Being able to choose the gender of your child is something which has attracted an increasing amount of debate over the last few years. Historically, this has never been an option but with the advances being made in modern medicine, it is now clinically possible. In fact it is not just possible, but it is happening, as it becomes more and more apparent that it is something which can be achieved very easily within the world of assisted conception.
Can I have it carried out in Britain?
Unfortunately, in the UK, gender selection is something which is only permitted on the grounds of proven medical need. Usually this is to avoid inherited genetic disorders.
However, at Cyprus IVF Centre, we recognise that there are other reasons to select the gender of your child. The process for doing so is no more invasive than other treatments and we fully support the decisions of a couple if they have a preference for one sex over another. Therefore we are able to offer this service to anyone, regardless of medical reasons. We do not have specific criteria to fulfil or conditions to satisfy. Instead, this is where you will really reap the rewards of having your IVF treatment in North Cyprus.
Gender selection is a perfectly straightforward treatment to have carried out and it has been permitted legally for around fifteen years now, meaning that the world of fertility medicine has a huge amount of experience. The procedure is accepted globally to avoid genetic disorders and worldwide confidence in the practice of gender selection is clear from this. In the case of PGD being carried out to identify genetic disorders, it is not always an exhaustive process. Other procedures are also recommended for a comprehensive overview, such as chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis.
The gender selection process
In cases where a couple wish to choose the sex of their child, fertility may not be a problem, but they will still require IVF in order to select the embryo in their chosen gender. In order to do this at Cyprus IVF Centre, the eggs will be extracted in one procedure and then after the retrieval they will be fertilised with the sperm in a laboratory. Subsequently they are allowed to mature for three days and on the third day a small number of cells are extracted in a biopsy procedure. These cells are then analysed to ascertain whether they have male or female chromosomes. Once the gender identification procedure has been undertaken, the healthy embryo(s) are matured for two more days before being transferred to the mother on the fifth day. Other methods exist for gender selection, but PGD virtually guarantees the gender of choice. This is because they are tested for gender before they are implanted.
To have any form of fertility treatment carried out can feel like an invasive process. But here at Cyprus IVF Centre we are experienced in all treatments, including PGD, and Team Miracle are skilled in minimising any discomfort. It’s a very straightforward procedure and statistics suggest that it is 97-99% accurate in couples seeking a boy or a girl.
Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis
This is a procedure offered to couples at the North Cyprus IVF Centre who have a high risk of passing on an inherited genetic disorder. For example, to avoid genetic conditions which are specific to only one sex, such as haemophilia. And again, haemophilia affects only boys but it is carried down the female line. So therefore, a haemophiliac man wishing to conceive a child with his partner can ask Team Miracle for gender selection to ensure that his partner carries only a boy so that the blood disorder is not passed down through his family line. In a quirk of human genetics, haemophiliac males cannot pass the disorder directly to their sons. Other conditions such as muscular dystrophy, Fragile X Syndrome and Duchennes Syndrome are all illnesses which can be avoided through using PGD at Cyprus IVF Centre.
It’s important to say that our ethics and values regarding these fertility treatments remain at a very high standard. Encompassed in this standard we also believe that with the conception of a child, there is nothing more important than the wishes of the parents of that child. We at the North Cyprus IVF Centre understand just how precious each life created is, and we are proud to offer a range of fertility treatments to all of our patients.
Deciding on PGD
Team Miracle are experienced in guiding each couple contemplating PGD through the entire process, start to finish. We can answer any questions or concerns before, during and after your treatment. Fertility medicine is our speciality and there is nothing more important to us at Cyprus IVF Centre than ensuring that our patients receive the best and most appropriate treatment for them.
