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Chromosomal Heteromorphisms and Primary Male Subfertility: A Case–Control Cytogenetic Study from South India

Received: 3 September 2026     Accepted: 15 September 2026     Published: 28 September 2026
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Abstract

Chromosomal heteromorphic variants are usually regarded as benign; nevertheless, some studies have found an association with subfertility, and their clinical importance is still uncertain. The present case–control study was carried out in order to assess the link between chromosomal heteromorphisms and male subfertility in a South Indian population. A total of 1,200 South Indian men were included in the study, comprising 600 subfertile men who had been referred for chromosomal analysis and 600 fertile men who served as controls. For the chromosomal assessment, standard cytogenetic methods were used, such as culturing peripheral blood lymphocytes, G-banding, and karyotyping. The results indicated that the frequency of chromosomal heteromorphisms was significantly greater in the group of subfertile men than in the control group (18.3% versus 7.5%), with a statistically significant association (OR = 2.77, 95% CI: 1.92–3.99; p < 0.001). Of the variants, Yqh− and 9qh+ were found to have statistically significant associations with male subfertility, while inv (9) showed increased odds although this was not statistically significant. The findings thus suggest a possible association between chromosomal heteromorphic variants, especially those involving chromosomes Y and 9, and male subfertility.

Published in American Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology (Volume 11, Issue 3)

This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Translational Research, Biotechnology, and Sustainable Bio-Innovations

DOI 10.11648/j.ajset.20261103.23
Page(s) 239-245
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Subfertility, Heteromorphisms, G-Banding, Chromosomal Analysis, Karyotyping, Cytogenetics, Spermatogenesis

References
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[2] Agiwal V, Madhuri RS, Chaudhuri S. Infertility Burden Across Indian States: Insights from a Nationally Representative Survey Conducted During 2019-21. J Reprod Infertil. 2023 Oct-Dec; 24(4): 287-292.
[3] Agarwal A, Baskaran S, Parekh N, Cho CL, Henkel R, Vij S, Arafa M, Panner Selvam MK, Shah R. Male infertility. Lancet. 2021 Jan 23; 397(10271): 319-333. Epub 2020 Dec10.
[4] Kundu S, Ali B, Dhillon P (2023) Surging trends of infertility and its behavioural determinants in India. PLoS ONE 18(7): e0289096.
[5] Hamada AJ, Montgomery B, Agarwal A. Male infertility: a critical review of pharmacologic management. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2012 Dec; 13(17): 2511-31. Epub 2012 Nov 3.
[6] Arumugam M, Shetty DP, Kadandale JS, Kumari SN. Y chromosome microdeletion and cytogenetic findings in male infertility: A cross-sectional descriptive study. Int J Reprod Biomed. 2021 Feb 21; 19(2): 147-156.
[7] Sreenivasa G, Malini SS, Kumari P, Dutta UR. Cytogenetic abnormalities in 200 male infertile cases in the southern region of India. Open J Genet. 2013; 3(2): 33-37.
[8] Šípek A Jr, Mihalová R, Panczak A, Hrčková L, Janashia M, Kaspříková N, Kohoutová M. Heterochromatin variants in human karyotypes: a possible association with reproductive failure. Reprod Biomed Online. 2014 Aug; 29(2): 245-50. Epub 2014 May 16.
[9] Pires S, Jorge P, Liehr T, Oliva-Teles N. Challenges in classifying human chromosomal heteromorphisms using banding cytogenetics: From controversial guidelines to the need for a universal scoring system. Hum Genome Var. 2024 Oct 24; 11(1): 38.
[10] Arafa MM, Majzoub A, AlSaid SS, El Ansari W, Al Ansari A, Elbardisi Y, Elbardisi HT. Chromosomal abnormalities in infertile men with azoospermia and severe oligozoospermia in Qatar and their association with sperm retrieval intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes. Arab J Urol. 2017 Dec 23; 16(1): 132-139.
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[13] Ralapanawe, M. S. B., Gajaweera, S. L., Karunaratne, N. et al. A comprehensive analysis of chromosomal polymorphic variants on reproductive outcomes after intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment. Sci Rep 13, 1319 (2023).
[14] Shen L, Sun Q, Shen L, Zhu Y, Sun Y. Impact of chromosomal polymorphisms on pregnancy outcomes after in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Pak J Med Sci. 2025 Dec; 41(12): 3542-3557.
[15] Mottola F, Roversi V, Ferrari R, et al. Polymorphic rearrangements of human chromosome 9 and male infertility: new evidence and impact on spermatogenesis. Biomolecules. 2023; 13(5): 729.
[16] Pal AK, Ambulkar PS, Sontakke BR, Talhar SS, Bokariya P, Gujar VK. A Study on Chromosomal Analysis of Patients with Primary Amenorrhea. J Hum Reprod Sci. 2019 Jan-Mar; 12(1): 29-34.
[17] Naasse Y, Charoute H, El Houate B, Elbekkay C, Razoki L, Malki A, Barakat A, Rouba H. Chromosomal abnormalities and Y chromosome microdeletions in infertile men from Morocco. BMC Urol. 2015 Sep 18; 15: 95.
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    Jamithireddy, S. K., Prasad, R., Upendram, P. (2026). Chromosomal Heteromorphisms and Primary Male Subfertility: A Case–Control Cytogenetic Study from South India. American Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology, 11(3), 239-245. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajset.20261103.23

