Family Balancing in Fertility Medicine: What You Need to Know

If you’re considering family balancing in fertility medicine, you’re not alone. Many couples are making the decision to use this form of treatment to help them have a child of their desired gender. In this guide, we’ll cover the basics of family balancing and what you need to know before starting treatment.

Family Balancing: An Overview

As stated above, family balancing is a treatment option that can be used in fertility medicine to help couples have a child of their desired gender. The goal of family balancing is to create a family with the parents’ desired number of children of each gender. Family balancing may also be called “gender selection” or “family planning.”

Primary Methods for Family Balancing

There are two main methods of family balancing. These include:

1: Preimplantation Genetic Testing  ( PGT )

 Preimplantation Genetic Testing is a method of family balancing that is typically used when the parents have a history of genetic diseases. This method can be used to select embryos of the desired gender that do not have the disease, or are not chromosomally abnormal.

PGT  is typically done in conjunction with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). During IVF, eggs are retrieved from the mother and fertilized with sperm from the father in a lab. The embryos that result are then tested genetically and information is derived about the gender of the embryos. 

Embryos that are not affected by the disease and are of the desired gender are then implanted into the mother’s uterus.

2: Preconception Gender Selection:

Preconception gender selection is a method of family balancing that is used when the parents do not have a history of genetic diseases. This method can be used to increase the chances of conceiving a child of the desired gender.

Preconception gender selection is typically done through sperm sorting. Sperm sorting is a process where sperm is sorted by sex chromosome. The sperm that contains the desired sex chromosome is then used. 

3: Microsorting

Microsorting is a method of family balancing that uses technology to sort sperm by sex chromosome. This method is typically used when the parents do not have a history of genetic diseases.  

Microsorting is done by staining the sperm with a dye that binds to either the X or Y chromosome. The sperm is then placed in a solution that contains electrically charged particles. The charged particles attach to the sperm and the sperm is sorted by sex chromosome.

The sperm that contains the desired sex chromosome is then used to fertilize the egg. Unfortunately, results obtained with this approach are not much better than trying on their own – about 50:50.  Accordingly, not many clinics offer this modality. 

What You Need to Know Before Starting Family Balancing Treatment

It’s important to understand that family balancing is not guaranteed to result in a child of the desired gender. The success rate of family balancing depends on many factors, including the method used and the parents’ fertility.

If you’re considering family balancing, be sure to speak with your doctor about all of your options and what to expect. You should also ask about the general success rates of the different family balancing methods so that you can make an informed decision.

Start Your Family Balancing Journey in Palm Springs, CA

At Dreams Fertility, we specialize in providing family balancing treatment through a combination of PGT-A  and IVF to help couples achieve their pregnancy goals. If you are looking to create the family you’ve envisioned, we are here to help you in your efforts to make it a reality. 

To learn more about how we can help you, schedule a consult with us today or contact us any time for further information.