Abstract
The fetal testes develop in close association with the mesonephros (Figure 1). The coelomic epithelium which covers the mesonephric ridge thickens and forms a primary blastema that includes the primordial germ cells. The formation of an indifferent gonad showing no sexual differentiation takes place between growth stages 5 mm and 15 mm, a period which corresponds to the 5th and 6th weeks of gestational age. During the 6th week of fetal life, the gonad differentiates into either a testis or an ovary. In the testicular anlage the primary blastema becomes separated from the coelomic epithelium by a primitive tunica albuginea, forming a medullary blastema which immediately differentiates into testicular cords and interstitial tissue (Wartenberg 1978). In the ovarian anlage the first ingrowth of the primary blastema terminates.
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Hafez, E.S.E. (1980). Embryology and Functional Anatomy of Male Reproductive Organs. In: Lipshultz, L.I., Corriere, J.N., Hafez, E.S.E. (eds) Surgery of the Male Reproductive Tract. Clinics in Andrology, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8849-1_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8849-1_1
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