[Laerkin]

I would highly, HIGHLY recommend reading "Woman: An Intimate Geography" by Natalie Angier. She's a biologist and examines the female body from genetics and hormones to cellular function in hysterical and engaging ways. I haven't laughed this hard during a book in a long while. But it's fascinatingly educational, too.

Did you know the X chromosome is large and healthy (carrying like 2,000 genes) while the Y chromosome is small, puny, fragile and only carries like 90 genes? The X chromosome, scientists are finding, is capable of tremendous things, far outside the scope of anything the Y chromosome is able to do.

Also, the egg is the only cell in the entire human experience that is capable of taking the DNA from any cell in the body and turning it into a multiplying zygote? Meaning, you can take a liver cell, isolate a few things, put it into an egg and voila - the egg turns on all of these light switches within the liver cell turning it into a full blown zygote and it begins to reproduce and form a new being (that's how cloning works - not advocating cloning here, just demonstrating the ultimate power of the egg!).

I think XYs have a lot to be worried about. Women are magical, powerful, genetically fantastic creatures capable of amazing things that they aren't even fully aware of.

But, I agree with you, June, that women suffer the consequences and are pushed into inferiority by some cultures for no reason other than fear. It's heartbreaking and infuriating all at once.

Originally Posted by June

Here is a good explanation I found via google-fu:
The father provides an X or Y chromosome; the mother always provides an X chromosome. Therefore, the sex of the child is determined by the chromosome of the individual sperm that fertilizes the egg.

Male offspring carry XY chromosomes; female offspring carry XX chromosomes.


Information from another contributor

the father deposits the semen containing sperms in the vagina of mother. ideally the X and the Y sperms are in same number (this is rarely the case).


the germ cell in father's testicle initially divides into 2 cells. one of which is Y sperm responsible for male child. second one is X sperm responsible for female child. These cells then each divide in 2 these 2 cells further divide in 2 each producing 4 of one kind. this process goes on and on to produce 50 millions to 150 millions sperms in the semen. Half of them are Y sperms and Other half are X sperms.


If the X sperm unite with female egg then a female child is born.


If Y sperm unite with female egg then a male child is produced.


As same number of Y and X sperms are deposited in the vagina; which type of sperm ultimately will unite with female egg depends on the conditions of female reproductive system. Whether the condition is favorable for the rapid and safe movement of X sperms or the Y sperms.


The Y sperms are very delicate and are easily get destroyed by acidic and toxic environment of vagina. Thus if the vagina is very acidic most of the Y sperms are destroyed the rest may get immobile and not fit to swim in the cervical canal.


The X sperms are stronger and can withstand the acidity and toxicity better.


Thus if the medium of the reproductive organ mainly vagina, cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes is not favorable then the Y sperms get destroyed or immobile and the surviving X sperms swim in to unite with X egg of the woman to produce female child. This is why failure of family planning method like condom, spermicides, jelly, or withdrawal mostly results in female child. Similarly women having vaginitis, cervicitis, leucorhea, candida infection, cervical erosion almost always produce female children.