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Assisted Sex Selection Part Two

Proven Ways to Choose Your Baby's Gender

Part 2

By Virginia Gilbert

Although she was fortunate enough to conceive on her first try, Karen admits her high-tech experience caused "some rocky times" in her marriage. "You are spending a lot of money for only a 15 to 20 percent chance of getting pregnant," says Warren. "There was the issue of taking Clomid [to boost the odds of getting a girl]; because it increased the risk of twins, we did not opt for it. That was all I thought about for months."

Warren gives the Genetics and IVF Institute, where MicroSort is performed, a big thumbs up. The staff members were friendly and the typical patient was very much like her, "someone who already had two, three or four boys and this was going to be their last child."

She admits she felt stressed out waiting to hear if lab tests would green-light an insemination attempt, but says the actual IUI "was very easy – nothing more than having a pap smear. It was amazing seeing my husband's sperm being separated and being [placed] into me."

When asked what women considering MicroSort should know, Karen says this: "It's a long process from the time you pick up the phone and make that first phone call until the time you are actually inseminated, probably about a six-month wait now. Also, it can be very stressful on your marriage, and you should make sure your husband is in this with you 100 percent. Be prepared that it probably will not take on the first try, and the cost could reach $10,000 after three to four tries, which is the average it takes to get pregnant."

Even though she doesn't yet know if her MicroSort journey will deliver the daughter she craves, Warren finds fulfillment in taking charge of her dreams. "If it does not work and I have another son, then that's fine, and I guess it really was not meant to be," she says. "But at least I know I did everything I could."

* Name changed to protect privacy.

Want to see more?

• Assisted Sex Selection Part One: Proven Ways to Choose Your Baby's Gender
• Boy or Girl: Should You Choose the Sex of Your Child?
• Join the discussion on our Family.com community!
• Low-tech Ways to Choose Your Baby's Gender: Using the Shettles Method or Whelan Method to Conceive a Boy or Girl