Men, ‘clear the air’ over infertility

Men, ‘clear the air’ over infertility

The process of undergoing check-ups or trails to spot infertility in men takes longer time and most men remain doubtful, but the sperm DNA could now be the solution to their problem

FPJ BureauUpdated: Thursday, November 14, 2019, 09:26 PM IST
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New Delhi: It can take a year or longer of trial and error for a doctor to determine if a man is infertile but new research by Michael Skinner, a Washington State University reproductive biologist, could change that. Skinner and an international team of collaborators discovered infertile men have identifiable patterns of epigenetic molecules or biomarkers attached to their sperm DNA that aren’t present in fertile men.

The scientists also identified epigenetic biomarkers among infertile patients who responded to hormone therapy to treat their condition versus those who did not. Their research could eventually provide doctors with a reliable method of screening men for infertility and figuring out which treatment options will work best for their patients.

This could in turn save couples, where the man is incapable of having children naturally, the extended period of time it usually takes before a doctor will recommend they see a specialist for medically-assisted reproduction.

“Male infertility is increasing worldwide and is recognized as playing a key role in reproductive health and disease,” Skinner said. “Having a diagnostic that tells you right away your male patient is infertile and here are the treatment options that will work for him would be immensely useful.” Around 20 percent of men who require invitro fertilisation to have children will have infertility problems where the cause is unknown.

These men are typically put on a regimen to try to have a child with their partner for a year or more before being recommended for IVF. They found that all of the infertile men in the study possessed a specific biomarker that the fertile men did not. The scientists also identified another biomarker among the infertile patients that could be used to determine who would be responsive to hormone therapy treatment.

While still in an early stage of development, Skinner and his colleagues work shows for the first time that diagnostics based off of external modifications to DNA, or epigenetics, can be used to determine the presence of a disease and the ability to treat it.New Delhi

It can take a year or longer of trial and error for a doctor to determine if a man is infertile but new research by Michael Skinner, a Washington State University reproductive biologist, could change that. Skinner and an international team of collaborators discovered infertile men have identifiable patterns of epigenetic molecules or biomarkers attached to their sperm DNA that aren’t present in fertile men.

The scientists also identified epigenetic biomarkers among infertile patients who responded to hormone therapy to treat their condition versus those who did not. Their research could eventually provide doctors with a reliable method of screening men for infertility and figuring out which treatment options will work best for their patients.

This could in turn save couples, where the man is incapable of having children naturally, the extended period of time it usually takes before a doctor will recommend they see a specialist for medically-assisted

reproduction.

“Male infertility is increasing worldwide and is recognized as playing a key role in reproductive health and disease,” Skinner said. “Having a diagnostic that tells you right away your male patient is infertile and here are the treatment options that will work for him would be immensely useful.” Around 20 percent of men who require invitro fertilisation to have children will have infertility problems where the cause is unknown.

These men are typically put on a regimen to try to have a child with their partner for a year or more before being recommended for IVF. They found that all of the infertile men in the study possessed a specific biomarker that the fertile men did not. The scientists also identified another biomarker among the infertile patients that could be used to determine who would be responsive to hormone therapy treatment.

While still in an early stage of development, Skinner and his colleagues work shows for the first time that diagnostics based off of external modifications to DNA, or epigenetics, can be used to determine the presence of a disease and the ability to treat it.

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