IF you’re trying for a baby, you may be wondering if it’s possible to choose whether you have a boy or a girl.
Gender selection is a controversial treatment that allows just that, but is it legal in the UK? Here’s what you need to know.
What is gender selection and how does it work?
Gender selection is a medical procedure called Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD).
It’s essentially a screening which allows IVF embryos to be tested for gender-related genetic conditions, before being placed in the womb.
The main aim of the test is to make sure only the healthiest embryos are implanted into the mother’s womb.
It’s normally only used for women who have had multiple miscarriages, failed past IVF cycles or are over the age of 35.
But if the test reveals there are healthy embryos of both genders – parents can, in theory, pick which gender they would prefer.
Is gender selection legal in the UK?
No, gender selection is illegal in the UK – although it is not banned in the States, where Chrissy Teigen and John Legend used PGD to “pick” their daughter Lulu Stephens.
Another issue is demographics – especially in countries like China and India, where boys are favoured over girls.
You would risk tipping the male/female scale too far in one direction, possibly leaving men without any suitable partners.
While, in an increasing age of gender-neutral parenting, some worry about stereotyping and how that could impact the child.
How would a parent who had paid thousands for a little princess feel when their daughter turned out to be a tomboy?
The only way you can choose your baby’s sex in the UK is if you have a serious genetic condition that you risk passing on to your children and only affects one of the two sexes.
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is the only thing that has been approved as a technique which does this.
How much does gender selection cost?
As it is illegal to have this procedure in the UK, anyone wanting to pick the sex of their child has to go abroad, to Europe or America where it’s legal.
It’s expensive usually one cycle costs around £10,000 which doesn’t include any travel or accommodation.
The cost of one round of sex selection IVF at the Fertility Institutes in New York is around £13,500.
What is early foetus gender identification?
According to the NHS, parents can typically find out their child’s gender at their second routine ultrasound.
This is usually done between 18 to 21 weeks pregnant and is predominantly for finding out if there are any physical abnormalities with the baby.
But there is a way to find out the gender before then, using a Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT).
The NHS uses it to test for genetic conditions, such as Down’s Syndrome, and expectant mothers are offered a combined blood-and-ultrasound test in their first trimester.
It is being rolled out by the NHS as part of its antenatal screening offer, and the test also reveals the baby’s gender – although the NHS does not disclose this information to parents.
But couples can pay for the test privately, which costs around £150 – £200, where they will be told the gender.
The test only requires a small amount of the mother’s blood, and tests look for the baby’s DNA within that.
The NIPT test can therefore determine the gender at around nine to 10 weeks.
There are fears the test is being used as a form of gender selection, with couples paying privately to find out their baby’s gender early on and then terminating if it is not their desired gender.
Terminating a pregnancy based on gender alone is illegal in the UK.