What Is PGT for Sex Selection?

Even though each pregnancy has a 50% chance to be male and a 50% change to be female, some families have more children of one sex. Using the technologies developed for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), scientists can select the embryo of the desired sex before implantation. This technology may be offered to patients who may have reasons, such as sex-related inherited genetic conditions or underrepresented sex, in the children they already have. This program is also referred to as Family Balancing. PGT for sex selection provides a nearly 100% accuracy rate if pregnancy is achieved.

How Is Sex Selection Achieved?

The patient undergoes an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle to obtain eggs, which are then fertilized with sperm. The resulting embryos are tested to determine if they are chromosomally normal. This information also determines whether each embryo is male or female. Embryos are tested before being transferred into the uterus, therefore the sex is known before the start of a pregnancy. PGT for sex selection must be done in the context of an IVF cycle.

How Do I Get Started?

How Do I Get Started?

If you feel that PGT for sex selection is right for you, contact us to schedule your initial consultation with one of our physicians. Be sure to mention that you are interested in PGT for sex selection when making the appointment.

If you feel that PGT for sex selection is right for you, contact us to schedule your initial consultation with one of our physicians. Be sure to mention that you are interested in PGT for sex selection when making the appointment.

PGT for Sex Selection FAQs

An IVF cycle provides patients with multiple embryos to test and select for implantation, allowing for choosing the sex of the embryo prior to implantation.

Yes. Decades of data indicate that PGT does not lead to an increase in congenital or chromosomal abnormalities, nor does it decrease implantation rates. Removal of a few of the cells of the early embryo does not alter the ability of that embryo to develop into a complete, normal pregnancy. Also, given the high success rates, we transfer one embryo at a time thereby, greatly limiting the risk of a multiple pregnancy and its associated pregnancy complications.

The timeframe to complete an IVF cycle with PGT depends on your initial test results and the specific IVF protocol the physician recommends for you. On average, a patient may need approximately 1–2 months to complete the pre-cycle work-up prior to starting the IVF stimulation. During the stimulation phase of IVF (which is approximately 10–12 days), patients will be frequently seen for morning monitoring appointments at Genetics & IVF Institute, culminating in the egg retrieval procedure. There is typically a rest month after the egg retrieval. If there are normal embryos of the desired sex, a frozen embryo transfer is then started. It usually takes 2–3 weeks to prepare the uterus for an embryo transfer.

Many people do have insurance coverage for IVF and /or fertility medications, and therefore assume that their only out-of-pocket cost would be for the PGT. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case. What is not always made clear to patients who call their insurance company to inquire about IVF benefits is that insurance coverage for IVF usually depends on a diagnosis of infertility, as well as other requirements. If you do not meet the criteria for infertility, it is unlikely insurance will cover any portion of the cost of IVF treatment or IVF medications. In most cases, doing IVF for sex selection is an out-of-pocket expense. Please contact us and request an appointment with a financial counselor to review the costs.