Guide
In the outpatient consultation and diagnosis of the fertility center, there are many couples who are preparing to have a second child. In a family, children and daughters are the wishes of many people. Some couples who do IVF want to choose gender by the appearance of the embryo.
The appearance of the embryo is not selectable for male and female
In the ivory infant consultation or diagnosis and treatment process, our doctors or embryologists often encounter such an embarrassing question: Doctor, I already have a daughter (son), can you choose a boy (girl) embryo for me to transfer this time? It is also rumored that the "long" and "round" of the embryo are related to the sex of men and women. Doctors and embryologists will answer in the affirmative: in China, there are national regulations that specify that sex selection for non-medical purposes cannot be performed, and the sex cannot be seen under the microscope.
Embryonic morphological scoring
Currently, in most IVF embryonic rooms, embryo quality is evaluated using morphological scoring, that is, the appearance of the embryo is observed under the microscope and the embryo is rated by evaluating various shape indicators.
Embryo rating at the cleavage stage: The indicators for the evaluation of embryos at the cleft stage mainly include: the number, size, shape, symmetry of the cleft bulbs, the morphology of the cytoplasm, the thickness and variation of the whether there are fragments and zona pellucidas. The embryologist rates the embryo by evaluating these indicators comprehensively. At our Fertility Center, embryos at the fissur stage are rated I-IV from good to bad.
Blastocyst rating: Blastocyst culture refers to the third day of embryos in vitro continue to culture for 2 to 3 days, to observe whether the embryos can develop into blastocysts, in this process, poor quality embryos will self-eliminate, development stagnation, thereby screening out better quality embryos. The scoring of blastocysts is more complex, and we use the Gardner scoring method.
However, the embryologist's intuitive evaluation of embryo morphology does not reveal the sex of the embryo. The roundness of the embryo also has nothing to do with gender, let alone what acid salty, big and small, deep and light... These myths and ghosts have made some patients believe in it.
The law prohibits gender selection for non-medical purposes
The sex of humans is determined by chromosomes, the male chromosome is 46, XY, and the female chromosome is 46, XX. The moment the sperm and egg combine, the sex of the embryo has been determined. If a sperm and egg containing a Y chromosome are combined, it is a male embryo; if it is a sperm containing an X chromosome, it is a female embryo. The "third generation of ivy-tube" technology (PGD) technology can identify the sex of the embryo through embryo biopsy and genetic testing before the embryo is implanted in the mother's uterus, so as to choose to transfer male or female embryos.
In 1994, the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China passed the Law of the People's Republic of China on Maternal and Child Health Care, article 32 of which stipulates: "It is strictly forbidden to use technical means to identify the sex of the fetus, except where it is really necessary for medicine." ”
In 2001, the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China promulgated the Measures for the Administration of Human Assisted Reproductive Technology in order to regulate the application and management of human assisted reproductive technology, article 17 of which clearly stipulates that "medical institutions implementing human assisted reproductive technology shall not conduct gender selection." Except as otherwise provided by laws and regulations. ”
Gender identification for medical purposes is permitted
Although mainland laws and departmental regulations of the Ministry of Health clearly prohibit fetal sex identification and selection, it is still possible to carry out sex identification from a medical point of view. as:
X-linked recessive disorders: For these genetic disorders, women carrying the causative gene are generally asymptomatic carriers, while male offspring develop the disease. When the genetic diagnosis is unknown or the technical conditions are not allowed, the choice to give birth to a girl can be carried out to avoid the occurrence of the disease.
X-linked dominant disease: For men with X-linked dominant disease, PGD can choose to have a boy, thereby blocking the transmission of the disease-causing gene in the family.
Y-linked genetic diseases: For Y-linked genetic diseases, which are only passed on to male offspring, it is possible to have females and avoid passing the disease on to future generations.
In summary, there must be medical indications to make gender selection through IVF techniques, and gender selection for non-medical purposes is illegal. Therefore, for families planning two children, both children and daughters are perfect, but as long as the baby is healthy and safe, both boys and girls are the most loved by parents!
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