Invited review
New perspectives on the genetics of male infertility

Infertility is a genetically heterogenous disorder with a multifactorial etiology. In a large number of male infertility cases the etiology is not known. About 35-40% men in the reproductive age group have either a qualitative or a quantitative defect in sperm production. The gene-gene and gene environment interactions in regulation of male fertility are poorly understood. With the advent of ART there is a strong and urgent need to understand the genetic basis of infertility to prevent the iatrogenic transmission of these genetic abnormalities to the offspring and prevent the actual doubling of the infertile population. In the past decade tremendous progress has been made in field of genetics and male reproductive health. The completion of human genome project has aided in better understanding of the genetic aspects of several factors regulating male fertility. This article focuses on our understanding of genetic aspects of infertility and the development of newer technologies and methodologies which will aid in a better understanding of molecular etiopathogenesis of male infertility.