Zoe Ellen Brain
Jul 20, 2017 · 1 min read

The Consumer Health Digest necessarily over-simplifies to the 1890 version of biology.

Example:
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Jan;93(1):182–9

A 46,XY mother who developed as a normal woman underwent spontaneous puberty, reached menarche, menstruated regularly, experienced two unassisted pregnancies, and gave birth to a 46,XY daughter with complete gonadal dysgenesis.

1 in 300 men don’t have the 46,XY chromosomes most men do. Some women are 46,XY, and rarely, so are the daughters they give birth to.

As for “splicing chromosomes” — that’s not needed to change them. A bone marrow transplant will do it. Senescent cells are gradually replaced by stem cells from the bone marrow. So the transplant recipient’s body gradually becomes partly genetically identical over time to the donor.

A woman can end up with a reproductive system that is genetically identical to the cells of a male donor.

Bone marrow-derived cells from male donors can compose endometrial glands in female transplant recipients by Ikoma et al in Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Dec;201(6):608.e1–8

This would all be a bit too complicated for Consumer Health Digest, wouldn’t it? It’s advanced Med School stuff. I know — I teach it.

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    Zoe Ellen Brain

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