Couples who go through IVF often hear about embryo testing at some stage, and one of the questions that follows is whether the test can show the sex of the embryo. The answer is yes, in many cases, because the same test that checks an embryo’s chromosomes also shows which sex chromosomes it carries. How that information is used, and when it is appropriate to use it, is a more careful question, and it is shaped by medical need, local regulation, and honest conversation between the couple and the clinic.
PGT stands for preimplantation genetic testing. It is a set of labouratory tests done on embryos created through IVF, before an embryo is transferred to the uterus. The embryologist removes a few cells from the outer layer of an embryo that has grown to the blastocyst stage (a trophectoderm biopsy), and the cells are sent for genetic analysis while the embryo is frozen and waits. Only embryos with suitable results are chosen for transfer.
Three types of testing exist. PGT-A checks the number of chromosomes in an embryo, PGT-M looks for a specific inherited condition that runs in a family, and PGT-SR looks for structural changes in the chromosomes.
PGT-A counts every chromosome in the embryo, including the two that decide sex. An embryo with two X chromosomes is female, and an embryo with an X and a Y is male. The sex is therefore known as part of the testing, even when that was not the main reason for doing it. The test looks at a small sample of cells, and results are highly reliable but not perfect, so a good clinic explains the limits as well as the strengths.
For some families, the sex of the embryo has direct medical importance. A number of inherited conditions are carried on the X chromosome, and they affect boys much more severely than girls. Haemophilia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy are two well-known examples. A couple with a family history of such a condition may choose to transfer only female embryos, or to test for the specific condition with PGT-M, and in both cases the aim is to avoid passing on a serious illness.
Some couples are interested in selecting sex for a different reason, which is to balance the makeup of their family after they already have children of one sex. This is usually called family balancing. The approach works through the same embryo testing used in IVF, so it involves a full IVF cycle with all the cost, medication, and time that come with it. It is worth knowing that testing cannot create embryos of a chosen sex. It can only identify the sex of the embryos that develop, and a cycle may produce few embryos or none of the sex the couple hopes for.
Gender selection in Dubai is a regulated area. According to ART Fertility Clinics, it is permitted for medical reasons, such as preventing genetic disorders, and for family balancing, and it must be carried out through PGT at a licensed clinic. Rules in this field can change and differ from one country to another, so couples should confirm the current position with the clinic during the first consultation instead of relying on older information or on what they have read about another country.
A few points are worth thinking about before a couple decides. The first is the IVF cycle itself, since embryo testing is only available through IVF and carries its own physical and emotional demands. The second is the embryo count, because testing can reduce the number of embryos available for transfer. The third is the matter of expectations, since no test can promise a pregnancy. Good clinics also give couples time to talk through their reasons and feelings, and that conversation is part of responsible care.
At ART Fertility Clinics, family balancing is offered only after a thoughtful conversation with the parents or parents-to-be about their expectations. The team presents testing as one part of a wider treatment plan that is honest, transparent, and tailored to the couple’s medical situation, with the work carried out at its licensed clinics in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Al Ain. This approach lets couples ask questions at each stage, from the first consultation through to the transfer, and understand what the test can and cannot do before they commit.
