If you have been trying to conceive for twelve months or longer without success and have been told you are dealing with infertility, you might be interested to know about various causes of infertility such as Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome.
First of all, it is important to note that Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome is exceedingly rare, and there are symptoms that are usually noticed during teenage years that point to this condition.
However, in a few cases, someone suffering from this rare condition isn’t aware of it until conception doesn’t occur.
What is Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome?
Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome is a rare condition caused by a genetic disorder. It occurs during conception of a male infant, who will normally have XY chromosomes.
Actually, the female is the human prototype and all babies begin with the same physical development with male babies and female babies being identical in every way initially.
The Y chromosome prevents female ovaries from being formed and triggers them to grow into male testes instead. Without this chromosome, the reproductive system would continue to develop as female.
When an embryo doesn’t respond to the Y chromosome and develops female genitalia even though it is genetically male, Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome occurs.
As mentioned above, this condition is very rare and only occurs once in every 20,400 male conceptions.
There are two types of Androgen Insensitivity:
- Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS)
- Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (PAIS)
A person with CAIS will develop female genitalia and be raised as a girl. However, in most cases the vagina will be shorter than average and there will be no ovaries, uterus, or fallopian tubes, which means that they are infertile.
Most people with this condition aren’t aware of it until they fail to start their menstrual period. Other symptoms include no underarm or pubic hair.
Someone with PAIS has only partial resistance to androgens. The symptoms in this case may vary widely. For instance, some may have entirely female genitalia that is very ambiguous in that the clitoris is considerably larger than normal, more like a very small penis.
Others with PAIS may have male genitalia that is usually smaller than normal. Some people with this form of PAIS may be able to father children, and others are infertile.
Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome is a rare inter-sex condition and many people who have it will be on hormone therapy throughout their lives. That being said, this is not a life threatening condition and those who have it have normal life expectancy.
Klinefelter’s Syndrome: A Cause of Male Infertility
Infertility and Empty Follicle Syndrome
Retrograde Ejaculation: A Rare Cause of Male Infertility
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome & Its Effect on Fertility
Comments on this entry are closed.