Can IVF determine gender?

For some patients with infertility, in order to conceive a child, they will choose in vitro fertilization to increase the pregnancy rate. As we all know, in vitro fertilization is a new medical technology that can help many families solve the problem of conceiving children. But some people want to know, can IVF determine gender? In fact, it is impossible to know the gender of a test tube baby. If someone tells you the sex of your baby, don't believe it.

Can IVF choose gender?

cannot. Most hospitals are now doing first and second generation test tube babies.

. Only the third generation can do gender selection. However, you can only choose this option if you provide relevant proof to prove that you have a family inheritance and that it is the kind that is only passed down to males (females).

IVF Process

In vitro fertilization requires a total of six steps, from the initial ovulation induction to the final pregnancy confirmation.

1. Ovulation induction therapy

When a couple who is planning to have a baby plans to have in vitro fertilization, the woman needs to undergo ovulation induction treatment first. This is because not every egg can be fertilized, and not every fertilized egg can develop into a viable embryo. Therefore, multiple eggs must be obtained from the female body to ensure that there are embryos that can be transplanted, which requires ovulation induction treatment for women.

The specific approach is that on the second day of the menstrual cycle, or when the results of reproductive hormones and uterine and ovarian ultrasound examinations meet the requirements, the woman starts taking ovulation-inducing drugs. The doctor judges the growth of follicles based on the results of ultrasound monitoring and serum hormone measurements and decides whether the dosage of ovulation-inducing drugs needs to be adjusted. When the follicles are mature, hCG injection is given to promote the final maturation of the egg. Egg retrieval is usually done 36-38 hours after hCG injection.

2. Egg retrieval

Under the guidance of B-ultrasound, the doctor uses a special egg retrieval needle to puncture the mature follicles through the vagina and suck out the eggs. Egg retrieval is usually performed under intravenous anesthesia, so the woman does not feel any pain from the puncture.

3. In vitro fertilization

Sperm retrieval: While the female retrieves the eggs, the male retrieves the sperm. After the semen has gone through a special washing process, the sperm and egg are placed in a special culture medium in the hope of natural combination. This is called conventional fertilization.

4. Embryo transfer

A few days after fertilization, a very thin embryo transfer tube is used to transfer the best embryo into the mother's uterus through the cervix. The number of embryos to be transferred is determined based on age, embryo quality and previous IVF outcomes. Usually 2-3 embryos are transferred. In recent years, in order to reduce the multiple pregnancy rate, some centers have chosen to transfer a single embryo, or a maximum of 2 embryos. Because the embryo transfer tube is very thin and the doctor's movements are gentle, the patient usually does not feel any pain.

5. Luteal support

Due to the use of GnRH agonists/antagonists and ovulation-inducing drugs, as well as the loss of granulosa cells caused by oocyte retrieval, women usually have luteal insufficiency during the oocyte retrieval cycle and need to use progesterone and/or chorionic gonadotropin for luteal supplementation/support. If pregnancy is not present, stop taking progesterone and wait for menstruation to occur. If pregnancy occurs, progesterone should be continued, usually until 3 weeks after the fetal heartbeat is seen on ultrasound.

6. Confirmation of pregnancy

Serum HCG is measured 14 days after embryo transfer to determine whether pregnancy is present. Serum HCG is measured again 21 days after embryo transfer to understand the development of the embryo. A transvaginal ultrasound examination is performed 30 days after embryo transfer to confirm whether there is intrauterine pregnancy and the presence of fetal heartbeat.

What is IVF?

In vitro fertilization is the process of artificially fertilizing eggs and sperm in vitro, allowing for early embryonic development, and then transplanting the embryo into the mother's uterus for development. "Test-tube baby" came about with the development of in vitro fertilization technology, and was initially successfully researched by British obstetrician Patrick Steptoe and physiologist Robert Edwards.

"Test-tube babies" are not babies that actually grow in test tubes. Instead, several eggs are taken out of the ovaries and combined with the man's sperm in the laboratory to form embryos. The embryos are then transferred to the uterus to implant in the mother's uterus and result in pregnancy. Normal conception requires that the sperm and egg meet in the fallopian tube, combine to form a fertilized egg, and then the fertilized egg returns to the uterine cavity to continue the pregnancy. Therefore, "test-tube baby" can be simply understood as the test tubes in the laboratory replacing the function of the fallopian tubes. Although IVF was originally used to treat infertility caused by blocked fallopian tubes, it has now been found to be helpful for infertility caused by endometriosis, sperm abnormalities (abnormal number or abnormal shape), and even unexplained infertility. Studies have shown that the pregnancy rate after one cycle of treatment is around 40%, and the birth rate is slightly lower.