Chrissy Teigen did not conceive a baby girl by chance.
While undergoing IVF, the 30-year-old model and TV host chose the sex of her and husband John Legend‘s first child. Teigen has been candid about their fertility struggles. She revealed her pregnancy in October and said in December they are expecting a daughter.
“I’ve made this decision,” Teigen told People in an interview published Wednesday, a day after the release of her new cookbook, Cravings. “Not only am I having a girl, but I picked the girl from her little embryo. I picked her and was like, ‘Let’s put in the girl.'”
“I think I was most excited and allured by the fact that John would be the best father to a little girl. That excited me,” she added. “It excited me to see…just the thought of seeing him with a little girl. I think he deserves a little girl. I think he deserves that bond.”
Choosing a baby’s sex is possible through preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) or preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), optional add-ons some fertility clinics offer with their IVF treatments, which some people find controversial.
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Teigen plans on giving their child a baby brother one day.
“A boy will come along,” she told People. “We’ll get there too, so it’s not like we really have to pick. But [John] definitely is very lucky to have a little girl. And this girl is going to be so completely lucky to have John as her papa—it’s crazy!”
Many women who undergo IVF end up with at least one embryo left over and many of them end up freezing them for future use. Teigen has not revealed whether she and Legend have done so.
PGS and PGD are becoming increasingly popular at top IVF clinics. Several cells from a person’s embryos are biopsied and tested for chromosomal abnormalities and genetic defects. Discarding the affected ones can reduce the chances of miscarriage significantly.
With preconception sex selection, single cells are tested to detect X and Y chromosomes. Many patients choose the method to avoid passing on a chromosome linked genetic disorder. Others do so for family balancing or simply out of personal preference. Preconception sex selection for non-medical reasons has for years raised ethical question. The practice is banned in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and China.
Chrissy Teigen’s pregnancy style
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