Quote :

"Desperate for a baby girl, Simpson and her husband drove four hours to a fertility clinic in Michigan. Gender selection is illegal in Canada, which is why the couple turned to the United States. They paid $800 for a procedure that sorts sperm based on the assumption that sperm carrying a Y chromosome swim faster in a protein solution than sperm with an X chromosome do. Simpson was inseminated with the slower sperm that same day. Fifteen weeks later, she asked a colleague at the hospital to sneak in an after-hours ultrasound. The results felt like a brick landing on her stomach: another boy. “I lay in bed and cried for weeks,” said Simpson, now 36, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy. She took a job in the operating room so she would no longer have to work with women who were giving birth to girls. In May 2008, Simpson and her husband traveled to California to undergo PGD at the Laguna Hills branch of the Huntington Reproductive Center. There, she met up with some of the women she had made friends with online. “We went shopping and picked out girly clothes and dreamed of the day we could have a baby to wear them,” Simpson recalled. Three days after arriving in California, Simpson underwent egg retrieval surgery. Eighteen eggs were retrieved; of these, 11 were mature and were fertilized. When she was 15 weeks pregnant, she asked a friend at work to once again sneak her into an after-hours ultrasound. Simpson was anxious, haunted by the memory of her last ultrasound. But this time, it was different. She was pregnant with a girl. After nearly four years and $40,000, Simpson’s dreams of being a “girl-mommy” were finally going to come true."

http://tinyurl.com/92j2bex

I can't even imagine spending that kind of money on some sort of Gattaca quest for the "right" gender. I don't know if I consider it unethical but it does seem kind of foolish.

Would you spend $texas to choose the sex of your baby?

9/17/2012 11:32:40 AM

Quote :

"The men are fertilizing human eggs with sperm samples collected earlier that day. After fertilization and three days of incubation, an embryologist uses a laser to cut a hole through an embryo’s protective membrane and then picks out one of the eight cells. Fluorescent dyes allow the embryologist to see the chromosomes and determine whether the embryo is carrying the larger XX pair of chromosomes or the tinier XY. The remaining seven cells will go on to develop normally if the embryo is chosen and implanted in a client’s uterus."

NOPE

9/17/2012 11:43:52 AM

It will be hilarious if the girl grows up to be a tomboy and refuses to play with dolls or wear pink dresses.

Seriously though, this woman has some mental issues. I feel sorry for her son. One day he will read an article about how his mom "laid in bed and cried for weeks" when she found out he was on the way.

[Edited on September 17, 2012 at 11:48 AM. Reason : .]

9/17/2012 11:47:58 AM

Quote :

"haunted by the memory of her last ultrasound"

Quote :

"After nearly four years and $40,000, Simpson’s dreams of being a “girl-mommy” were finally going to come true."

They probably went into debt to do that, now they've got the (unwanted) boy to raise plus this girl. No way would I ever even consider this.

9/17/2012 11:49:00 AM

^^ I was thinking the same thing. There's absolutely nothing to say the girl won't turn out to be transgendered, or a tomboy, or a giant bitch who hates her mother.

^ It says in the article they took out loans to pay for the procedures. I can't believe a bank would give out loans for something like this.

[Edited on September 17, 2012 at 11:51 AM. Reason : a]

9/17/2012 11:50:34 AM

Quote :

"I feel sorry for her son. One day he will read an article about how his mom "laid in bed and cried for weeks" when she found out he was on the way."

I feel sorry for all of her children. You know that poor girl is going to be subject to all kinds of crazy growing up.

Quote :

"I can't believe a bank would give out loans for something like this."

Banks are in the business of making money; not making familial decisions. If she can pay back the loan they're going to give it to her.

[Edited on September 17, 2012 at 11:53 AM. Reason : s]

9/17/2012 11:51:40 AM

lol at $40,000 maybe it would have been cheaper to keep getting pregnant the natural way. Eventually you have to have a girl.

9/17/2012 11:54:01 AM

it is depressing the lengths people go to when there are children available for adoption.

9/17/2012 11:55:39 AM

Quote :

"it is depressing the lengths people go to when there are children available for adoption. "

9/17/2012 11:59:29 AM

I guess when they want it, they want it NOW (or 9 months from now). Unless you are going through some shady black market Chinese place, doesn't legitimate adoption take like 4 years or something?

