timing for having sex, vaginal pH level, couple’s nutrition before sex, and things like that.
The alkaline and acidic environment of the vagina and uterus is important for conceiving a girl and conceiving a boy. Depending on whether the preconception sex determination efforts are for a boy or a preconception girl, each of these conditions must be considered differently. By visiting a gynecologist in pregnancy clinics, people can take the necessary measures to determine the gender of their baby by receiving advice before they become pregnant.
Clinical methods are more effective than home methods for gender determination. These methods include IVF, IUI and PGD, which we will examine one by one.
One of the reliable and guaranteed methods to determine the gender before pregnancy is to use the PGD method. This technique is called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis technique where a single sperm is implanted into the egg in a type of in vitro fertilization called ICSI (Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection). A developing embryo cell is then tested to determine the sex before being placed in the mother’s womb.
The basis of this method is that since XY sperms are slightly lighter, they can be processed and separated using a centrifuge or other separation methods. Then he used this solution to determine the gender of the boy before the guaranteed pregnancy
Another method of gender determination before pregnancy is EOU. This method is a method of assisted reproduction in a laboratory in which artificial insemination is used. This method is also called microsort.
The basis of this method is to separate sperm and sort it based on genetic content. Using the nature of XY and XX sperm, these sperm are separated using separation methods such as centrifugation and used for targeted pregnancy. The main separation method in this technique is staining sperm with fluorescent dye and separating XY and XX sperm cells using a flow cytometer.
Separated and selected sperms enter the uterus using artificial insemination to determine the sex of the baby by IUI method. This method is less invasive and is usually considered an efficient method. Sometimes the IVF method is used along with this technique for fertility.
Other methods to determine gender before pregnancy are none of them 100% guaranteed. There is only one guaranteed way to get a girl or a boy, and this method is known as gender selection. This method is used to accurately determine the sex of the fetus.
This method of in vitro fertilization is called IVF, which is one of the clinical methods of gender determination before pregnancy. IVF gender determination involves the implantation of a female or male embryo in the mother’s womb, and it is based on advanced options such as sperm sorting and genetic screening before implantation, in order to determine the gender of the embryo before conception and pregnancy.
However, this option is expensive and even illegal in some countries. This practice has a wide range of moral, religious, legal and social implications. Therefore, performing IVF to determine the gender before pregnancy is not necessarily considered a purely medical decision, and various aspects must be considered.
The only guaranteed way to determine gender before pregnancy is IVF. In this method, sperm screening and genetic diagnosis of the embryo are used, and then the embryo with a specific gender is implanted in the mother’s womb.
Some couples, when referring to infertility clinics, state that they want to have twin pregnancies in addition to determining the gender of the embryos.
It means twin boys, twin girls or a boy and a girl. By using the best sex selection method, which is the PJD method, it is possible to determine the exact gender and if more than one embryo with the desired gender is transferred to the uterus in one transfer, the chance of twins increases.
