Acne. Rumor has it that if a woman breaks out in pregnancy acne she is going to have a girl. Again, no science backs up this old wives tail, and since there is a 50/50 chance of getting it right, it’s easy to claim accuracy!
Gender Selection with PGD Testing
Infertility treatments have made high-tech gender selection techniques possible and involve in vitro fertilization (IVF). Professionals examine the four- to eight-cell embryo to see if it is a male or female, which allows parents to place only male or female embryos into the uterus. The ability to determine sex at this early stage of cell development comes from research that was done to prevent X-linked hemophilia, or Tay-Sachs disease, associated with males. Women who are genetically pre-disposed to these diseases can know in advance if the embryo is male and opt to not use it. Ethics come into play when a couple simply prefers a boy instead of a girl (or vice versa) and makes the decision for reasons other than medical. It is illegal in some countries to make sex selection, but it is legal in the United States with PGD testing.
Would you use PGD testing? What old wives tales have you heard regarding the sex of a baby, and did you believe them?