Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 6
Prosperous families in general and NRIs in particular desirous of having male children are preferring sperm washing technique to female foeticide. Developed for treating infertility problems, the technique is reportedly being used for separating Y chromosomes from the sperm of desiring husbands and then begetting a male child by intra uterine insemination or similar methods.
While, a few Punjabi NRIs settled in countries like Canada, England, America and Denmark were known to have 'benefited' from services of some 'Fertility Clinics' and 'Birth Planning Centers' established in their respective areas; natives have started seeking expertise though online programmes. choosethesexofyourbaby.com and abygenderselectionprogram.com are most frequently visited sites, directors of which claim to advocate natural methods to have baby of desired sex.
Dr K. C. Goel, district health officer, Sangrur, terming the technique as unethical practice, said the procedure if conducted in Punjab would come under the purview of the PCPNDT (Pre Conception Pre- Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act. "Though we can proceed against the couple if they get the sex of foetus checked here, we can not question availing services of Birth Planning Centre or using segregated sperms," said Goel.
Referring to information received from international medical journals, Goel told the sperm washing was being done in western countries, to treat male infertility problems.
While simple sperm wash technique and swim up techniques are being used normally to treat infertility problems, density gradient sperm wash is preferred for segregating Y chromosome bearing sperms from the semen. Expenses of most sophisticated procedure, accompanied with fertility treatment normally do not exceed Rs 4 lakh. Having heard success stories of NRI couples, some locals have started seeking advice of physicians from centres in Delhi and Bombay. Though various techniques relating to sperm washing and freezing are available at selected semen banks in metropolises, it is yet to be ascertained whether these had succeeded in segregating gender-specific sperms or not. However these centres place advertisements to invite gynaecologists to procure washed or prepared sperms for performing IUI at their own clinics.
