title: Chromosome heteromorphisms: an impact on infertility.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cytogenetic heteromorphisms are described as heritable variations at specific chromosomal regions without a proven impact on phenotype.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared the presence of chromosome heteromorphisms in the karyotypes of two patient groups. The first group of patients consisted of 276 individuals of 138 infertile couples. The second group, consisted of 1,130 amniocentesis samples. This group was considered to be a sample of the fertile population, as the fetus being karyotyped is the result of a spontaneous pregnancy. Fetal karyotyping was made due to the standard indications for prenatal diagnosis, such as abnormal maternal serum screening results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Eighteen infertile patients (6.52%) and twenty fetuses (1.77%) were found to have chromosome heteromorphisms. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results are consistent with other similar studies that suggest the yet undefined relationship between chromosome heteromorphisms and infertility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Kubilay sok. No: 36 Maltepe, Ankara, 06570, Turkey. feridesahin@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Feride Iffet
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.forename: Zerrin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Ozge Ozalp
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Yuregir
authors.forename: Tugce
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bulakbasi
authors.forename: Ozge
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.forename: Hulusi Bulent
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Zeyneloglu
mesh_terms: D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000235:genetics*; D007621:Karyotyping; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy