The Basics
Our primary objective at Genova is to help couples become parents. This is why we have a policy of not performing the Gender Selection procedure for couples that don’t have a child (primary infertility). However, if a couple has 2 or more children of the same sex, then to help them plan their family we offer gender selection services.
Treatment
How is gender selection done?
At the time of embryo development (on day 5 or 6), a biopsy is taken of the embryo and sent for genetic analysis to a specialized lab. One of the bi-products of this analysis is revelation of the gender of the child as it allows us to identify boy or girl embryos. Then based on your family balancing needs we can transfer the embryo that you choose.
Is gender selection guaranteed?
To be able to perform the gender selection procedure we need to first develop a good number of healthy embryos. The genetic analysis process that reveals the gender is 100% accurate. However, IVF-ICSI success rates depend on many other factors and there is no guarantee that once the embryo is transferred back to the womb it will result in a positive pregnancy. You should also keep in mind that there is a possibility that all the embryos that are developed are of only one sex (all boys or all girls), so you might not have the liberty to choose.
Is gender selection risky?
Studies have shown no added risk for babies that have been born after PGT/PGD/PGS (pre-implantation genetic testing, diagnosis and screening), the analysis that is used to determine the gender of the embryo.
Yes, IVF-ICSI has to be performed for gender selection as embryos have to be developed in the lab and biopsy taken for further analysis.
