How is the sex of your unborn baby determined?

How is the sex of your unborn baby determined? Contrary to popular belief, babies don't start off as females and then turn into males (if they are to be a boy) . Sex is determined at the point of conception and it's all to do with chromosomes. Females carry the XX chromosomes and males the xy chromosomes. One is from each parent. All the eggs us females carry only have the X chromosome. Sperm contains a mixture of X and Y (female and male) so can you see where this is heading? The sex of the baby is completely reliant on what sperm reaches the egg first. . A male embryo will carry both X and Y chromosomes but the Y chromosome doesnt activate and start genital development until some weeks into pregnancy. . It is the father that deternines the baby's sex. If an X sperm reaches the X egg, the chromosomes that develop will be XX (female) if a Y sperm recahes the X egg first, the chromosomes will be XY (male) . So you see, the baby's sex is determined as soon as they are conceived. It just takes a while for the sex organs to develop and be visible on ultrasound - usually around 16 weeks. . . . #reproduction #health #eggs #dna #genetics #gender #boy #girl #lesson #teach