Gender Selection

MicroSort is a new scientific method of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis designed to increase the chance of a couple having a child of a desired gender. MicroSort is used before conception to separate sperm into sperm containing female (X) or male (Y) chromosomes (X-bearing sperm).

Sperm containing the required gender chromosomes can be inserted into the uterus using IUI or used in IVF treatment cycles. Many couples not affected by infertility use MicroSort to balance the gender of their family or to prevent a genetic disease that affects only one sex from being inherited.

Infertility Treatment using MicroSort

Couples wishing to use MicroSort to balance the genders of their family must be married, have at least one child and want to use gender selection to help them conceive the lesser represented gender of children. (example: parents of four girls could use MicroSort to help them conceive a boy.)

Inherited genetic diseases can be linked to gender. MicroSort can help prevent a child inheriting a sex-linked disease.

MicroSort Treatment Process

MicroSort is a pre-conception gender selection technology. MicroSort does not involve the creation of embryos for testing and selection. The MicroSort process simply sorts sperm according to sex before the fertilization process.

Sperm determine the sex of the child. X-bearing sperm produce girls and Y-bearing sperm produce boys. Without MicroSort, sperm samples are close to 50% X-bearing and 50% Y-bearing. Depending upon the needs of the family, MicroSort technology can either produce a high percentage of X-bearing sperm (girls) or a high percentage of Y-bearing sperm (boys).

The separation of sperm by gender requires cell sorting based upon a difference in the quantity of genetic material between X-bearing and Y-bearing sperm. Fluorescent dyes and ultraviolet lasers allow the cell sorting machine to identify X-bearing or Y-bearing sperm.

Is MicroSort Successful at Pre-Selecting Gender?

Fertility clinic using MicroSort do not guarantee that pregnancies resulting from MicroSort sperm selection will produce a child of the preferred sex. MicroSort does not completely remove the chromosomes of the opposite sex from the sperm sample, the genetic make-up of the sperm used simply has a higher percentage of the preferred gender’s chromosomes.

Currently, MicroSort sperm separation for female gender selection (XSort) results in an average of 91% X-bearing sperm in the selected specimens. MicroSort sperm separation for male gender selection (YSort) results in an average of 74% Y-bearing sperm in the sorted specimen.

Gender selection is illegal in Turkey, however interested individuals wishing to use pre-implantation screening can travel to the Republic of Cyprus — North Cyprus Gender Selection.