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Is it true that all fetuses start out as female

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Driftr, Apr 23, 2016.

  1. Driftr

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    I don't exactly remember the links but I do remember reading a few articles that say this but then I remember some other articles tried to challenge this idea, saying that we don't actually start off as any gender.


    Does anyone know for sure? I think it would be really helpful to know for sure when explaining transgenderism to someone, especially a transphobe. I'd just be like "Hey, you were once a female too" if it's a guy LOOL!
     
  2. Euler

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    That is not entirely accurate. Sex is in the DNA and as such is present since the inception. However, the sex characteristics of the fetus don't develop until some time into the development and without a DNA test it is impossible to tell which sex the fetus is.

    So saying to a guy that you were once a female is simply not true.
     
  3. IronyIsMySkill

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    All I have to go off of on this question is my mother being a nurse and working in the pediatric part. So, what I say might not be internality accurate. According to my mother fetuses are generally born with more chromosomes that resemble females or something of that nature. So, yes? But, that does not make being transgender any less valid at all, but as said I could be wrong. Euler sounds like he knows what he is talking about compared to me so.
     
  4. HerrinDesFeuers

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    There's a region on the Y chromosome (SRY) that codes for a protein (TDF) that makes gender-undifferentiated gametes form testicles. If SRY or TDF aren't there, the gametes form ovary tissue.
    The testicles then produce testosterone which causes the formation of the male primary sex characteristics.
    The lack of testosterone in the female embryo leads to the formation of the female primary sex characteristics.
    So you could say that everyone would actually become female, but that some people become male because of the expression of some genes on their Y chromosome. But as Euler said, the combination of the chromosomes is already given at the fertilization, so someone who has a functioning Y chromosome can't become female even though the gametes are still indifferentiated (unless because of some hormonal disorders or idk).
    Also, the X chromosomes play a currently unsolved role in the female sex development, too, so it's not just about the Y chromosome.
    That's just the basic knowledge from my biology lessons, but I think there's so much more you have to take into consideration because the whole topic is really complex. Too complex to simply say that everyone was once female.
    My use of the terms male and female only refers to the anatomical sex, so I don't mean to sound transphobic.
    Also, I was too lazy to look up all the technical terms in English, so please forgive me if I used them wrong.
     
  5. Invidia

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    Well, early babies don't ever have penises, they all have a clitoris (which may or may not grow into a penis).
     
  6. Libertino

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    This is something I've always wondered as well. I've oft heard it said that all fetuses begin as female or at least, that the female is somehow the default and the male derived from it. But considering that my knowledge of biology is limited, I don't know the answer, though based on the responses I'm reading it sounds as if that is not true, especially given that the chromosomes for sex development are present at fertilization (i.e. the ovum contains one X chromosome, and the sperm provides the other, either X or Y, i.e. female or male, respectively).

    What is true, however, is that at a certain stage of embryonic development, we have a tail :slight_smile:
     
    #6 Libertino, Apr 23, 2016
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2016
  7. R M

    R M
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    what I heard is that you dont have a gender for the first 6 weeks. after those 6 weeks it will be chosen if you will actually become a boy or a girl. thats why males have nipples while they actually have no purpose for men. they grow before it is chosen what gender you will become.

    hope I made sense lol
     
    #7 R M, Apr 23, 2016
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2016
  8. Austin

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    XY or XX (or any uncommon variation) is encoded into your genes. The code of your genes don't change. But, I believe expression is different in the very beginning until the Y chromosome is activated in males.
     
  9. Lipstick Leuger

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    Basically, yes....there is actually more to it than that, the human egg is ALWAYS an X. So, technically until the sperm hits it and is a Y, the egg is female. Your Chromosomes dictate how your body will sexualize, a penis or a clitoris, but your brain does not get sexualized until much later. This is the base and newest theory of why Transpeople exist. The second hormonal wash is different than the first one.
     
  10. Plattyrex

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    That sounds pretty dumb. I don't think a fetus is complex enough to really have a gender.
     
  11. Kev1963

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    To be honest I'm not really sure, but I think it's more about early fetal development. If it turns out that the brain develops inside the penis I'm pretty sure it turns out male :grin:

    ==========
    I have no sense of humor. I'll laugh at anything.