Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis for Gender Selection (Sex Selection)

PGD/PGS for Medical Reasons

EmBIO Director Dr. Thanos Paraschos was privileged to perform the first preimplantation genetic diagnosis in the world (1989), alongside with Lord Professor Robert Winston and A.H. Handyside at Hammersmith Hospital.

From 1996 onwards, Dr Thanos Paraschos has been performing IVF with PGD and PGS as the most successful and accurate method of gender selection (performed for medical reasons) with an accuracy rate reaching almost 100%. The success of the preimplantation genetic diagnosis technique in sex selection lies in the fact that the test is performed before the embryo is implanted to the woman’s womb, during an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. This way, the couple can choose a girl or a boy before pregnancy.

When embryos reach the level of 6-8 cells in our laboratory, EmBIO’s expert embryologists remove 1-2 blastomeres out of each embryo, and determine which embryos are normal. After approximately 24 hours, chromosome abnormalities or genetic diseases will have been diagnosed, and only the normal embryos of the selected gender will be transferred to the womb.

X-linked Disorders

Sex-linked disorders such as Daltonism (colour blindness) or hemophilia (both practically affecting only boys) will be avoided through PGD, and will not be transmitted to the couple’s children.

The remaining normal embryos can be cryo-frozen for a later pregnancy at EmBIO’s state-of-the-art cryo-preservation facilities, if the couple so wishes.

Is PGD / PGS safe?

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis has been amply documented to be a safe test.

If you need to select the gender of your baby for medical reasons…

Please contact Dr  Thanos Paraschos for a free email consultation on gender selection though PGS.