FAMILY BALANCING – ERICSSON METHOD
Island Reproductive Services, together with the Reproductive Center of Central New Jersey (RCCNJ), is pleased to offer family balancing using the Ericsson method. This patented technique developed by Ronald Ericsson, Ph.D., of Gametrics, Ltd., Montana, for sex selection has been used extensively and is presently offered by numerous centers in the United States and 
worldwide. Our technicians have been personally trained by Dr. Ronald Ericsson.
The process separates the X and Y sperm by filtering the husband’s sperm through. The enriched sperm sample is then used for insemination. The separation process selects out the most optimal sperm for insemination and leaves behind slower moving sperm and debris found in semen. This highly technical process takes up to four hours and is performed in our laboratory. For more technical information see www.childselect.com.
The decision to perform family balancing must be made with serious consideration. Gender pre-selection meets a very personal need for many couples. It has been used to establish gender balance within a family or to lessen the risk of gender-related hereditary diseases.
All pregnancies have a 2-3% risk of birth defects. Artificial insemination with Ericsson sperm selection shows no greater occurrence of birth defects than normal insemination or by natural means.
Family balancing can be used in conjunction with intrauterine insemination (IUI) or with in-vitro fertilization (IVF). When used with IUI, it is available ONLY Monday through Friday and sperm must be processed at RCCNJ.
Criteria for Use of Ericsson Family Balancing:
The sperm sample must meet certain criteria. For patients desiring a female child, at least 3.2 million moving sperm is preferable. For patients desiring a male child, at least 32 million moving sperm is preferable. For men whose sperm does not meet these criteria, several sperm samples may be frozen in advance and processed together in order to achieve adequate sperm numbers and quality. Information and costs for this additional treatment are available by contacting RCCNJ at 908-412-9909.
Success Rates:
If pregnant, the success for achieving a male baby using this procedure can be as high as 75% to 80%. The chance of achieving a female baby can be as high as 70% to 73%. The sperm isolation process cannot completely separate X sperm from Y sperm. Therefore, there is no 100% guarantee. For patients desiring a female child, using Clomiphene Citrate may optimize successful outcome. For patients desiring a male child, Clomiphene Citrate may decrease success rates. The use of this sperm sorting method with injectable medications for ovarian stimulation has not been studied as extensively to provide exact success rates.
For more details and for pricing, please contact the RCCNJ website www.rc-cnj.com or contact our offices.