In vitro fertilisation, which is commonly known as IVF, is a fertilisation process in which sperm and ovum are combined outside the body. The procedure is done in a lab setting under certain environmental conditions to ensure that the embryos that are produced will survive. Since its invention, there have been a lot of questions as to how it really works.
One of the commonly asked questions is how the procedures allow parents to choose the gender of the child they plan on having. During this process, the mother has to be dosed with hormones to initiate the production of eggs. The eggs are then harvested, and later the sperm can be introduced. There are two ways in which fertilisation can be achieved. The first one involves direct injection of the sperm into the egg while the other is where the sperm is left to penetrate the egg membrane and fertilise the egg on its own.
The process will result in several embryos that are scanned to determine which ones are healthy. The ones that appear to be healthier, with zero developmental defects are the ideal candidates. At this point, it very difficult to know the baby’s gender unless an in-depth analysis is done. If analysis is conducted, it can allow parents to make decisions about choosing the gender of a baby.
You have a better chance of having a baby boy with IVF
Research that has been carried out on in vitro fertilisation (IVF) shows that the process increases the chances of women having a baby boy by up to 6%. When the IVF procedure is used in women, the odds of having a male child is 56 in 100. This is higher compared to the natural birth process, which is 51 in 100.
Several researchers have tried to explain this phenomenon, but still, there seems to be no clear answer as to why the procedure gives rise to more boys. The only explanation that is currently available is based on the chromosomal argument between boys and girls.
Boys and girls each have a pair of chromosomes with males having XY, while girls have XX. At the embryonic stage, researchers suggest that one X chromosome belonging to female embryos becomes inactive. This results in a number of developmental defects during the IVF process lowering the survival rate of female embryos.
On the other hand, male embryos have both the X and Y chromosome active, limiting cases of developmental defects in boys. This gives the male embryos an added advantage as they are more likely to survive and develop after the egg is transferred to the mother. This is the most likely way of how to have a baby boy.
The cultural media
Another explanation that has been provided to explain the skew in the IVF procedure is that certain culture media promotes the development of male embryos. Embryonic research has shown that males and females respond differently to certain nutrients while they are still in the embryo stage. What makes a male embryo grow faster may not do the same for a female embryo.
In a nutshell, there is still a large grey area in the IVF issue, especially when it comes to explaining how one can choose the sex of a child. Researchers still have a lot to figure out about the process because the data that is currently available does not offer an in-depth analysis of the issue in question. But generally, the IVF procedure has proven more than once that it is efficient and babies produced through the procedure come out healthy. It has also helped people who have problems having a baby the natural way to become parents. If in-depth research is carried out, IVF can progress to the science of the future.
