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Gender is perhaps one of the most anticipated things about the birth of a baby. Although unpredictable, the sex determination of the child was not completely random as had been thought. According to one study, the father's genetic background plays a role in determining the sex of the baby born.
The relationship between genetic background and sex
Corry Gellatly, a researcher from Newcastle University, England, conducted research on the relationship between the genetic condition of parents and the sex of the child. He studied data on 927 family trees from North America and Europe compiled since the 17th century.
Through the family tree, Gellatly saw how much chance a person has to have a boy or a girl. It turns out that men who have more brothers are more likely to have boys.
Meanwhile, men who had more sisters tended to have daughters. He suspects that the relationship between the father's genetic condition and the sex of the child lies in the type of chromosome found in the father's sperm cells.
Sex is determined from the X and Y chromosomes. Males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome (XY), while women have two X (XX) chromosomes. Sperm cells can carry one X chromosome or one Y chromosome.
When the X chromosome in the sperm combines with the X chromosome from the egg, the baby born will be female (XX). Conversely, if the Y chromosome in the sperm meets the X chromosome from the egg, the baby will be male (XY).
Gellatly also suspected, the type of chromosome contained in sperm may be determined by an unknown gene. The gene may only be active in the father, and this is why the sex of the child cannot be estimated from the mother's genetic condition.
How can genes affect the gender of the child?
Gellatly provides a simple picture of his suspicion about genes that affect the chromosomes in sperm. Genes are pieces of DNA containing genetic information that are passed on to offspring. Genes are located on chromosomes.
Genes consist of two parts called alleles, each inherited from the father and mother. In Gellatly's theory, the 'm' allele makes sperm have a Y chromosome, while the 'f' allele makes sperm have an X chromosome.
Different combinations of alleles will affect the genetic condition as well as the sex of the child. Here's the picture:
- Men who have the mm allele produce more sperm on the Y chromosome so they have more sons.
- Men who have the mf allele produce the same number of X and Y chromosome sperm. The number of boys and girls is more or less the same.
- Men who have the ff allele produce more sperm on the X chromosome so they have more daughters.
The sex of a baby is said to be influenced by many factors, including the genetic condition of the parents. However, this is not always absolute and requires further research.
Both men and women, the most important thing is that you always maintain the health of the womb so that the fetus grows optimally. Gender is just one of the many surprises that make pregnancy feel good.
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