How is the Sex of the Baby Determined

Determining the Sex of the Baby

  • We know that there are 23 pairs of chromosomes present inside the nucleus of every human cell.
  • These chromosomes have a thread-like structure and they always occur in pairs.
  • The chromosomes help in determining the sex of the child.
  • Out of the 23 pairs of chromosomes, 2 of them are sex chromosomes called X and Y.
  • Females have two X chromosomes and males have one X and one Y chromosome.
  • The gametes contain only one set of chromosomes that is either an X or a Y.
  • The egg of the female contains an X chromosome always.
  • However, the sperm can contain only one of the X and Y chromosomes.
  • So if the sperm that contains a Y chromosome fertilizes with the egg which contains the X chromosome, the zygote develops into a male.
  • On the other hand, if the sperm contains an X chromosome and fertilizers with the egg which contains an X chromosome, the zygote develops into a female.
  • Hence the sex of the child depends upon the chromosomes of the father and not the mother
Determination of Sex in Humans