Yet Another Debatable Research Study On Sex Determination

Fetal sex determination has been banned in many parts of the world in lieu of the latest sex ratio calculations, which suggest the decline in the number of women in the society. In many parts of the world, giving birth to a baby boy is considered a blessing while a baby girl is considered as a liability. The latest research pertaining to fetal sex determination done by the Canadian and Chinese scientists has steered a whole lot of debate on women having the ability to control the sex of their unborn child.

The researchers were trying to find out the roles of various physiological factors of the expectant mothers in determining the sex of the conceived child. They found that maternal blood pressure plays a major role in determining the sex of the unborn baby before 26 weeks of conception.

The researchers recorded the body mass index (BMI), waist, cholesterol blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol and glucose levels in 1,411 women from China before they became pregnant. These health factors were monitored closely during the entire period of pregnancy.

The Tecake reported that 739 of the women candidates gave birth to a baby boy, while the rest 672 had baby girls. Post-delivery comparison of the already recorded health parameters revealed that the women who later on gave birth to a boy had higher blood pressure (systolic) during their pregnancy (106.0 millimeters of mercury average), while the women who became the mothers of daughters had relatively low blood pressure (103.3 millimeters of mercury average).

According to a report by nzherald.co.nz, women can deliberately increase or decrease the blood pressure to get a baby of their desired gender. However, Dr. Ravi Retnakaran, endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Hospital who was also the lead researcher of the project, had clearly stated that, "If anyone thinks that they can control the sex of the child by manipulating the maternal blood pressure when they are trying to conceive, then it is entirely wrong."

He further clarified that studying the role of manipulation of blood pressure to analyze the likelihood of conceiving a boy or girl will be inappropriate and unethical. The purpose behind the study was to investigate the chief factors that influence fetal survival.

The perpetuation of the idea that women can deliberately manipulate the sex of their unborn child not only enhances unethical practices but also increases the emotional pressure of the expectant mother, especially in regions where people in that society consider that the birth of boy will bring prosperity to their family and society.