Genetic Causes of Male Infertility You Should Know

1. Genetic Causes of Male Infertility You Should Know Male infertility is one of the major health problems face by the male humankind today. To understand the various causes leading to male infertility, one needs to first understand what male infertility is. Basically, male infertility is the inability of a male to cause pregnancy in a female. After a detailed survey is has been estimated that this health issue affects 7% of all men and is the cause of 40-50% of all infertility. There are a lot of causes of male infertility that has been looked into. The various causes include physical, mental and emotional causes. In addition to these factors, there is a major factor contributing to infertility in males, which is the genetic factor. Genetic factors leading to male infertility ●The main genetic causes of male infertility are the changes that occur to the chromosomes or the gene mutations that take place, leading to the sperm flow being blocked and hence, causing the issue of infertility. ●The most common genetic causes of male infertility are the chromosomal conditions that affect the production of sperms. The various syndromes/causes include Klinefelter’s syndrome. This syndrome instigates the production of another X chromosome in males. In males with Klinefelter’s syndrome the chromosome count is 47XXY as opposed to 46XY in fertile males. This syndrome is said to affect 1 in 650 men, but is seldom diagnosed. The extra X chromosome is believed to have been added in the early development of the embryo. However, siblings, especially brothers, have normal 46XY chromosome. The various symptoms include small testes, poor erections and low libido. ●Y chromosome deletions also contribute to the major causes of male infertility. Y chromosomes are extremely important for the production of sperms. When a Y chromosome is deleted, it is extremely difficult to produce sperms and it has directly lead to infertility in males. Y chromosome deletions take place in the embryo itself, and brothers and father are not affected in the least. This syndrome usually affects one in twenty men statistically. The disease can be diagnosed by means of blood tests. ●One of the main genetic causes of male infertility is the absence of the vas deferens congenitally. For a layman, a vas deferens is the duct that connects the testicle to the urethra and thus, which allows the sperms to take the same path. Congenital Absence of Vas Deferens, rather CAVD is a rare genital problem that occurs due to the absence of various reproductive parts like the vas deferens right from birth. This is a very serious problem that has to be dealt at the beginning itself. Treatment Most of the genetic causes of male infertility are non-treatable, and even if the treatment is available, it is very difficult to cure. For instance, there is no cure for the Klinefelter’s syndrome, but the patient has to undergo lifelong testosterone therapy to maintain the general health. Counselling is very much needed for people with Klinefelter’s syndrome and their best option fir an offspring is donor insemination. The males with CAVD should have

2. genetic counselling to discuss the risks and treatment related to this disease. The males with Y chromosome deletions have to understand that their condition may pass on to their offspring as well. So they may have to look into other methods to produce an offspring. Conclusion The prevalence of infertility in males is very high nowadays due to modern lifestyle and also the surrounding environment. People working in hazardous areas like nuclear power plants are highly susceptible to infertility due to radiation from these industries. There are a lot more genetic causes of male infertility that can be understood when the concerned doctor is consulted. The above article gives a brief overview of the various common and major genetic causes of male infertility and their treatment options.