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A new
scientific reality
As far back in time
as ancient Chinese, Egyptian and Greek
civilization, mankind wondered how to choose the
sex of a child before its birth. Countless myths,
folk remedies and magical potions were offered as
solutions. Even in recent times authorities still
advised couples to change times and frequency of
intercourse, delay or promote orgasm, douche or
even alter diets to cause the conception of either
a male or female infant. There is no scientific
evidence that any of these produced the desired
results.
Scientists have
known for most of this century that sperm carrying
a Y-chromosome determines a male and one carrying
an X-chromosome determines a female. In 1970,
researchers discovered that the
Y-chromosome-bearing sperm could be stained with a
dye thereby making sex selection studies possible.
Subsequently many methods for the separation of X-
and Y-chromosome- bearing sperm were
tested.
A technique
developed by Dr. Ronald Ericson of Gametrics, Ltd.,
California, for both male and female selection has
been used extensively and is presently offered by
numerous centers in. the United States and other
parts of the world. The process separates out the
x- and Y-chromosome bearing sperm by allowing the
husbands sperm to swim through increasingly thicker
concentrations of human serum albumin. When the
X- or Y- enriched sperm is collected,
the physician will transfer the sample into the
uterus of the wife close to the time of ovulation.
This procedure requires approximately 4 hours to be
completed and has a success rate of up to 80
%.
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