Do I?
After the misdiagnosed miscarriage, the hyperemesis, the bleeding, the leaking, and the general drama associated with this pregnancy, I hadn't given much thought to another pregnancy. In fact, a tubal ligation began to sound like a viable option to me.
But now this refrain—"Try for that boy!"—got me thinking. What if we were dead set on having a boy? Does the medical technology exist to guarantee our results, and would we have the gumption to use it?
I've discovered that—in addition to recommendations regarding the timing of sex, positions, and nutrition (which I plan to post about next week)—there are two main methods available at fertility clinics that could increase our odds of conceiving a boy: preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and sperm separation.
PGD
Undergoing PGD for a boy would consist of an IVF cycle in which any girl embryos we produce would be discarded.
Because we wouldn't be doing this for any medical reason (such as a hereditary trait only passed down through girls), and because I know what adorable people our female embryos make, this alternative depresses me.
But many of my neighbors are doing it. According to an article published this month in the San Jose Mercury News, some Asian immigrants are opting for PGD, in addition to terminating female embryos. An economist identified a 58% (not the usual rate of 51%) chance of having a son among Indian families that first had two girls . And it's been a boon for the local fertility clinics who offer sex-selective PGD.
In addition, at up to $18,000 a pop, PGD is significantly out of our price range.
Sperm separation
So, what about sperm separation instead? The most common method seems to be MicroSort. "Ysort"—which, using dyes and taking advantage of the weight different between X-chromosome girl sperm and Y-chromosome boy sperm—gives the boys something of an advantage.
But in order to undergo a sperm-separation procedure, we would have to consent to an intrauterine insemination (IUI) procedure, which would not only take the last shreds of romance out of the conception process, but would cost more than $5,000. In addition, our chances of conceiving a boy would only increase from 51% to 73%, according to MicroSort's literature.
These statistics were echoed by my doctor, who advised me to stick with what nature provided us, gender wise. Plus, conceiving via IUI with sorted sperm can take longer than conceiving naturally (for couples with no history of infertility), and we are quickly approaching our self-imposed "no babies after 40" deadline.
If we wanted to guarantee a fourth girl, this would be a much better stead. Apparently, Y-bearing sperm are easier to eradicate, so our odds would go from the usual 49% chance to an 88% chance of conceiving another twirling pink ballerina.