9/17/2012 11:59:34 AM

breeders

9/17/2012 12:01:07 PM

^^AHAHA, no. They chose not to adopt because they want a girl with their genetic stuff, not because they want a girl right now and adoption takes too long. You're being silly.

[Edited on September 17, 2012 at 12:02 PM. Reason : ]

9/17/2012 12:02:09 PM

i talk about that with my man sometimes but then he's like "i don't want to raise someone else's stupid baby"

9/17/2012 12:02:21 PM

It's bad enough having to raise your own stupid baby.

9/17/2012 12:03:34 PM

There was an article similar to this posted awhile back.

Some people have THE CRAZY really, really, bad.

It is as if they are vicariously living out their own little girl fantasies through their daughters (and sometimes, through their sons).

[Edited on September 17, 2012 at 12:04 PM. Reason : ]

9/17/2012 12:03:59 PM

Quote :

"a giant bitch who hates her mother."

my money is on this!

9/17/2012 12:06:56 PM

ibtadultswim

9/17/2012 1:07:37 PM

I don't understand all the hate.

It's a woman exercising her reproductive rights. Who the hell are y'all to deride her for that?

The only thing here is that it probably would have been cheaper for her to get pregnant and abort continually until she had a girl. probably would have been possible in Canada, and free to boot.

9/17/2012 1:09:46 PM

over/under for the son's age when he offs himself?

wtf is wrong with people...

9/17/2012 1:30:38 PM

^

Quote :

"Simpson and her husband talked about getting an abortion, but she decided to continue with the pregnancy. In the meantime, she looked for a way to absolutely guarantee that her next child would be the daughter she had always dreamed about."

Quote :

"She had grown up in a family of four sisters. She liked sewing, baking, and doing hair and makeup. She hoped one day to share these interests with a little girl whom she could dress in pink"

Clearly trying to re-live her own childhood again vicarously.

Quote :

"The results felt like a brick landing on her stomach: another boy."

I hope her second child will grow up and makes sure she feels a brick landing on her stomach, or a at least a swift punch to a babymaker

Quote :

"Just over a decade ago, some doctors saw the potential profits that could be made from women like Simpson—an untapped market of young, fertile mothers. These doctors trolled online forums, offering counseling and services. They coined the phrase “family balancing” to make sex selection more palatable. They marketed their clinics by giving away free promotional DVDs and setting up slick websites. These fertility doctors have turned a procedure originally designed to prevent genetic diseases into a luxury purchase akin to plastic surgery. Gender selection now rakes in revenues of at least $100 million every year. The average cost of a gender selection procedure at high-profile clinics is about $18,000, and an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 procedures are performed every year. Fertility doctors foresee an explosion in sex-selection procedures on the horizon, as couples become accustomed to the idea that they can pay to beget children of the gender they prefer "

And someone is cashing in on the crazies

[Edited on September 17, 2012 at 1:35 PM. Reason : .]

9/17/2012 1:33:40 PM

Quote :

"I don't understand all the hate. It's a woman exercising her reproductive rights. Who the hell are y'all to deride her for that? The only thing here is that it probably would have been cheaper for her to get pregnant and abort continually until she had a girl. probably would have been possible in Canada, and free to boot. "

Are you joking...?

If this practice is normalized, it would lead to an off-balance society in terms of the m/f ratio similar to China.

Not to mention that this type of obsession to having the "right" type of child almost certainly would signal an unhealthy upbringing and a propensity to turn your kid into Honey-Boo-Boo.

[Edited on September 17, 2012 at 1:55 PM. Reason : ]

[Edited on September 17, 2012 at 1:56 PM. Reason : ]

9/17/2012 1:55:32 PM

But what's wrong with that?

9/17/2012 2:15:45 PM

what a silly bitch

9/17/2012 7:13:47 PM

Quote :

"ibtadultswim"

Klatypus summed it up nicely

9/17/2012 7:35:35 PM

I left a big comment on the article STFU parents posted, but this practice has been around for quite a while, it's just a lot of fertility clinics refuse to use PGD for those purposes. I just hope people realize PGD is not typically used for these purposes, and I hope it doesn't get a bad rep for this... It's such a great technology for families with terrible genetic conditions, like Huntginton's disease and many others, and yet people like this woman are abusing it. I also hope it doesn't give the IVF and genetics community a bad name.. Idk, maybe I'm biased because I see the terrible things people go through every day with pregnancy and it honestly blows my mind that this woman was so upset over having boys. Lady, just be glad your boy won't be severely mentally retarded and is expected to live past his first year of life. Maybe that's a bad way to look at it, but it is truly sad to me that people care more about the sex than the overall health of the child.

