Sperm Gene May Explain Some Male Infertility

A mutation in a gene for a sperm-related protein found in 20% of men may be responsible for a significant proportion of unexplained male infertility, according to researchers at University of California-Davis. They studied the impact of the gene, called DEFB126, in 500 Chinese newlyweds attempting to start a family. In couples where the man had two copies of the mutant version, the odds of childbirth in any given month were reduced by 30% and the average time to conception was delayed by two months compared to couples in which the male had only one or no copies of the aberrant gene.

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