Development of a Female Fetus
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The development of a fetus from conception to birth is an extremely intricate biological process often described as, quite simply, miraculous. During this 40-week period, a fertilized egg called a zygote grows from 46 chromosomes to a fully developed human being. Each stage of gestation is unique and occurs at the proper time in the pregnancy. Like their male counterparts, the gender of the female fetus is determined in the early stages of pregnancy.
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When sperm meets egg, conception occurs and creates a zygote. This microscopic group of cells contains all of the DNA necessary to create a fully functioning human being in its 46 chromosomes. The gender of the fetus is already predetermined by two sex chromosomes, with a female fetus having two X chromosomes and male fetuses having an XY chromosomal structure.
In the first six weeks of development after conception, or the first eight weeks of the pregnancy, the fetus is neither expressly female nor male. However, the genetic material necessary to create either of the two reproductive systems exists in the form of indifferent gonads, which become ovaries or testicles around the sixth week of gestation. The gonads are also responsible for producing the hormones androgen for male babies and estrogen for female babies. These hormones are imperative in the creation of the reproductive system. At the same time that the gonads are developing, a different set of cells are producing gametes, which will eventually generate egg or sperm cells.
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In a female fetus, organs called Mullerian ducts begin to develop into the Fallopian tubes, uterus and vagina six weeks after conception. At the 12-week mark, the gonads have grown to become the ovaries and the clitoris and labia begin to develop. While it is possible to see the developing fetus and hear a heartbeat using an ultrasound transducer at six weeks, it is still too early to be able to detect the sex organs, even though they are in place at this stage of development. If the baby is in a favorable position, it may be possible to identify its sex as early as the 16th week, although it is more common for this to take place in the 20th week of pregnancy. While gender does dictate the development of the different reproductive organs, the development of other bodily systems, such as the respiratory system or the circulatory system, develop at the same time and pace in both sexes.
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