Choose your baby's gender safely and accurately — before pregnancy begins. Through PGT-A genetic testing within an IVF cycle, our specialists help you shape the family you've always pictured.
Family balancing is gender selection performed so both genders are represented in a family — a couple with two sons who hope for a daughter, or only daughters who hope for a son.
It's made possible by Pre-implantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A) within an IVF cycle. After embryos reach the blastocyst stage, their DNA is tested — this screens for genetic abnormalities and, at the same time, identifies each embryo's sex chromosomes (X and Y). You then transfer an embryo of your chosen gender.
PGT-A (Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy) screens embryos created through IVF to ensure they have the correct number of chromosomes. It identifies embryos with extra or missing chromosomes (aneuploidy) — a major cause of failed implantation, recurrent miscarriage, and conditions such as Down syndrome.
During PGT-A, a single cell or a small number of cells is removed from the embryo. The DNA of these cells is then tested to see whether there are any chromosomal abnormalities. Only embryos without chromosomal abnormalities are placed back in the womb.
Every family's story is different. These are the situations we most often help with.
Already have children of one gender and hope for the opposite — the most common reason, and exactly what family balancing is designed for.
PGT-A checks whether the embryo has 46 chromosomes (23 from each parent). An embryo that has more or fewer than 46 chromosomes is less likely to result in a healthy pregnancy. Examples of chromosomal disorders include Down syndrome, Turner syndrome and Patau syndrome.
Parents who have always pictured both a son and a daughter, and want the reassurance of a planned, balanced household.
Knowing the gender — and health — of an embryo before implantation brings clarity and lets you prepare for the baby to come.
Couples undergoing IVF or ICSI for infertility who choose to add PGT-A for both healthy-embryo selection and family balancing.
Patients travelling to the UAE — a global leader in gender selection — for its clear legal framework and high-tech laboratories.
PGT-A doesn't predict or design an embryo's gender. It reveals the sex and health of the embryos you've already created, so you can transfer the one that completes your family.
Family balancing follows a full IVF cycle, with genetic testing added before the embryo is transferred. Here's exactly what happens.
Your specialist reviews your family history and the reason you're considering gender selection, and assesses both partners to confirm you meet the health criteria for IVF.
A meeting with our genetic counsellor explains how PGT-A works, its benefits and limits, and guides you both through the decision — an essential, unhurried conversation.
The female partner's ovaries are stimulated to produce multiple eggs. Once mature, the eggs are retrieved under light sedation in a short day-case procedure.
The retrieved eggs are fertilised with the male partner's sperm using IVF/ICSI, forming embryos that are cultured in the laboratory.
Once embryos reach the blastocyst stage, a few cells are biopsied and tested with PGT-A — screening the DNA for abnormalities and detecting the sex chromosomes.
With the gender and health of each embryo known, you choose which to transfer. A single healthy embryo of your preferred gender is placed into the uterus.
Beyond choosing gender, testing your embryos brings real clinical advantages.
Only the healthiest embryos — those with the best chance of a healthy pregnancy — are transferred.
Knowing an embryo's gender and health before implantation helps you plan and prepare with confidence.
Choosing a chromosomally healthy embryo reduces the risk of genetic disease and of miscarriage.
Because a single tested embryo can be transferred with confidence, the risks of twins or triplets are avoided.
The UAE offers one of the world's clearest legal frameworks for gender selection — permitted both to prevent gender-linked genetic disorders and for family balancing.
One clear, all-inclusive package — no hidden line items. Here's exactly what it covers, and how it compares.
A truly all-inclusive package: IVF/ICSI, hormone injections and the trigger shot, PGT-A run in our own in-house genetic lab, embryo freezing and a frozen embryo transfer (FET) — with no surprise add-ons.
Get your personalised quote| What the package includes | Covered |
|---|---|
| IVF / ICSI cycle Stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilisation and embryology | Included |
| Hormone injections & trigger shot Full stimulation medication and the final trigger injection — usually billed separately at other clinics | Included |
| PGT-A genetic testing — in-house lab Blastocyst biopsy, chromosome screening and gender identification, processed in our own on-site genomics laboratory | Included |
| Embryo freezing Vitrification and secure storage of your embryos | Included |
| Frozen embryo transfer (FET) Transfer of your chosen healthy embryo | Included |
| Genetic counselling & consultation Specialist and counsellor guidance throughout | Included |
If you're considering family balancing at our clinics in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Al Ain, the pathway is clear and supported at every stage.
Meet the ART Fertility consultants at each of our UAE clinics.
Group Medical Director · Consultant Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Specialist Reproductive Medicine & Infertility · Medical Director
Scientific Director
Specialist Reproductive Medicine & Infertility
Specialist Reproductive Medicine & Infertility
Medical Director, Dubai
Consultant Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility
Senior Gynecologist & Infertility Specialist
Specialist Reproductive Medicine & Infertility
Specialist Reproductive Medicine & Infertility
Consultant Reproductive Medicine and IVF
Specialist Reproductive Medicine & Infertility
Specialist Reproductive Medicine & Infertility
Consultant Reproductive Medicine & Infertility
Book at whichever is closest — international patients welcome.
Villa No. B22-25, Marina Village, Behind Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Marina VillageJumeirah Street, Umm Suqeim 3, Dubai, UAE · Opposite Burj Al Arab
Umm Suqeim 3311C, Al Razi 64-D, Third Floor, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, UAE
Healthcare CityHamdan Bin Mohammad St, 61 Al Tamam St, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Al AinYes. Gender selection is possible during IVF in Dubai through Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PGT). It is strictly regulated to prevent gender-linked genetic disorders and is also permitted for family balancing. The process screens embryos for their X and Y chromosomes before they are transferred to the uterus.
Yes. Gender selection is legal in Dubai for medical reasons — such as preventing genetic disorders — and for family balancing. The process requires Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PGT) and must be performed at licensed fertility clinics.
The cost varies with your IVF treatment, genetic testing requirements and clinical protocol. At our clinics, a specialised package that includes IVF, ICSI and PGT-A for gender selection — together with embryo freezing and a frozen embryo transfer — is priced at AED 39,000.
Family balancing through IVF with PGT is highly reliable for gender identification, because gender is determined by PGT-A — which screens the actual X and Y chromosomes of the embryo — rather than by estimation. Overall treatment success also depends on embryo quality, the number of embryos available and uterine health, which your specialist will discuss with you.
Regulations differ: some countries allow gender selection only for medical reasons, while others permit family balancing. The UAE is a global leader, offering a progressive legal framework for both medical needs and family balancing. Combining high-tech laboratories with reliable PGT-A testing, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have become premier destinations for international families seeking expert care and dependable results.
No. Gender selection doesn't let you decide what gender your embryos should be — you can't simply choose to produce male or female embryos. PGT-A doesn't predict the gender of the embryos you create; it identifies the gender and health of the embryos you already have, so you can select a preferred one from that pool.
Yes. Family balancing through genetic testing involves assisted reproduction. The couple undergoes an IVF cycle so that embryos can be created and then genetically tested before one of the chosen gender is transferred.
Book a consultation at the clinic closest to you and start your journey with confidence — with the world's leading fertility experts beside you.