Abstract:
Many advances have been made in reproductive medicine, yet the spontaneous loss of a
pregnancy remains the most common complication of pregnancy. The aetiology of
spontaneous recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is multifactorial. Y chromosome
microdeletions are found in ∼7 of men with low sperm counts and, compared with the
general population, a higher frequency of spontaneous pregnancy loss occurs in infertile
couples. The current study was designed to examine whether Y chromosome
microdeletions were associated with RPL in a Sinhalese population in Sri Lanka.
Methods The subjects were 76 male partners of couples where the female partner had
experienced three or more RPLs. One hundred and twenty random males from the
general population were also analysed as a control group. DNA extracted from peripheral
blood was tested for Y chromosome microdeletions in the azoospermic factor (AZF),
AZFa, AZFb, AZFc regions using a multiplex PCR amplification system. Partial
deletions within the AZFc region were also tested. Results None of the men (76 with
RPL, and the 120 controls) had any microdeletions in the AZFa, AZFb, AZFc regions or
partial deletions in the AZFc region. Conclusions Y chromosome microdeletions do not
appear to be important in the aetiology of RPL in this population in Sri Lanka. © The
Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of
Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved.
