New CCRM Study Finds IVF Produces More Baby Boys Than Girls

DENVER, Oct. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study conducted by the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (CCRM) concludes that assisted reproductive technology (ART) results in live birth gender rates skewed towards males. The study will be presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Scientific Conference & Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah, October 15-19, 2016.

For this study, CCRM researchers examined infertility patients (with a mean age of 37.1 years) that underwent IVF. At the blastocyst stage (5 or 6 day embryos), the embryos were examined using comprehensive chromosomal screening (CCS) and it was found that the ratio of male babies to female babies conceived was nearly equivalent (female = 49.8 percent vs. male = 50.2 percent).

These blastocysts were frozen and single embryos were later transferred via IVF, which resulted in a higher live birth rate for boys than girls (239 females, 44.7 percent vs. 296 males, 55.3 percent). In comparison, 51 percent of all babies born naturally in the United States are boys.

"This study is unique in that it was the first large scale study to follow gender from conception all the way through to live birth," said William Schoolcraft, M.D., medical director of CCRM. "Understanding why we see an increase in female mortality in utero is important to public health."

"The variance ratio in male to female births could be explained by impaired X chromosome inactivation, which only impacts the development of female embryos," says CCRM scientific director Mandy Katz-Jaffe, Ph.D.

The X chromosome contains over 1,000 genes that are essential for proper development and cell viability. However, females carry two copies of the X chromosome, resulting in a potentially toxic double dose of X-linked genes. To correct this imbalance, mammalian females have evolved a unique mechanism of dosage compensation known as X-chromosome inactivation (XCI). Female mammals "silence" one of their two Xs in a complex and highly coordinated manner.

CCRM
Founded in 1987 by Dr. William Schoolcraft, the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (CCRM) is one of the nation's leading infertility treatment centers, providing a wide spectrum of infertility treatments ranging from basic infertility care to advanced in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology. CCRM has locations in Colorado, Atlanta, Houston, Minneapolis, New York, Orange County and Toronto, Canada. Dr. Schoolcraft and his colleagues achieve some of the highest pregnancy rates in the country. CCRM has been ranked "The #1 Fertility Center in the U.S. with the Greatest Chance of Success" by Child.com. To learn more, visit www.ccrmivf.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Contacts:
Katie Trexler Kern, Evolution Communications Agency
303.941.4118 or [email protected]

Sarah Stavros, Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine
303.761.0579 or [email protected]

SOURCE CCRM

Related Links

http://www.ccrmivf.com