Indifferent Stage

The primordial germ cells will migrate from the yolk sac to the gonadal ridge during the indifferent
stage. These cells pass through the early primitive streak and become located as a small cluster of cells
in the extraembryonic mesoderm. These cells become incorporated into the endoderm of the posterior
wall of the yolk sac, where they are dislocated from the embryonic disc. Later on, the PGCs shift to a site
in the mesoderm along the yolk sac and allantois stalks.

From there they apparently migrate in the wall of the hindgut and through the dorsal mesentery until
they reach the newly formed genital ridge. PGCs divide during migration to the gonadal ridge. PGCs
undergo mitotic arrest. The site of development for gonads is an elongated region of steroidogenic
mesoderm along the ventromedial border of the mesonephros.

When the PGCs arrive in the gonadal ridge, the resident mesenchymal cells and the coelomic epithelium
proliferate and, consequently, the developing gonadal ridges moves towards the coelomic cavity. Cords
of epithelial cells from the mesonephric tubules and regressing glomerular capsules goes into the
mesenchyme of the genital ridge and form irregularly shaped cords, the primitive sex cords or gonadal
cords, that incorporate PGCs. In both sexes these cords are temporarily connected to the surface
epithelium.