Kim Kardashian confirms she used gender selection for her third baby to ensure they used the healthiest embryo

Kim Kardashian has revealed the reason why she and Kanye West 'picked' the gender for their third child, Chicago, who was born via surrogate in January this year.

The reality TV star has spoken previously about her traumatic pregnancy experiences, with Kim experiencing complications during both of her previous two pregnancies. As a result, she was advised not to carry her third child and opted for surrogacy.

During an interview with ELLE, Kim confirmed that she and husband Kanye had 'picked' their third child in a process that can be used for gender selection. However, the star revealed that the couple's primary prerogative was not to choose the gender of their third baby.

As with most parents, Kim and Kanye just wanted the healthiest baby possible. So the 37-year-old explained that she asked the doctors to use the healthiest embryo - and this happened to be a girl.

Opening up to the magazine Kim said, 'It's a really tricky thing. 'What sex do you put in?'I just said, 'Which one is the healthiest? Pick the healthiest one', and that was a girl.'

The identity of Kim and Kanye's surrogate remains private but Kim has said how thankful she is and revealed during the interview about the requests she gave the woman who eventually delivered her third child.

Kim wanted the baby to be born in Los Angeles as this is where her other two children, North, four, and two-year-old Saint were both born.

Kim shared the first picture of Chicago on her Instagram page last month

The surrogate is thought to have eaten a well-balanced, mostly organic diet during the pregnancy - but this wasn't at Kim's request, who in fact urged her to snack if she craved it.

Kim explained, 'I straight-up told her, 'Look, I ate doughnuts every single day. If you want doughnuts and ice cream, go for it. Do whatever you feel. I'm not going to be picky like that'.'

Kim added: 'I hated being pregnant. But as much as I hated it, I still wished I could have done it on my own. The control is hard at the beginning. Once you let that go, it's the best experience. I would recommend surrogacy for anybody.'