9/17/2012 7:39:46 PM

The years passed, and mankind became stupider at a frightening rate. Some had high hopes the genetic engineering would correct this trend in evolution, but sadly, the greatest minds and resources were focused on conquering hair loss and prolonging erections.

9/17/2012 7:41:24 PM

Hahaha! Very true.

Another thing that blows my mind is when people are being referred to us for pretty bad things and when we ask why they are there to see us or what their understanding is, they're all, "YEAH I WANNA KNOW THE SEX"

9/17/2012 7:43:37 PM

9/17/2012 7:50:12 PM

^^ That speaks more poorly of the referring doctors than the people themselves, I would imagine. If the docs don't tell them the severity of the issue, it's easy for them to not get that it's a big deal.

Quote :

"If this practice is normalized, it would lead to an off-balance society in terms of the m/f ratio similar to China."

Because everyone would pick ... boys? girls? I think preferences are pretty well divided (though I am basing that on anecdotal personal observation).

9/17/2012 9:00:37 PM

I totes understand her frustration; I certainly hope I have a daughter if I ever have children.

[Edited on September 17, 2012 at 9:06 PM. Reason : ^Methinks it would tip the balance slightly toward boys, but not as badly as in China.

9/17/2012 9:05:36 PM

my sister has 3 daughters and would have benefited

now having a boy and their 4th and last try (herbs, timing, strategy, etc)

9/17/2012 9:11:48 PM

Quote :

". Lady, just be glad your boy won't be severely mentally retarded and is expected to live past his first year of life."

Yes a million times this! Maybe if she had experienced pregnancy loss she wouldn't give a damn what the sex of her child was and just be happy they are healthy. Hopefully her sons never find this article and realize it's about their mom.

9/17/2012 9:34:32 PM

Quote :

"it is depressing the lengths people go to when there are children available for adoption."

this, and IVF in general

9/17/2012 9:59:06 PM

You people......

So lemme get this straight, as a Wolf Web, we're ok with homosexuality, mutilating your genitalia for a sex change, and abortion - but we're not ok with a couple taking proactive steps to choose the sex of their baby?

9/17/2012 10:17:19 PM

Oh no, Skwink... They tell them. (At least most of them do, I admit some are worse than others.) Some of our patients just frankly don't give a shit. Ask the lady who screamed the other day that she should have just has an abortion. :/

And this isn't about being proactive - this is abusing a process meant to help couples prevent genetic conditions in their family. It has now been advertised more in countries where sex selection would be preferred, too. A specific doctor in California (I believe the same one mentioned in this article) intentionally advertises in India.

Quote :

"now having a boy and their 4th and last try (herbs, timing, strategy, etc)"

I hate to tell you this, but none of those things mentioned help determine the sex.

[Edited on September 17, 2012 at 10:24 PM. Reason : .]

9/17/2012 10:23:26 PM

If she is this upset over the sex of her child, she has been extremely fortunate. When you've experienced other pregnancy difficulties or loss, you just don't care so much about the baby's sex. You're certainly not let down if you don't get your preference, if you even have a preference.

9/17/2012 10:41:23 PM

some people are mentally disturbed BEFORE they get pregrnant

i mean i would say the silver lining is at least she didnt abort the boy like they do in india/china, but i'm sure his life will be no picnic

9/17/2012 11:44:07 PM

daughters, become mothers, that turn into loveeeerrrrrss

9/18/2012 12:44:24 AM

Quote :

"So lemme get this straight, as a Wolf Web, we're ok with homosexuality, mutilating your genitalia for a sex change, and abortion - but we're not ok with a couple taking proactive steps to choose the sex of their baby?"

wtf are you even talking about? we are talking about when people WANT to have babies so leave homosexuality and sex change out of this for one thing.


and without these evil abortions there would be even more children that need homes, meanwhile mr and mrs smith blow 100k on IVF.

9/18/2012 1:10:24 AM

If people care about live so much, why are we killing all these people overseas?


