Sexual Differentiation. Intermediate
Description
A baby's gender is determined at the time of conception when a sperm cell containing either an X or a Y chromosome fertilizes an egg cell. An X from the father means the baby will be a girl, and a Y means it will be a boy. Although the fetus' sex is determined at conception, the external sexual organs do not develop until month 4 of pregnancy. At week 7 after conception the fetus appears sexually neutral, looking neither male nor female. Over the next five weeks a male fetus begins producing hormones, called androgens (mainly testosterone), which induce the sexual organs to form in a male pattern. This process is called sexual differentiation. A female fetus does not produce sex hormones, and the absence of androgens causes the formation of female sex organs. At week 7 the sex organs of a male and a female fetus appear identical. In both genders the genital tubercle forms either the penis in the male or the clitoris in the female.
Runtime
2 min
Subjects
Genre
Date of Publication
[2013], c2010
Database
Films on Demand
Direct Link
Similar Films
Placenta Formation
The Anatomy of reproduction
Science of Men
The Sixth extinction. Human role
Asia. Deadly Dozen
Missing women. Female-selective abortion and infanticide
Genes and cloning. Science of selective breeding
Birds of Hispaniola
Waiting for a heartbeat. Battle against miscarriage
Infants. Fight for life
Playing God. Active Environmental Management
Snake Underworld
Need to Breed. Great Migrations
The Life and Legend of Jane Goodall
Have More Sex, Live Longer?