Many couples who struggle with infertility choose the rn-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) route for their parenthood journey. IVF is an assisted reproductive technique that allows the fusion of egg and sperm in a laboratory to form an embryo which is then placed back into the uterus.
IVF is the most effective infertility treatment with a higher success rate than other medications & treatments like Clomid or Intrauterine insemination (IUI). Couples who undergo IVF sometimes wish to select the sex of their child or next child for different reasons.
Gender selection, also known as sex selection, allows parents to choose a specific gender for the child. However, many Intended Parents often use gender selection for 'Family Balancing.'
Though, because of Medical technologies, it is now possible to choose the sex of the child as both males and females have different sex chromosome combinations. The XX chromosome pair in females and XY chromosome pair in males can be carefully selected for the desired combination of X or Y chromosomes or embryos containing either XX or XY chromosome pairs to choose the sex of their child.
Is Gender-Selection through IVF ethical in India?
As per the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostics Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act, it is illegal to use any technique to identify the sex of a fetus after conception in India. But despite the ban, couples are taking the foreign route for their infertility treatment like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), where sex selection is legal.
It has been seen over the years, that couples seeking infertility treatment often wanted a boy through IVF with the excuse that they already had a baby girl before and now wanted a boy for family balancing. This may be considered gender discrimination and, more significantly, in a country where there is already a high gender disparity and inequality.
It is essential to understand that the ultimate goal of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) like IVF, IUI, ICSI, etc., is for a healthy pregnancy and to make the parenthood dream for couples come real, but not to make gender discrimination and sex selection.
Responsible & the best IVF Centers in Lucknow, such as Crysta IVF, counsel intended parents (Who seek infertility treatment) thoroughly to make them aware of the good practices and legal issues around gender selection through IVF. But still, it is our responsibility too to change our mindset and embrace the great bliss of life, i.e., parenthood.
