The seminiferous tubules of the testis before, around and after birth

A study has been carried out on the width of the seminiferous tubules, and the proportion of pre-germinal cells, in 174 stillborn children between 24 and 40 weeks of gestation, and in 146 children dying between the ages of birth and six years. There was a general diminution in the diameter of the seminiferous tubule throughout the last trimester and immediately before birth, followed by a slow and steady increase in the diameter of the tubule throughout childhood. The germinal cells within the seminiferous tubules appear to be under some slightly increased stimulatory influence during the last few weeks prior to delivery, and under considerable stimulation in the first 4 or 5 weeks after birth. Following this these cells appear to diminish in size and become hidden among the Sertoli cells, to be re-stimulated around the time of puberty.