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    ACS Style

    Jamithireddy, S. K.; Prasad, R.; Upendram, P. Chromosomal Heteromorphisms and Primary Male Subfertility: A Case–Control Cytogenetic Study from South India. Am. J. Sci. Eng. Technol. 2026, 11(3), 239-245. doi: 10.11648/j.ajset.20261103.23

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    AMA Style

    Jamithireddy SK, Prasad R, Upendram P. Chromosomal Heteromorphisms and Primary Male Subfertility: A Case–Control Cytogenetic Study from South India. Am J Sci Eng Technol. 2026;11(3):239-245. doi: 10.11648/j.ajset.20261103.23

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajset.20261103.23,
      author = {Santhosh Kumar Jamithireddy and Rabi Prasad and Pavani Upendram},
      title = {Chromosomal Heteromorphisms and Primary Male Subfertility: A Case–Control Cytogenetic Study from South India},
      journal = {American Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology},
      volume = {11},
      number = {3},
      pages = {239-245},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajset.20261103.23},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajset.20261103.23},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajset.20261103.23},
      abstract = {Chromosomal heteromorphic variants are usually regarded as benign; nevertheless, some studies have found an association with subfertility, and their clinical importance is still uncertain. The present case–control study was carried out in order to assess the link between chromosomal heteromorphisms and male subfertility in a South Indian population. A total of 1,200 South Indian men were included in the study, comprising 600 subfertile men who had been referred for chromosomal analysis and 600 fertile men who served as controls. For the chromosomal assessment, standard cytogenetic methods were used, such as culturing peripheral blood lymphocytes, G-banding, and karyotyping. The results indicated that the frequency of chromosomal heteromorphisms was significantly greater in the group of subfertile men than in the control group (18.3% versus 7.5%), with a statistically significant association (OR = 2.77, 95% CI: 1.92–3.99; p < 0.001). Of the variants, Yqh− and 9qh+ were found to have statistically significant associations with male subfertility, while inv (9) showed increased odds although this was not statistically significant. The findings thus suggest a possible association between chromosomal heteromorphic variants, especially those involving chromosomes Y and 9, and male subfertility.},
     year = {2026}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Chromosomal Heteromorphisms and Primary Male Subfertility: A Case–Control Cytogenetic Study from South India
    AU  - Santhosh Kumar Jamithireddy
    AU  - Rabi Prasad
    AU  - Pavani Upendram
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    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajset.20261103.23
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajset.20261103.23
    T2  - American Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology
    JF  - American Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology
    JO  - American Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology
    SP  - 239
    EP  - 245
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2578-8353
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajset.20261103.23
    AB  - Chromosomal heteromorphic variants are usually regarded as benign; nevertheless, some studies have found an association with subfertility, and their clinical importance is still uncertain. The present case–control study was carried out in order to assess the link between chromosomal heteromorphisms and male subfertility in a South Indian population. A total of 1,200 South Indian men were included in the study, comprising 600 subfertile men who had been referred for chromosomal analysis and 600 fertile men who served as controls. For the chromosomal assessment, standard cytogenetic methods were used, such as culturing peripheral blood lymphocytes, G-banding, and karyotyping. The results indicated that the frequency of chromosomal heteromorphisms was significantly greater in the group of subfertile men than in the control group (18.3% versus 7.5%), with a statistically significant association (OR = 2.77, 95% CI: 1.92–3.99; p < 0.001). Of the variants, Yqh− and 9qh+ were found to have statistically significant associations with male subfertility, while inv (9) showed increased odds although this was not statistically significant. The findings thus suggest a possible association between chromosomal heteromorphic variants, especially those involving chromosomes Y and 9, and male subfertility.
    VL  - 11
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    ER  - 

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