Significant advancements in Reproductive Medicine have paved the way for a procedure that allows      parents to select the sex of their baby. More and more married people are now opting for gender selection, mostly to achieve a balanced representation of both sexes in their families. 

“This process benefits couples to fulfil their dream of having either a girl or a boy and to balance their family,” Dr Laura Melado, IVF Specialist, IVI Middle East Fertility Clinic, said.

Family balancing involves Pre-implantation Genetic Test (PGT), a technique that studies the chromosomes of the embryos developed during an In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) process. With      PGT, experts can establish the sex and the health of the embryos with nearly 100% percent accuracy before implantation. Dr Melado pointed out that when a healthy      embryo is implanted into the uterus through the IVF technique, the chances of achieving pregnancy become very      high and the parents will know the gender of the future child.

For Dr Melado, family balancing brings forth numerous advantages apart from helping complete the family and achieving pregnancy via IVF. Chief of these benefits is ensuring the birth of a baby free from gender-linked diseases inherited from the parents.

“Through PGT, experts can check the embryo for genetic conditions that parents may inadvertently pass on to their offspring. The PGT technique helps screen for genetic disorders or chromosomal abnormalities in the embryos, thus ensuring that the mother will give birth to a normal, healthy baby. For the parents, this is an important aspect of gender selection” said Dr Melado, who has been extensively involved in IVF treatments with PGD.

However, she  also emphasized on the need to thoroughly explain the entire process to the couples who are thinking of the family balancing option. The expert said that such conversations help manage the expectations of the couples and prepare them physically, financially, and emotionally for their journey ahead.  

IVI Fertility is a leading institution of infertility treatments in the Middle East and has three advanced clinics – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Muscat. IVI has the highest success rate in the region of over 70% and hundreds of doctors with several years of global experience work together to deliver success for couples.