Genetic factors are proving to be important contributors to male infertility. Inherited disorders can genetically impair fertility.
Examples include the following:
- Cystic fibrosis patients often have missing or obstructed vas deferens (the tubes that carry sperm) and hence a low sperm
count;
- Klinefelter syndrome patients carry two X and one Y chromosomes (the norm is one X and one Y), which leads to the destruction of the lining
of the seminiferous tubules in the testicles during puberty, although most other male physical attributes are unimpaired;
- Kartagener syndrome,
a rare disorder that is associated with a reversed position of the major organs, also includes immotile cilia (hair-like cells in lungs and sinuses
that have a structure similar to the tails of sperm). Germ cells may also be affected by this condition.
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