The word sex has a wide variety of meanings, which can sometimes lead to confusion. It’s often used to mean intercourse, which can cause some people discomfort with the term and lead them to use euphemisms or alternate words (such as gender) for its other connotations. Another meaning of sex is the biological capacity by which humans and most other species reproduce. All mammals reproduce via two sexes: male and female. Sex can also refer to the X and Y chromosomes or even the specific SRY gene (normally found on the Y chromosome) that under typical conditions direct a human embryo to develop as either male or female. Occasionally, this differentiation process follows an atypical route and results in individuals with Differences of Sexual Development (DSDs), otherwise known as intersex conditions. The genitals and other organs associated with reproduction are “primary sexual characteristics.” Sex can also refer to “secondary sexual characteristics,” meaning observable characteristics such as body type, height, shape, voice, bone structure, hair growth patterns, fat distribution, etc. that other people can observe to varying degrees in everyday life.