Ericsson

What it is

A technique that aims to separate faster-swimming boy-producing sperm from slower-swimming girl-producing sperm. Sperm of the desired gender are inserted directly into your uterus via artificial insemination (AI).

Effectiveness

Ericsson claims his technique is 78 to 85% effective when it comes to choosing boys and 73 to 75% effective for girl babies.

How it's done

This technique, which has been around since the '70s, attempts to separate boy and girl sperm by pouring a sperm sample on a gluey layer of fluid in a test tube. All the sperm naturally swim down, but the boys tend to swim faster and reach the bottom earlier. Once the fast and slow swimmers are separated, you're inseminated with the sperm that will enable you to conceive the gender you desire.

Pros

• Inexpensive compared to higher-tech methods.
• Noninvasive.
• Relatively safe.

Cons

• There's no guarantee of success. The technique's pioneer, Ronald Ericsson, has published extensively and claims a success rate of approximately 75 to 80 percent. But some fertility doctors dispute this figure and say that it's no higher than 50 percent.
• AI is not as effective as in vitro fertilization (IVF), and it may take many cycles to achieve a pregnancy, depending on your age and fertility.

Cost

Approximately $600 per insemination.

Availability

Available to anyone who wants it at clinics in California, Michigan, Texas, Connecticut, Montana, Washington, Florida, New Mexico, Maine, and New York.

For more information

Learn more about this method at Ericsson's Web site.