What it takes to get a baby boy

There are various reasons why a couple may
wish to conceive either a baby boy or a girl.
These may include family balance or societal
pressures
Dr Protus Nyongesa, a consultant gynaecologist
says it is the man who determines the sex of a
baby hence; it is out of ignorance to blame a
woman for giving birth to a baby of a particular
gender.
“What any couple needs to understand is that
the sex of a child is determined by
chromosomes. Females have the XX
chromosome while males have the XY
chromosome. If an X bearing sperm fertilises an
egg, a baby girl is conceived and if a Y bearing
sperm fertilises an egg, a baby boy will be
conceived,” says Nyongesa.
He adds that the issue of sex selection is
controversial and difficult to implement. “Issues
of timing are just but a by chance. One will find
common advice on the timing of sexual
intercourse in relation to expected time of
ovulation. However, it’s important to note that
such advice has not been proven to determine
the sex of the baby,” he says.
His sentiments are echoed by Dr Alfred Murage,
a consultant gynaecologist and assistant
professor, Department of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology at the Aga Khan University
Hospital. Dr Murage says sex selection purely
for social reasons has ethical and demographic
dilemmas, and is medically illegal in many
jurisdictions.
However, advanced medical technology and
increasing demand for sex selection have both
created the need for more debate on the
matter.
“There is a push for relaxation of the rules on a
selective basis, and more couples may have a
chance to pre-select the desired sexes of their
children,” says Murage.
According to Murage, more scientifically sound
methods of sex selection are available, but
must be combined with assisted conception
techniques. Y and X bearing sperms can be
separated with laser guided techniques. The
desired sperms can subsequently be
inseminated into the womb, with more than 90
per cent chance of success. Such techniques
have long been used in commercial animal
farming, but have hardly been licensed in
human facilities.
In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) can be combined with
a technique called pre-implantation genetic
diagnosis (PGD) to preselect fertilized eggs
(embryos) of the desired sex. This virtually
guarantees conception with the desired sex,
and has been licensed for many years in cases
where a medical reason for sex selection exists.
However, in Kenya accessing such techniques
for social sex selection is limited by cost and the
law.