Jo Cohen

3/24/2023

Genetics

Writing Assignment 5

            I discovered a story that appeared in U.S. News. The subject of gender determination is covered. A recent contentious finding suggests that fertility therapies might be able to choose the child’s sex. They have discovered that sorting sperm is fairly easy thanks to this study. Based on the weight of the sperm cells, the process is carried out. Sperms with the X chromosome have been observed to travel more slowly and weigh more. Y-chromosome-containing sperm are lighter and more flexible.

Dr. Gianpiero Palermo explained that they would let the two kinds of sperm swim through a dense medium and observe which sperm rose to the top and which sperm fell to the bottom to separate them. In order to fertilize the egg, the study team would then choose a sperm and place it right into the egg’s center. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection is what is done in this situation. (ICSI). The fetus was subsequently subjected to genetic testing to look for any chromosomal or sex anomalies.

The researchers concluded that the sorting method had no negative effects on the sperm in this investigation. According to Dr. Palermo, the child’s health was unaffected and there were no cognitive delays during its first three years of life. The piece explains in detail the numerous uncontroversial reasons why a family might choose to use this procedure on their own. Not passing on inherited diseases was the greatest illustration offered. They stated that by doing this, diseases like hemophilia can be prevented. Additionally, it can be used to maintain a household balance between genders.

In conclusion, of the majority of participants in the experiment, 79% of those who desired a female child got one, while 80% of those who wanted a male child got a boy. The main distinction between density gradients and other established techniques is that sperm cells are further divided by their X and Y chromosomes. Families are now able to organize themselves and become more nuclear. Although this is a very slippery slope, in the view of many scientists. This route is risky primarily because it may result in partners choosing traits, gender, height, strength, etc. With that an unbalanced gender number can lead to an imbalance in society and this change may become a serious problem.

References

Mann, D. (2023, March 22). New Technique 80% Effective in Selecting a Baby’s

Gender. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-03-22/new-technique-80-effective-in-selecting-a-babys-gender