Abstract

PIP: The sex of any given human zygote is dependent upon when the ovum is placed in the fallopian tube. Dr. Inderjit K. Barthakur's has developed a way for heterosexual couples to conceive either male or female children depending upon the timing of their coitus. To have a baby of preferred gender, a couple should have coitus in accordance with the advice of a well-informed instructor who can determine the exact date of rupture of the Graafian follicle with ultrasound scanning. The method requires these preconditions: keeping a temperature chart from 3-4 months before the month in which the pregnancy is planned, abstaining from sex during that particular month until the time advised by the instructor, and having daily ultrasound scans after the 9th day of the menstrual cycle to ensure the highest degree of accuracy in identifying the best time for intercourse. Accurate sex determination of the fetus has occurred in 71 of 72 cases managed by the four physicians who practice this method in India. A more simple alternative which is easily communicable to the poor and uneducated has also been developed by the doctors, but it is only 80% successful. These high rates of success have generated widespread international interest, but the ICMR, the Health Ministry, and others have turned down appeals to support studies of the method because they do not want to encourage potential discrimination against females. Abortion, however, which is often gender-biased, is legal. Dr. Barthakur and her colleagues ensure that the couples taken for instruction should desire a child of the sex opposite to the existing one and no tests are conducted after conception to confirm the sex of the fetus. Under current funding constraints, all expenses for the procedures are met jointly by the involved doctors and couples who are well-off enough to go in for repeated ultrasounds.