Table of contents:
- Why do some couples want to determine the gender of the child?
- How is the sex of the baby determined?
- Determine the gender of the baby using the Shettles method
- Determining the sex of babies with artificial insemination and IVF
Determining the sex of the baby in the womb is considered impossible. Some of the tips that are often expressed usually just end up as myths. However, in fact there are many successful couples who have babies of the sex of choice. Although the accuracy is not 100%, the success rate is arguably quite high. What methods are used? Check out the details below.
Why do some couples want to determine the gender of the child?
Having children is the dream of many married couples. For some couples, having a son or daughter is not a problem, but there are also couples who want to have children of a certain gender. There are many reasons why parents want children of a certain gender, starting from their individual preferences, socio-culture, to financial problems (boys to continue the family business).
Health reasons such as a genetic abnormality in the parents (which can be passed on to one of their children of a certain sex) can be a serious reason for a parent's partner to determine the gender of their child.
How is the sex of the baby determined?
Human sex is determined based on the composition of the sex chromosomes at fertilization. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, one of which is the sex chromosome. Male sex chromosomes consist of X and Y, while in females it consists of X and X.
Ovum or egg cells in women always have an X chromosome, while sperm in men can have X or Y chromosomes. When the sperm meets the egg and fertilization occurs, the sperm will determine whether the fetus has a male or female sex. Y-chromosome sperm will produce a boy, while X-chromosome sperm will produce a daughter.
There are many ways to help you determine the gender of your child. You can choose between the natural way or the technology. The most natural way to do this is to use the Shettles method. Meanwhile, with technology there are several ways you can do it, such as artificial insemination or IVF.
Determine the gender of the baby using the Shettles method
The Shettles method was developed by dr. Landrum B. Shettles which he wrote in a book entitled How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby .
The male chromosome carrying sperm is smaller, moves faster, and has a shorter lifespan than the female chromosome carrying sperm. Because of this nature, Shettles argues that the best time to have sexual intercourse if you want to have a boy is when it is near the time for the release of an egg (ovulation). That way, the male sperm that is faster will fertilize the egg faster than the female sperm.
Meanwhile, female sperm have a longer life than male sperm. Therefore, the right time to have sexual intercourse is 2-4 days before ovulation with the aim that only the female sperm which is longer aged will fertilize an egg.
It is reported that the Shettles method has an effectiveness of up to 75%. So keep in mind that there is still a 25% chance that your child's gender will be different from what you want.
Determining the sex of babies with artificial insemination and IVF
These two methods are the most commonly used to help you determine the gender of your child. Both will cost a lot of money and require you to take certain drugs.
With artificial insemination, the sperm will be placed closer to the location where fertilization occurs (the meeting between the sperm and the ovum). The most common method of artificial insemination is intrauterine insemination. By using a special tool in the form of a small tube, the doctor will insert sperm directly into the uterus.
In contrast to artificial insemination, fertilization in the IVF method occurs outside the uterus. The doctor will ask you to take medicine so that you produce more than one egg. The resulting egg will be taken and brought together with the sperm in a petri dish. After 3-5 days, the fertilization, which is now an embryo, will be inserted into the uterus. Usually if you are under 35 and in good health, no more than two embryos will be implanted.
The two methods look different, but there is one step in common, namely selecting the sex of the sperm you want. There are several methods, one of which is a method swim up. With this method, male sperm will be collected, placed in a tube containing nutrients for the sperm, then centrifuged. After being centrifuged, there will be a separation between the semen, abnormal and dead sperm, and normal healthy sperm. From the normal sperm layer, male sperm that are faster will swim to the surface faster than female sperm so that if you want a boy, this sperm will be taken to be fertilized with an egg later.
If you are interested in IVF or artificial insemination, you can contact an obstetrician, especially those who are engaged in fertility.
x