Does Fertility Run in Families?
Though hereditary factors can play a role in fertility, most Infertility problems are not hereditary.
More Info: One in six couples has difficulty conceiving and seeks professional intervention. Though many cases are diagnosed as being caused by physical defects in the male and female reproductive tracts or as a consequence of previous bacterial or viral infections, there is very little research exploring the role that genetics play in fertility. In fact, many couples that undergo treatment never learn the cause of their infertility.
Genetics and Fertility
One of the few published studies involving fertility and genetics involved infertile men suffering from azoospermia, the inability to produce sperm. The study concluded that this particular defect is genetic resulting from a missing Y chromosome.
Family History
Fertility specialist need to have an understanding of a patient's family medical history to better strategize medical treatment options. For example, it would be helpful for a specialist to know of any family history of hormonal disorders such as hypothyroidism, adrenal gland disorders, or diabetes. The specialist would also need to know if a patient's mother suffered multiple miscarriages and may have been given the drug called DES.
Sociological Fertility in Families
Family size appears to have a strong sociological basis rather than that of genetics based on fertility. Statistically, as an average, the number of children in a family from which a couple was raised dictates the number of children that they will choose to rear. Couples that grew up with larger families tend to have larger families themselves.
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical ResearchGenetic Factors and Infertilityhttp://www.wi.mit.edu/
Malpani, MD , Dr. Aniruddha, and Dr. Anjali Malpani MDHow to Have a Baby2001 ed. -: Ubspd, 2001. Print.
Georgia Reproductive SpecialistsEvaluating Male Infertility www.ivf.com
"Does Fertility Run in Families?." Sophisticated Edge. N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://www.sophisticatededge.com/does-fertility-run-in-families.html>.
"Little attention has been paid to the possibility that fertility problems can have a genetic basis. Our findings will help some couples get a definitive answer about the reasons for their infertility and may eventually lead to new directions in infertility therapy."
Dr. David Page of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
". . . in all likelihood, the tendency to reproduce a given family model has psycho-sociological origins. However, other factors affecting fertility can be envisaged, whether it be biological fertility, social status, level of education, or even a persistent influence of geographical origins. In reality, it is difficult to isolate the precise influence of individual factors, as they interlink to produce a combined effect."
JC Deville Journal of Economie & Statistique
Hereditary: designating or of a characteristic transmitted genetically from one generation to the next.
Yourdictionary.com
Sociological: Analysis of a social institution or societal segment as a self-contained entity or in relation to society as a whole.
Freedictionary.com
Genetics: The scientific study of heredity.
Medterms.com
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