IVF Gender Selection: What You Need to Know Before You Decide

When you hear IVF gender selection, the process of choosing the biological sex of a baby during in vitro fertilization using embryo testing. Also known as sex selection IVF, it’s not about choosing blue eyes or height—it’s about picking male or female before pregnancy even begins. In India, this isn’t available for fun or family balancing. It’s only allowed if there’s a serious genetic disorder linked to one sex, like Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which mostly affects boys. Most clinics won’t even discuss it unless you have a documented medical reason.

How does it actually work? After eggs are fertilized and grow into embryos, a few cells are taken out and tested using preimplantation genetic testing, a lab technique that checks embryos for chromosomal abnormalities and sex chromosomes before implantation. Only embryos with the selected sex are put back into the uterus. This isn’t a guess—it’s science, and it’s accurate over 99% of the time. But it adds cost, time, and emotional weight to an already intense process. The average IVF cycle costs ₹2-3 lakhs. Adding gender selection can push it to ₹4-5 lakhs, and not all insurance covers it.

Some people think this is the future of family planning. Others worry it leads to gender imbalance, which is already a problem in parts of India. The law here is strict: no selection for social reasons. That’s why clinics don’t advertise it openly. If you’re asking because you want a boy or girl after having two girls—or two boys—you’re not alone. But you also won’t find a clinic willing to help unless your case meets medical guidelines. The real question isn’t whether you can do it—it’s whether you should, and under what circumstances.

What you’ll find in the posts below are honest answers from people who’ve walked this path. You’ll see the real numbers behind IVF success rates on the first try, what happens to children born after gender selection, and how long the whole process takes—from hormone shots to a positive test. You’ll also find what doctors in Bangalore and Delhi actually say when patients ask for this option, and whether skipping surgery for joint pain or choosing the right diet after 55 has more impact on your life than picking your baby’s sex.