Screening for microdeletions in human Y chromosome--AZF candidate genes and male infertility.

About 30% of couple infertilities are of male origin, some of them caused by genetic abnormalities of the Y chromosome. Deletions in AZF region can cause severe spermatogenic defects ranging from non-obstructive azoospermia to oligospermia. The intracytoplasmatic sperm injection technique (ICSI) is rapidly becoming a versatile procedure for human assisted reproduction in case of male infertility.