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The Boy-Girl Baby Blues

Is a Sex Preference Normal?

By Lisa A. Goldstein

Unfortunately, there is no proven low-tech method to determine the sex. "There are many taboos and wives' tales on methods to influence gender selection," says Dr. Larry Barmat, a professor and attending physician in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Abington Memorial Hospital.

Some of the unsubstantiated reports include timing the interval of intercourse to ovulation or enhancing the distribution of X or Y chromosome-bearing sperm by having various gradient sperm washes. "Research studies that have looked genetically at these sperm have clearly shown that these methods are only 50 percent accurate, meaning they are inaccurate," says Dr. Barmat. "There is a method called flow cytometry that has been proven to enhance the probability of X-bearing sperm. There is controversy in the literature about the long-term ramifications of this technique, as the technician uses ultraviolet radiation," which can result in mutagenesis, or the damaging of DNA.

If a couple is desperate about choosing the sex, the high-tech route is the way to go. "The only reliable method to select gender is preimplantation genetic diagnosis," Dr. Barmat says. "This means that a patient has to undergo in vitro fertilization and the resultant embryo is screened to look for male or female embryos."

Ultimately, it's having the child that's important. As Thays says, "We feel blessed with whatever we get and have also made the decision that whatever the baby is this time is what we're meant to have."

Want to see more?

• Low-tech Ways to Choose Your Baby's Gender: Using the Shettles Method or Whelan Method to Conceive a Boy or Girl
• Assisted Sex Selection: 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!
• Gender Prediction Kits: The Pros and Cons of Gender Prediction Kits