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Infertility
 




The inability to conceive after a year of unprotected intercourse or the inability to carry a pregnancy to term.  Generally speaking XXYs and variants typically produce zero sperm that would normally appear in a sperm test, but that does not mean that sperm is non-existent. Recent medical fertility improvements include a testicular biopsy to work out the reason behind an absence of sperm cells (azoospermia), and is also used for testicular sperm extraction (TESE). Testicular sperm extraction, coupled with in vitro fertilisation(IVF), can result in a full term pregnancy.

Though numerous pregnancies from XXY fathers have resulted from TESE and IVF there has also been a slight, but significant, increase in sex-chromosome abnormalities with respect to controls. (Meiotic behaviour of the sex chromosomes in three patients with sex chromosome anomalies (47,XXY, mosaic 46,XY/47,XXY and 47,XYY) assessed by fluorescence in-situ hybridization J. Blanco1, J. Egozcue and F. Vidal). Interestingly, the same article notes that "probably all Klinefelter males who produce spermatozoa in any numbers are XY/XXY mosaics."


Further Reading and Resources:


Strategies for infertility treatment in Klinefelter Syndrome, an abstract published by Göteborgs University.


intracytoplasmic sperm insertion




















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The wife of an XXY, Wendy, writes an extremely timely and important letter about her family's successful odyssey to conceive a child.

Excellent infertility sites:

Resolve, a non-profit organization.

The International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination (INCIID)

Klinefelter Syndrome in Adolescence: Onset of Puberty Is Associated with Accelerated Germ Cell Depletion is a technical investigation of whether adolescent patients with KS have germ cells (sperm) and evaluates whether early puberty is the optimal period for retrieving germ cells for further use in ICSI.

Benchmark semen analysis and collection instructions.

A technical examination of Male Infertility

Another technical and very thorough examination of male infertility, including testes biopsy and ICSI, at the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Microsurgery, Cornell University.




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This page first created: May 24, 1999