Question

At what stage of development are the gametes formed in newborn male and female?

Answer 1

In males, at puberty, the spermatogonia (sperm mother cells) begin to undergo meiotic division and produces sperms throughout life, whereas in females during the stage of foetal development, the germinal epithelial cells undergo mitosis and produce oogonia (egg mother cells) and they further enter prophase I of meiotic division I forming primary oocytes and get arrested. No more oogonia is formed further. At puberty, out of million eggs (prime oocytes) produced at birth only 300-400 will ovulate till menopause.