A method for determining the sex of unborn children has been developed by three doctors working at the Weizmann institute of Science and the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, it was revealed in a report to both institutions published today.
The method depends upon the examination of the type of cells present in the amniotic fluid, the fluid surrounding the embryo. The percentage of certain specialized cells given off by the embryo and found in this fluid differs for each sex. An examination of the fluid in 20 cases resulted in accurate predictions every time. The investigation is being extended to include examination of the fluid at every stage of pregnancy.
The doctors who carried through the research, all between 27 and 31 years of age, are Dr. David Serr, of Leeds, England, now connected with the Hadassah; Dr. Beo Sachs, of Cambridge, England, now with the Weizmann Institute, and Dr. Mathilde Danon of Geneva University, new at the Weizmann Institute.
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