# Culling sperm **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-sperm/692891 "2014-07-11T22:19:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-sperm/692891/1 "2014-07-11T22:19:40Z")
I was wondering if any experiments have been performed with sperm culling methods before implanation. Basicaly altering the odds of certain types of sperm being used for conception. Any method you could dream of might accomplish this, temperature, ph, possibly using controlled frequency vibrations. Just find something that seems to give the odds to a particular character of sperm. If this has been performed, animal I assume, did it produce any thing detectably different. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-sperm/692891/2 "2014-07-11T22:27:06Z")
I want to add something to the question. I know sperm has been studied extensively, have sperm behaviors and types seen in the same person been categorized somehow? ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-sperm/692891/3 "2014-07-11T22:45:38Z")
Yes. [Sperm sorting](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sperm_sorting) exists. Flow cytometry has been used to sort sperm for sex selection purposes. It’s not 100% accurate, but it basically works. Some couples use this process along with IVF to change the odds of having a child severly affected by a sex linked genetic disorder. Usually they are selecting in favor of X bearing sperm in such cases to improve the odds of having a daughter. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-sperm/692891/4 "2014-07-11T22:48:55Z")
You can select for male or female children, IIRC, by spinning the sperm in a centrifuge and separating by density. X chromosomes are larger than Y chromosomes, so x-bearing sperm will sink to the bottom of the tube. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-sperm/692891/5 "2014-07-11T22:51:25Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > Yes. [Sperm sorting](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sperm_sorting) exists. Flow cytometry has been used to sort sperm for sex selection purposes. It’s not 100% accurate, but it basically works. > > Some couples use this process along with IVF to change the odds of having a child severly affected by a sex linked genetic disorder. Usually they are selecting in favor of X bearing sperm in such cases to improve the odds of having a daughter. Are there any existing computer programs that can recognize differences in the sperm and show them say as different colors, say you could program in for most similar divided into 10 types for example. It would recognize movement as well as physical characteristics,