Fetal sex preference of second-trimester gravidas

Abstract

Fetal sex preferences of pregnant women are based on psychological, physiologic, economic, and sociologic factors. Parental responses to the knowledge of fetal/infant sex range from feticide to preferential treatment of the preferred-sexed child. This study describes the sex preferences, sex beliefs, attempted sex preselection techniques, and desire to know the fetal sex of 243 second-trimester gravidas. Data demonstrated a willingness to disclose sex preferences, with 81% declaring a preference. The majority of women (81%) also wished to know the sex of their child prior to delivery regardless of their acknowledgment of a sex preference. The results of this survey offer implications for research on the phenomena relating to sex preference.

PIP: A nurse distributed a questionnaire (the Maternal Sex Preference Instrument) to 243 second trimester pregnant women, 18-43 years old had an amniocentesis at the Maternal and Fetal Medicine Division of the University of Alabama in Birmingham to examine fetal sex preference, sex beliefs, and sex preselection attempts. Women were more likely to want to learn the sex of the fetus than either not learn or unsure about learning the sex (81.1% vs. 16.4% for not wanting to know and 2.5% for unsure; p 0.001). 196 women (80.7% of all women) had a sex preference. 101 women (51.5%) wanted a girl. Most women stating a preference (61.2%) assumed that their partner wanted a male child. Of women who had at least 2 same-sexed children, most wanted an opposite sexed child (72.7%) and 18.2% had no preference. 57.8% of all women had a sex belief. Most believed (65.2%) their fetuses were male. The chief reasons for their sex belief were intuition/instinct/feeling (22%), symptoms/signs (20%), and ultrasound (17%). Maternal preference was associated with maternal belief (p = 0.002). 19.1% had a sex belief, but said they had no sex preference. 7.8% of all women attempted to conceive a child of a specific sex, mainly male (57.9%). 47.4% of those who made such attempts were successful. The attempts included sexual position, sex on the day of ovulation, timed moment of intercourse, and following guidelines in a magazine article on how to conceive a male fetus. Depression and changes in self-esteem and self-care practices may occur in women who are not carrying their preferred-sex fetus. Research on sex preference is needed to examine the full spectrum of parental reaction to learning of child's sex, which ranges from complete acceptance to feticide/infanticide.