The UAE's first genetic-selected baby will be born within two weeks to a couple with a long history of infertility, a report said .

The baby is conceived through the same process that allows couples to choose the sex of their baby, said a report in the Gulf News.

Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) checks foetuses conceived in the laboratory for chromosomal abnormalities, such as Trisomy 13 and 21.

The process can also check the gender of the foetus, whether it is girl or boy.

'They had repeated failures of implantation, so I told them when PGD is available, we will try it,' director of the public-funded Dubai Gynecological and Fertility Centre Dr Husnia Gargash is quoted to have said in the report.

The Emirati couple had been trying to conceive for years, the report added.

The attempt was successful and the woman, who is in her 30s, became pregnant with a baby boy in May. Dr Husnia said the centre used PGD not to select the gender of the baby but to ensure he had no chromosomal abnormalities, which was likely considering his father's infertility problem.

Dr Husnia added that the centre has initiated 16 successful PGD pregnancies, with a success rate of about 50 per cent.