It can take a year or longer of trial and error for a doctor to determine if a man is infertile, but new research by Michael Skinner, a Washington State University reproductive biologist, could change that.
Skinner and an international team of collaborators discovered infertile men have identifiable patterns of epigenetic molecules, or biomarkers, attached to their sperm DNA that aren’t present in fertile men.
The scientists also identified epigenetic biomarkers among infertile patients who responded to hormone therapy to treat their condition versus those who did not.
Their research could eventually provide doctors with a reliable method of screening men for infertility and discerning which treatment options will work best for their patients.
This could in turn save couples who are unable to conceive naturally the extended time it usually takes before a doctor will recommend a specialist for medically assisted reproduction.
Currently, the primary method for diagnosing male infertility is to assess sperm quantity and motility, which has shown limited success in separating fertile from infertile males.