Can the gender of a test-tube baby be determined? Can the gender of a test-tube baby be selected?

With the opening of the second-child policy, more and more families have joined the ranks of having a second child. IVF is the fastest and most convenient way to treat infertility, and many families with two children choose to use IVF to conceive a second child. So, can IVF really choose the gender of the child as rumored? Let's listen to the experts' answers below.

Can the gender of a test tube baby be customized?

The "first generation of test-tube babies" is also called conventional test-tube baby technology, which was born to solve infertility problems caused by female factors, such as fallopian tube, endocrine, uterine cavity problems, etc. This technology cultured sperm and eggs together in vitro, and achieved fertilization through the free combination of sperm and eggs.

The purpose of "second-generation test-tube baby" is to solve the problem of infertility caused by male factors. It is also called intracytoplasmic sperm injection, which directly injects sperm into the oocyte cytoplasm to achieve the purpose of assisted pregnancy. If the male's sperm count is scarce or not active enough, or if it is active enough, the sperm is unwilling to combine with the egg. In the above cases, the second-generation test-tube baby technology can show its strength.

"Third-generation test-tube babies" is also called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, which means taking the genetic material of the embryo for analysis before embryo transplantation to diagnose whether there are any abnormalities, and then screening healthy embryos for transplantation. Its main purpose is to prevent the transmission of genetic diseases. Last year, a hospital in our province successfully gave birth to a single baby with β-thalassemia combined with leukocyte antigen system (HLA) matching through the third-generation test-tube baby technology to treat severe thalassemia of his sister.

"There is no difference between advanced and backward among these three IVF technologies. Which technology to use to treat infertility mainly depends on the patient's condition," said Zhou Shaohu.

"Customized gender" can only be based on health needs

A few years ago, a clinic claimed that it could customize the hair, eye and skin color of babies for parents, just like assembling a computer, and parents could "place an order" at will. Zhou Shaohu believes that the so-called customized hair, skin and eye color is just a gimmick of the clinic.

At present, human technology cannot design the characteristics of children as one wishes, which is also not allowed by reproductive ethics. Because customized babies must choose a suitable embryo from many embryos, and the rest of the embryos will be destroyed. In fact, those destroyed embryos are already alive.

He said that currently, what humans can do is to customize the sex of the baby. Doctors can determine whether it is a boy or a girl in the laboratory and implant him or her into the mother's womb. "But the selection of the sex of the fetus can only be based on medical needs." For example, some genetic diseases such as hemophilia are passed on to boys but not girls, so the doctor will choose an embryo with XX chromosomes based on the situation of both parents, eliminate the genetic factors of hemophilia, and let the couple give birth to a healthy daughter. "Professor Zhou Shaohu explained.

Conditions for IVF

1. Infertility. If a couple has not gotten pregnant for more than one year without any contraceptive measures, it is generally considered infertility.

2. Other treatments have been ineffective. In the case of difficulty in preparing for pregnancy, it is recommended to first take a pre-pregnancy check-up, and then other conventional treatment measures can be taken according to the cause. If conventional treatments are still ineffective, it is recommended to resort to IVF.

3. Both husband and wife are in good health. The purpose of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer technology is to help infertile patients get a healthy and smart child, and the principle of eugenics must be followed. Therefore, if you need to do a test tube, you need to do some physical examinations, and the examination reports will be used as the review conditions for the test tube. In addition, these examination reports will also be used as one of the auxiliary examinations for couples during the test tube period.

4. Age limit for both spouses. It is best for the woman to be no older than 40 years old and the man to be no older than 55 years old. This is because age affects the success rate of IVF and also because of the risks during childbirth. This is also one of the principles of eugenics.

In addition, if you want to have in vitro fertilization, it is recommended to choose a regular and qualified large hospital, which can also increase the success rate of in vitro fertilization.

So far, IVF technology is one of the most accurate and reliable methods to treat infertility. Therefore, doctors recommend that couples with infertility caused by various reasons such as fallopian tube factors, low male numbers, weak sperm, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, etc., should consult a professional doctor to see if they can consider IVF technology to realize their dream of having a child as soon as possible when other treatment measures are ineffective.

IVF life expectancy

In fact, test-tube babies are the same as babies conceived normally, in terms of health, life span, and intelligence. Today we will talk about whether there is a difference in the life span of test-tube babies and babies conceived naturally.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is the common name for in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer technology, which is to allow sperm and egg to combine in vitro, and then complete fertilization in an artificially controlled environment. The artificial environment is a simulated internal environment of the human body, and finally the cultivated early embryo is transplanted into the woman's uterine cavity.

Compared with normally conceived babies, Thailand's third-generation test tube technology can exclude abnormal embryos and select the best embryos for transplantation. It can prevent newborns from suffering from some congenital diseases, such as diseases caused by genetic abnormalities, and can also prevent genetic diseases.

Therefore, test tube babies are actually healthier than babies conceived normally, so there is no such thing as a short life span. So there is no need to worry about the baby's health. As long as you can conceive a baby through test tube technology, the baby's health can be guaranteed.