The Importance of AZF Gene Testing in Male Infertility

Abstract

Infertility is the inability of a sexually active, unprotected couple to conceive within 1 year. Infertility is a global medical and social problem that is a serious global health problem, affecting up to 15% of the world's population according to various estimates. In addition, according to many researchers, the prevalence of primary infertility is approximately 3.5%, and secondary infertility is 18.4%, and today this phenomenon is more widespread than a few years ago, reaching a global level of 10-15% of infertile couples (5). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) defines infertility as the inability to conceive a child after two years of regular unprotected sexual intercourse in the absence of reproductive pathologies. The highest prevalence of infertility is observed in two regions of the world: Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and other epidemiological studies have shown that the prevalence of infertility is significantly higher in Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Southern Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, where rates are as high as 30%. Infertility is a major global problem (14). It is estimated that approximately 8–12% of couples of reproductive age are infertile, and in about 50% of cases, male factors are responsible for infertility in these couples. Male factors contribute as the primary or causative cause in almost 50% of couples. Several genetic factors, including single-gene and multigene defects, have been reported to be associated with male infertility in the past two decades. However, in the majority of infertile men (~40%), the etiology remains unclear. (8)