MicroSort Gender Selection

Posted by Dr. John Jain | Posted on Apr 06, 2011 | Tags: Gender Selection, MicroSort, Sperm Sorting,

The purpose of sperm sorting is to help couples conceive a child that is the gender of their choice. If the sperm that fertilizes the egg carries an X chromosome, the conception will result in a female embryo. Y-carrying sperm will result in a male embryo. There is typically a very small difference in the weight of sperm based on which sex chromosome it carries. Gender selection sperm sorting technology relies on this difference to separate sperm using a centrifuge.

What is MicroSort?

MicroSort is a sperm sorting technique using proprietary technology developed by the Genetics & IVF Institute. The Institute claims that this sorting process has a gender selection success rate of 90% for couples trying to have a female baby. The success rate for couples trying for a boy baby is thought to be about 75%. The sorting process does not ensure that every sperm in a sorted sample has the same sex chromosome. Instead, it is designed to increase the percentage of X or Y sperm in the separated sample used for insemination.

The Institute is involved in an ongoing clinical trial. Results from this trial are under review by the FDA; but the data has not yet been released for peer review by fertility experts. This means the claims made by the Institute cannot currently be validated. At this time, there is no sperm selection technique that is proven as reliable for gender selection. Sperm sorting is not widely used by fertility treatment specialists.

An Alternative to Sperm Sorting

Patients who wish to be more certain of the outcome of gender selection can choose Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD). This is an optional procedure that can be carried out as part of an IVF cycle. A single cell is removed from the embryo as it develops in an IVF dish and evaluated for the presence of Y (male) chromosomal markers. The PGD process is 99% accurate making it the recommended technique for patients at Dr. Jain's Santa Monica Fertility Center.