Transcript: Are you already the proud parents of a son, but desperate for a daughter-or vice versa? Thanks to modern fertility treatments, choosing the sex of your child has become entirely possible, although controversial.  Some doctors, ethicists, and religious leaders feel that gender selection is wrong and could have undesirable consequences.  Others feel that it is a matter of choice for informed adults.  For those who are interested, there are currently three main options for parents-to-be: pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, Microsort, and Ericsson. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, is the most effective of the gender selection procedures, with success rates bordering on 100 percent. However most fertility clinics limit the use of PGD to prevent gender-related diseases rather than simple sex selection. When PGD was introduced in the late 1980s, it was used to help at-risk couples reduce the risk of passing on serious genetic abnormalities. Doctors then test these fertilized eggs, or embryos, for genetic abnormalities and gender. After the test, several embryos of the desired gender are inserted into the woman. PGD is still used for this reason, but couples who are willing to pay upwards of $15,000 may now be able to use the procedure solely to test for sex. Due to the expense of in vitro fertilization, and the reluctance of most clinics to use it for sex selection, alternatives have become available. A. Some parents turn to a technique called Microsort, B. which is about 90 percent effective for girl babies C. and 74 percent successful for boys. Microsort is not FDA approved and there are only a few clinics throughout the United States that offer the procedure. During this procedure, sperm are colored with dye and examined under a microscope. The theory is that girl-producing X sperm are larger and will absorb more dye than the boy-producing Y ones. After the sperm are sorted by sex, the preferred gender is inserted into the woman’s uterus directly. Occasionally, couples who use Microsort may choose to fertilize eggs outside of the uterus and then insert them as embryos. This procedure is about $3,000 per treatment, a number which balloons an extra $12,000 if fertilization occurs outside the womb.  Additionally, Microsort only accepts married couples who ALREADY HAVE at least one child of the opposite gender to the one desired.  An easier method of gender selection attempts to separate faster swimming boy sperm from slower girl ones. Called the Ericsson Method, its creator attests that success rates are as high as 80 percent. Other scientists say that the method is no more than 50 percent effective. To do this, sperm are applied to a gluey layer in a test tube and observed as they swim downwards. After the fastest boy sperm are sorted out, the preferred gender are injected into the woman. The $600 procedure may be worth it for some couples, despite the poor success rate. A. Still, you should remember that your odds of having your desired sex B. are 50 percent no matter what you do! If you DO decide to look into gender selection, discuss the pros and cons with your doctor first.