Question

An XX embryo is exposed to greater than normal amounts of testosterone due to congenital adrenal hyperplasia. This will most likely cause the embryo to?

1) Develop male reproductive organs
2) Develop female reproductive organs
3) Develop both male and female reproductive organs
4) Not develop any reproductive organs

Answer 1

An XX embryo exposed to excess testosterone due to congenital adrenal hyperplasia will develop female reproductive organs with potential masculinization of external genitalia, but not a complete male reproductive system.

Step-by-step explanation:

An XX embryo with congenital adrenal hyperplasia exposed to greater than normal amounts of testosterone will most likely develop female reproductive organs with some degree of masculinization. While testosterone can influence the development of male characteristics, the absence of the SRY gene on the Y chromosome means that the default pathway is towards female development. In the presence of excess testosterone, there might be virilization of external genitalia but without the SRY gene, a complete male reproductive system does not develop and the internal reproductive organs remain typically female.