ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the transformations brought about by pregnancy itself, and at the further reshuffling of emotions and fantasies as a woman develops her new identity as a mother. Sex chromosomes determine the differentiation of the ovary and the testes in the developing fetus after examining how the early experiences and needs are reflected in the desire for a child. At "critical" moments of fetal development, high levels of circulating androgens determine the formation of typical male external genitalia. At birth, a sex is assigned to the baby on the basis of the appearance of the external genitalia. This assignment plays a determinant role in developing gender identity. Similarly, a genetically male fetus that is insensitive to the influence of androgens during fetal life will look female at birth, with a vagina and the external characteristics of a female.
