A Pandora box was opened inadvertently two weeks ago, when I wrote on “male infertility “. “Doc, you said men are responsible for male sex – how? Doc, I do not understand how men are responsible for the sexes of their children? Doc, please send me a text, on how my wife can give birth to a male child.
Doctors have always shouted themselves hoarse, with regular reminders that, it is a given,and a scientific desidaratum, that males are reponsible for the sexes of their babies. I could understand our great, great grandfathers of stone age, who were ignorant and thought that women determine babies’ sexes. At this digital age, it is unpardonable for us to still think like that, when we could, at the the touch of a button, verify the truth. For the uninitiated let me explain the basics again.
Why sexual reproduction?
In “Man’s Body” by “The Diagrams Group”, it was stated that, some creatures such as amoeba – reproduce by just splitting into two. That may be convenient. But the resulting offspring are very predictable. One amoeba can father endless generations, but the youngest will be identical with the first.
Sexual reproduction, in contrast, gives almost infinite variety, for the off springs characteristics are a jumbled mixture from both parents’ family tree. Some have some talents, and some manage to combine many talents: all of which helps a “species” as complex as man to survive in a complex and demanding world.
Sexual inheritance
Every cell in the human body contains a “blueprint “ of information on the the basis of which it was constructed. This information is contained in 23 pairs of chromosomes, which lie in the nucleus of the cell. The chromosomes determine the output of protein, the basic building unit: which proteins the cell manufactures, when and how. This in turn determines the cell’s characteristics and activities.
Boy or Girl?
• Of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in a man’s body cell, 22 are always matching pairs – each chromosome in the pair is similar. Women also have their 23rd pair identical: they are both called X-chromosomes. But men, instead, have two chromosomes that do not match. One is X-chromosome, as in women, while the other is different, and is called Y-chromosome.
• It is these final chromosomes that contain the code that determine sex. When two XX combination occurs, a female is produced, but when the Y in male and X in female combines: XY results which produces a male.
• The Y-chromosome is only produced by males, as well as an X-chromosome, but females produce only two XX-chromosomes and no Y. So for a male child to be produced, it requires the male donating its Y-chromosome, to combine with one of the X-chromosome of the female, to form XY = male. And for a female to be produced, it requires the male donating an X-chromosome instead of Y, to combine with the female X-chromosome to form XX = female.
• When a female cell splits, for sexual reproduction, the sexual cell that results contains one chromosome from each of the 23 pairs – including one X-chromosome. When the male cell splits, for sexual reproduction, the sexual cell contains, one chromosome from each of the 22-identical-pairs, plus either X or Y chromosome – but not both. Whichever one-half that fertilised the split-half of the female, determines the offspring’s sex
• If it is an X-chromosome, it forms a pair with the female’s X-chromosome resulting in XX and a female baby is formed. If it is Y-chromosome-half that unites with of course always an X-half of the female to form XY then a male baby is born.
Why are more females than males born?
According to various scientific researches, there are more male stillbirths than female stillbirths, and the sooner the stillbirth occurs in a term pregnancy, the more likely it is to be a male. At 4 months of pregnancy, there are two male stillbirths for every female stillbirth. At full term it more like 1.5 to 1. This is the statistics in developing countries. In advanced societies it is about 105 male stillbirths to 100 female-stillbirths. Reason – female foetuses are more resistant to stress. Now you know why there are more women than men.
What is our take this week
Everyman should know that he is responsible for the sex of his babies. If he blames his wife again…..Holy Ghost………. Remain medically guided.
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