title: Increased frequency of congenital chromosomal aberrations in female partners of couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
abstract: We evaluated the frequency of congenital chromosomal aberrations in a sample of 305 couples included in an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) programme. Twenty individuals (3.3%) with congenital chromosomal abnormalities could be identified. The following types of abnormalities were observed: reciprocal translocations (n = 7), Robertsonian translocations (n = 3), inversions (n = 3), other structural aberrations (n = 4) and sex chromosome aberrations (n = 3). The rate of chromosomally abnormal males (10/305, 3.3%) lay within the expected range for patients with reduced semen quality. Surprisingly, 50% (10/20) of all abnormal karyotypes were contributed by the female partner of ICSI patients. These data confirm the higher incidence of chromosomal aberrations in infertile populations as compared with the baseline population risk. Additionally, the data imply that in some cases of male factor infertility a hidden female chromosomal factor may be present, which cannot be identified by standard clinical evaluation. In conclusion, we recommend chromosomal analysis in both partners of couples undergoing ICSI treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: van der Ven
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peschka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montag
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schwanitz
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: van der Ven
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D003593:Cytoplasm; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections; D012307:Risk Factors; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions; D014178:Translocation, Genetic