The Wildest Pregnancy Scheme We've Heard

Some NYC parents are timing pregnancies to get their kids into top private schools.

By Deborah Skolnik February 13, 2018

Some couples want a summer baby, and do their best to make it happen. Others try to make sure their child will arrive during a time when their favorite OB will be available to oversee the delivery. And, of course, some parents try to space out their pregnancies so they won’t have two children in diapers at once.

But would you time an in vitro fertilization to raise your child’s odds of getting into an elite private school? According to a new story published in the New York Post, that’s exactly what some ambitious New York City couples are now doing.

Angst for August, September Babies

Dr. Brian Levine, the practice director of CCRM New York, an all-inclusive fertility center, told the Post that it’s not uncommon for patients to time their embryo transfers to increase their unborn child’s chances of being admitted a top private school.

“The concern is, they want every door open when it comes to private school. They feel like they’ve planned their pregnancy perfectly and part of planning the pregnancy perfectly is planning their kid’s trajectory,” said Levine. “And they want to give their child every shot possible.”

Proper timing is especially a consideration with embryo transfers around November and December, Dr. Levine said, since those will result in August and September babies. Children usually need to be 5 years old by September 1 to be admitted to kindergarten; otherwise they get held back till the following year.

Pros and Cons of Putting off Pregnancy

Many of Levine’s patients, the doctor said, are leery of having a child who won’t make the cut, or who may end up being the youngest in the class. This season alone, Levine shared, roughly five patients put off their embryo transfers because of concerns about how it might ultimately affect school admission.

Still, some some opt for a November embryo transfer purposely—if they know they’ll be having a boy, they may prefer for him to start preschool a year later and be the oldest in his class.