I didn't know you could? Or am i not getting something here?

Genetics and gene manipulation of course. It's a bit off, but some day it is feasable that you could adjust the womb at certain moments of gestation to choose the gender of your child.

Personally no, I don't think this is necessary. In fact, when I give birth to my first child some day, I am going to demand the nurses and docs don't tell me the gender from the ultrasounds! I want my baby to be a surprise Just like me and my bro were

i think you should be happy with what you get after all a baby is a baby

I would never chooses the gender of my baby. I'll have what I'm meant to have.

Do you think that is how they would do it? If something went wrong they'd end up with an androgynous child.

I figured if science found a way to do this, it would be by artificial insemination. Either, combine sperm egg in a petri-dish, then choose the zygote of the gender you want and implant. Or, find a way to test the gender of sperm (since it is the sperm that determines gender) and separate out all the desired gendered sperm and then inseminate.

I wouldn't want to choose if I could though. I'm not too set on having either a girl or a boy - I'd be happy either way.

Anne that is the way i think it should be done..

the way that Eiri described doesn't sound like it is 100% accurate..or even 95%...

i would never do that.. i'm not even going to find out what i'm having until i have it!!

Ugh! I never pondered that. That's just disgusting to me. I was happy when I delivered my children and they were girls, but I probably would have been just as happy had they been boys. I didn't peek ahead of time, so both were a surprise (not really, I think I knew all along anyway). If we start genetically manipualting sex, then comes intelligence, blue eyes and blonde hair, etc etc. I think the ramifications are terrifying. But I know that some fertility clinics have already offered this to their patients. I heard about it several months ago in an interview on NPR.

genselect.com - where you can choose your child's sex???

well i just dont think its normal at all

Ok i never knew that........lmao I wouldn't do it. You get what you get. At this point after 3 years of trying i'm just happy to be pregnant.

thats how it should be :]

I know!! Just thinking about the day I'll give birth (some day long, long from now) and hear the doc tell me the gender of my gooey pile of exhausted new baby, makes me excited ^^ hehehe.

I think it could be beneficial in couples who are carrying a genetic defect which only affects one particular sex. For example, I was told that because I was suspected as being a carrier of an eye disorder that was serious in boys, I could choose an abortion if I was found to be carrying a boy. Well, it's only one step away from that to say before you get pregnant, let's make sure you can only have girls because then you won't pass on the disorder.

You do make a good point there, Jules. I can think of a few sex-linked disorders like sickle cell anemia for example. Never thought of that. It still scares me, though, to manipulate the genes of our children. It seems like it could be a slippery slope.

i saw on good morning america a few months back about a couple who had them make sure the child would not carry a certain kind of cancer .

I am inclined to agree. I think it would be far better to adopt a child already in existence than mess with nature like that. It's certainly not something I would do personally.

I would never choose.. I figure you should just be happy with what you get.

Really good points you guys. I'm just thinking for now

i know of a lady who had 6 sons and the whole time just wanted a little girl, she ended up "choosing the sex" and having a daughter

in situations I can understand it, I don't know how I feel about it though

I see what people mean by it not being right. But sometimes it might be neccessary. Take me for example, I have XPID, a rare genetic disorder that means one of the X chromosomes are mutated. Girls are OK because they have an extra X, but boys alomst always die because they have one X and if it is mutated, they have none.

It is difficult for me to get pregnant anyway, and if I had a baby, it would have to be a girl. The only way to be sure of this is to do the choosing.