The cytogenetics of infertility

Abstract

The World Health Organization has described infertility as a health problem of global concern. One in seven couples experiences infertility or subfertility [ 1 ]. Infertility is commonly de fi ned as absence of a pregnancy after a year of unprotected intercourse. For information about cytogenetic aspects of spontaneous abortions, please refer to Chap. 13. Male factor and female factor infertility each accounts for about 40% of cases of infertility, and the remaining 20% is a combination [ 2 ]. In this chapter, an overview of known causes of infertility will be presented so that the cytogenetic component's relative contribution can be placed into context.