Do pregnant women want to know the sex of the expected child at routine ultrasound and are they interested in sex selection?

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to investigate if expecting parents wanted to know the sex of the fetus during ultrasound examination and if they had discussed it with the midwife. Another aim was to explore any interest in sex selection.MethodsA longitudinal survey in early and late pregnancy among 2393 women in Sweden.ResultsAlmost all (95.8%, n = 2289) women had discussed sex determination with the partner before the ultrasound scan, and 57% (n = 1356) of women and their partners wanted to find out the fetal sex. The expecting parents mostly initiated a discussion with the midwife (46%, n = 1088), but 10% (n = 229) stated that the midwives initiated the discussion. Few (5%, n = 118) expressed a potential interest in selecting sex of a baby. Women who were interested in sex determination did not differ from those who were not, with respect to age, origin, education, parity, level of pregnancy planning, or importance of religion, but women who had chosen another fetal diagnostic method were more interested in sex determination and in potential sex selection.ConclusionsHalf of women and their partners wanted to know the fetal sex, and 5% were interested in sex selection. This high interest in sex determination is a challenge, since present national guidelines do not include sex determination as an option.

Bovine sperm sex‐selection technology in Japan

“…The sex selection of the offspring in mammalian species, including humans and other animals, often attracts critical attentions as well as interests in the society. Sex determination and sex selection in humans should be accompanied necessarily by the ethical consideration. Previous reports suggest that the preferred sex of the child may tend to reflect the parental background, including culture, tradition, religion, and education …”

Dietary preferences and traditional practices according to the desired gender of the baby among pregnant women in South Eastern Turkey

“…The previous studies reported that an increasing level of education leads to a decrease in believing in the 'evil eye' and food cravings; and at the same time leads to an increase in the belief that dietary may have an impact on the mental and physical development of the baby. 13,25,26,33 In the study, a statistically significant difference was found between the pre-test the average scores in terms of the desired gender of the baby variable (p<0.05) before the identification of the gender (1 st trimester), and the source of the difference was caused by the fact that the participants who preferred to have a boy also had a higher mean pre-test score. As mentioned in the study of Erbil and Saglam, the study conducted by Gol found that such kinds of practices are exercised more frequently by women who desired to have a boy.…”

“…As mentioned in the study of Erbil and Saglam, the study conducted by Gol found that such kinds of practices are exercised more frequently by women who desired to have a boy. 9,32,33 The limitation of this study is that it was conducted in a single center in Southeast Turkey.…”

Large scale follow-up research study: SneakPeek® Early Gender DNA Test 99.9% accurate for fetal sex by live-birth confirmation

“…[8][9][10][11][12][13] With high consumer expectations and increased access to information, parents want to learn the sex of their fetus earlier in pregnancy. 5,10,14,15 With a small blood sample, parents can learn gender sooner, more reliably, and less expensively than ultrasound anatomy scans or other non-invasive prenatal tests. 6,12,[16][17][18][19] Compared to other methods available to parents, SneakPeek ® is the most accessible, affordable, and accurate choice for fetal sex determination.…”