Wednesday, September 6.1978
106
Odds better in picking child's sex
WASHINGTON (AP)—Want a boy baby?
Or a girl?
Scientists are working on baby recipes, known as sex design, controlled to improve breastfeeding.
But before painting the kid's bedroom pink or blue, take note: Ease if you follow the unromantic directions—the most appropriate formulation—the results are far from foolproof.
"Sex selection has virtually no credibility," said Dr. Ronald Ericsson, a reproductive physiologist in San Luiso, Mexico, who uses the technique for influencing the sex of babies.
And so far, the boy recipe has been the most successful.
"We don't claim to have a method that is absolute," said Eric Saron, who did post-doctoral work in endocrinology at the University of California. "We're dealing in biology, not witchcraft."
BASICALLY, THERE are three techniques to select a child's sex:
- The do-it-yourself method, requiring timing, chemistry and gymnastics. It calls for a long period of time specified times during the woman's menstrual cycle and douching with baking soda for a boy or white vinegar for a girl. Popular and gadget tree, it is considered ineffective.
- Sperm separation, the method patented by Ericsson, involving separation of the Y-chromosome male-bearing sperm from the X-chromosome female-bearing sperm. After the filtering process is completed, artificial insemination is required.
- Selective abortion, a controversial
method in which an amniotic fluid is taken from a woman's uterus during the fourth month of pregnancy to test for the sex of the fetus. If the sex is "wrong," an abortion can be performed. Most doctors oppose this method.
DR. PAUL DMWOSKI, a Chicago endocrinologist and gynecologist researching sperm separation, said eight out of 10 of his patients who used Ericson's technique to have boys were successful. Dmowski said she had always believed that he became pregnant by natural intercourse and the other couple had trouble with the sperm separation.
"We are not really able to guarantee in any way the outcome of pregnancy," said Dmowski, who is director of the fertility unit at Chicago's Michael Reese Hospital. "We can increase the chances from 50 percent, which is natural, to 75-to-80 percent. But if a woman is willing to assume the risk of another female child, I do not accept them as patients."
Drownski said that work was being done to separate the female-bearing sperm, but that it would take several weeks.
"Some methods are confirmed," he said. "But as far as I know, nobody is involved in the clinical application for improving the chances for a female child."
Dmowski said the main cost for his sex-selection patients was air fare to Chicago.
"THEE ARE some office expense, but there is no charge for the procedure because it is a simple job."
To hear Dmowski tell it, one benefit of selecting the sex of the unborn child is that it could reduce the size of families. He said many couples increased their families by continuing to try for the child's sex of their choice.
A problem with do-it-yourself is that two doctors who did much of the research on this method have come up with differing conclusions. The National Association Reference Bureau Inc. of Washington.
Shetties at Gifford Memorial Hospital in Randolph, D., suggests a boy is most likely a boy with a cleft palate.
In a pamphlet titled "Boys or Girls? Parents' Preferences and Sex Control," the bureau said Dr. Rodrigo Guerrero V, who is president of the University's School of Public Health and is associated with the Universidad Del Valle, Cali, Columbia, suggested that a couple improved its chances for a boy by having six to nine days before ovulation.
Another problem with do-it-yourself is that ways to determine when ovulation occurs—such as taking the woman's temperature—are not reliable.
Glass said he would advise couples interested in selecting their child's sext to wait a few years to see if Ericsson's technique was improved.
"When ovulation occurs . . . is almost impossible to determine exactly," said Dr. Robert Glass, a gynecologist at the University of California who specializes in fertility.
ON THE OTHER hand, Dr. Landrum
Studies show that more couples prefer boys than prefer girls. Some researchers said it was likely that sex control would be used more often to get boys than girls and that, if used, the male sex ratio would rise in some countries.
ahead 0.3 to 58.57 and the price of a share was up 2 cents. But declines led advancement in earnings.
SEVERAL BROKERS, noting the selloff in gambling stocks, said the market may have been helped early by traders taking advantage of falling prices and putting them in other less volatile stocks.
The Dow Jones industrial average, up,
nearly 4 points at the outset, was up 1.39
points to 890.71 for a 1:15 pm. EDT. It lost
2.6% in the last week despite a 2.31
point gain Fri past
NEW YORK (UP1)—Stocks struggled for direction yesterday afternoon as investors tried to gauge the market's course in the wake of heavy selloff of speculative gambling issues. Post Labor Day holiday trading was moderate.
But there was little in the news background to influence the market in either direction. The dollar was mixed abroad.
The New York Stock Exchange index was
Gambling stock affects market
The $10,000 study will be done by Costas G. Alexandridis, director of the International Management Information System, operated by Southern Consortium for International Education Inc., located at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
State contracts for market study
The study, arranged by the state Department of Economic Development, will match more than 350 commodities produced by Kansas manufacturing firms with countries which buy those products, the governor said.
TOPEKA (AP)-Kansas has contracted with a Georgia company for a study of world export markets for Kansas products, Gov. Robert F. Bennett said yesterday.
Also to be included, the governor said, is a five-year projection of competition among world manufacturers in 28 major trading countries.
EDWARD BRUSKE, state secretary of economic development, said Kansas exported $83 million worth of manufactured products annually. The billion in agricultural products annually.
The study will specify both recent and past import demands for Kansas products, and also will include a forecast through 1980 of export demands.
A report the state will receive is supposed to assess the export performance of Kansas.
and formulate an approach for promoting and managing export activities.
"KANAS MANUFACTURERS are finding increasing effectiveness in international competition," Bennett said. "The results of this study should aid our Kansas firms greatly in their exporting endeavors."
This fall, Kansas companies will be mailed computer information on their employees' jobs.
explain mechanics of the study to more than 400 persons expected to be there.
Alexandrides is to attend the second Kansas Governor's Conference on Intro-
ductions.
Bennett also announced that Kansas would expand its participation in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Trade Opportunities Program, which will provide Kansas businesses more information on world trade possibilities.
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Truman Library renovation set
KANAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—A $2.75 million contract for landscaping, construction and repairs at the Harry S. Truman Library has been awarded to a Kansas City firm by the General Services Administration.
H. D. Harvell, GSA regional administrator, said the project involved construction of an extension of facilities for audio-visual presentations and a shop
for making displays. Other work includes landscaping, sidewalk installation, heating and cooling work and other repairs.
The contract is with Dasta Construction Co., of Kansas City, which submitted the lowest of three bids received. Construction is expected to begin in mid-september and take about a year and a half to complete.
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