Infertility in Men - Male Reproductive System

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Genetic Disorders

Certain inherited disorders can impair fertility. Examples include:

• Cystic fibrosis can cause missing or obstructed vas deferens (the tubes that carry sperm).
• Polycystic kidney disease, a relatively common genetic disorder that causes large cysts to form on the kidneys and other organs during adulthood, may cause infertility as the first symptom if cysts develop in the reproductive tract.
• Klinefelter syndrome is marked by two X and one Y chromosomes (the norm is one X and one Y), which leads to the destruction of the lining of the seminiferous tubules in the testicles during puberty, although most other male physical attributes are unimpaired.
• Kartagener syndrome, a rare disorder that is associated with a reversed position of the major organs, also causes impaired sperm motility.

Review Date: 10/21/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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