How can we select gender of a future child? Of course, with the help of PGD!
It’s better a boy or a girl? Children bring happiness to the lives of their parents, but the nature doesn’t provide us with possibility to make an order for a gender. Modern medicine, in its turn, enables us to select a gender with the help of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD).
The history of PGD
This method was developed to determine genetic chromosome diseases. The reason for such diseases is the abnormality in the quantitative composition of chromosomes or in their formation.
Lots of genetic diseases are inherited exclusively through male or female lineage. While examining embryos with simultaneous diagnostic of genetic “failures”, we can 100% determine the gender of a future child.
How is PGD conducted?
PGD procedure is the part of standard IVF program. On a certain stage, that is before embryo transfer into uterus, all embryos are examined and only healthy embryos of desired gender are selected.
Is PGD dangerous for a future child?
All manipulations with embryo are conducted very carefully. The fact is that the PGD procedure is conducted in the moment when the embryo consists of identical cells, which are easily interchangeable while further division. This method is more than 20 years old and it is proved that the procedure doesn’t influence negatively of the health of a future child.
Advantages and ethical issues of PGD
The issues of gender selection more often are related to the possibility to prevent transfer of genetic diseases to a future child. At the same time gender selection according to “social” indications doesn’t have any official restrictions in Ukraine.