Study Shows Why Girls are Preferred Over Boys by IVF Parents

IVF parents are choosing girls over boys in order to cut the child's risk of autism, as male babies are about 4 times likely as girls to develop the medical condition, says research.

While commenting on the study, fertility doctors said that the problem of sex preference is the tip of the iceberg with a huge range of tests becoming available, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) - Introduction To Infertility and Reproduction
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives a brief introduction to infertility and reproduction

Mark Bowman, director of the fertility company Genea, said that his firm has conducted over 100 cycles of "pre-implantation genetic diagnosis" this year alone, mainly for conditions like cystic fibrosis.

In a way these tests are the ultimate preventative medicine, Bowman said.

Guidelines provided by the National Health and Medical Research Council said that although sex selection is not allowed, it can be done to prevent the spread of a "serious genetic condition".

Autism Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prognosis
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically characterized by impaired social and communication skills combined with repetitive movements.

Bowman added that in about 1 in 20 cases parents undergo a cycle of pre-implantation diagnosis just for sex selection to avoid having another autistic child.

But some couples also choose sex selection for controversial reasons, such as depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Quiz on Autism
Autism spectrum disorder is a complex genetic disorder that impairs social, behavioral, and communication functions in humans. Autistic people may act, communicate, interact, and learn differently than most other people. ASD usually begins in childhood and can last for the rest of a person's life, though symptoms may improve over time

Source-ANI

Invitro Fertilisation
During IVF fertilization takes place invitro, in an incubated petri dish. The resulting embryo is transferred back to the uterus on Day 3 at the 6-8 cell stage. Sometimes the embryo transfer in done at the blastocyst stage on Day 5. The embryo is drawn into a specialized catheter along with a small amount of culture medium and is transferred to the uterus.