title: A retrospective chromosome studies among Iranian infertile women: Report of 21 years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The infertility is an important health problem, affecting about 15% of couples. The important role of genetic factors in pathogenesis of infertility is now increasingly recognized. The value of karyotyping women in the routine work-out of couples referred for sterility has long been recommended.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to define the frequency of all chromosomal aberrations among women which referred to our department due to infertility during the 21-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this 21-year retrospective study, for the first time, we investigated 896 women which referred to our department due to infertility during 1986 to 2006. For chromosome analysis, heparinized peripheral blood samples were cultured, harvested and banded according to standard methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 896 patients, 710 patients (79.24%) had a normal karyotype, and 186 patients (20.76%) showed abnormal karyotype. Among the abnormal ones 48 patients (25.81%) showed Turner's syndrome (45,X), and 45 patients (24.19%) were sex reversal with 46,XY karyotype. The rest of 93 patients (50%) revealed a wide range of chromosome abnormalities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results emphasized the importance of the standard cytogenetic methods in assessing the genetic characteristics of infertile females, which allows detecting a variety of somatic chromosome abnormalities, because some of these may interfere with the success of reproduction.
authors.affiliation: Genetics Group, Cancer Research Center, Cancer Institute of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Cyrus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Azimi
authors.affiliation: Genetics Group, Cancer Research Center, Cancer Institute of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Malihea
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khaleghian
authors.affiliation: Genetics Group, Cancer Research Center, Cancer Institute of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farzanfar
keywords: Chromosome abnormalities; Infertile women; Karyotyping