Save the lives that are already born before you save lives of those that have not been born.
As soon as the killing has stopped and the world is a safe place with plenty of resources and plenty of room to expand, then I will change my stance on abortion.

I reiterate, as long as it's "okay" to kill innocent people by the 100,000s in other countries, I will be "okay" with killing 100,000s innocent unborn and unwanted children. I will still be for abortion until we find a solution for overpopulation of Earth since if it weren't for war in the past 500 years, there would be more than 24 Billion people on Earth.

9/18/2012 1:36:49 AM

Shut the fuck up and take your stupid shit to Chit Chat.

9/18/2012 1:49:49 AM

a lot of people know or have seen a family with three, 4 or even more boys when the parents kept trying for a girl. i guess trying to choose the sex of your next child is less repugnant than having 3 or 4 more the old fashioned way to get your desired sex offspring...

9/18/2012 3:29:54 AM

Imagine how useful this technology could be if used on a generation starship. When we have expended countless hours and resources on such an endeavor, we will be glad to have perfected this particular practice for bitches like this. So, while the thought of designer babies sickens me, I can't help but think that she is funding a potentially useful technology (as well as being a voluntary guinea pig) even if it ends up just being an insurance policy for a much larger project.

[Edited on September 18, 2012 at 8:20 AM. Reason : ]

9/18/2012 8:14:58 AM

My cousin wanted a boy really bad....he now has three girls. I feel like that's going to happen to me...but I'll stop at two.

9/18/2012 8:16:08 AM

^^^ I think that's just as bad imo. That's how my father's family is. Three boys, a girl, then many years later oops another boy! My youngest uncle had all sorts of fucked up psychological issues that stemmed from feeling unwanted. And my aunt has all sorts of issues from basically being smothered by my grandmother. It's kind of amazing my father is relatively normal considering he was the "dammit another boy" child.

Quote :

"I hate to tell you this, but none of those things mentioned help determine the sex. "

They don't hurt either

9/18/2012 8:37:22 AM

Quote :

"Imagine how useful this technology could be if used on a generation starship. When we have expended countless hours and resources on such an endeavor, we will be glad to have perfected this particular practice for bitches like this. So, while the thought of designer babies sickens me, I can't help but think that she is funding a potentially useful technology (as well as being a voluntary guinea pig) even if it ends up just being an insurance policy for a much larger project."

lol

9/18/2012 10:05:51 AM

Quote :

"My cousin wanted a boy really bad....he now has three girls. I feel like that's going to happen to me...but I'll stop at two."

I have been wondering lately how I'll feel if I get two of the same. I really want one of each, not wanting one more than the other, but I also don't want more than two kids. I know I can't "decide" now how I'm going to feel if I end up with two of the same sex, but it's been milling around in my brain. Seems like everyone in my boyfriend's family just has boys. But then again, my brother was that way and his first was a girl.

On a side note, is there a reason/factual support that certain genders of kids seem to run in families? Whenever I hear someone say that I think of the factoid I heard once that fathers with larger equipment were more likely to have boys because boy sperm are weaker swimmers.

9/18/2012 10:47:53 AM

before I came along, my mom had two sons with her first husband and each of those sons had two sons themselves



on my father's side, my grandfather had two sons and from that, one son didn't procreate and one had two daughters. Me and my sister.

9/18/2012 10:58:22 AM

Quote :

"I hate to tell you this, but none of those things mentioned help determine the sex"

It can be a long, stressful, frustrating, etc journey trying to get that girl you've always wanted. After 3 boys and countless hours of doubting yourself, your job, your time, your spouse and support, what would you do?

It's not as simple as "just love what you've got!" Of course you'd love your kids, but it can still be a heart-breaking ordeal.

-------------------------------

I don't really know what to think about the OP. On one hand, I support it in my sister's situation (and my neighbors, who are in the opposite situation), but it does seem like it can get out of control. Ideally, I'd say (successfully) give the option once only. After your one time, it's gotta be natural

[Edited on September 18, 2012 at 7:58 PM. Reason : yeah that's realistic]

9/18/2012 7:58:23 PM

Quote :

"wtf are you even talking about? we are talking about when people WANT to have babies so leave homosexuality and sex change out of this for one thing. and without these evil abortions there would be even more children that need homes, meanwhile mr and mrs smith blow 100k on IVF."

wut

9/19/2012 12:57:10 AM