IVF tilts odds towards baby boys, Australian study finds

AUSTRALIAN research has confirmed that undergoing IVF can tip the odds in the favour of having a baby boy.

A study which reviewed almost 13,400 babies born to couples who used assisted reproductive technology (ART) has shown how different laboratory techniques carry an unintended gender bias.

The biggest was seen in cases of IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) where the embryo had remained in its petrie dish for five days before it was implanted in the uterus.

In 56.1 per cent of these cases, it resulted in a baby boy.

"When you convert that to the sex ratio at birth, that's around 128 boys to 100 girls - that's quite significant," said PhD student Jishan Dean from the University of NSW.