Having Klinefelter Syndrome
Having Klinefelter Syndrome does not
mean it is impossible to father children
There is no therapy to improve sperm production in KS, but sperm can be harvested surgically from the testicle, and success rates of harvesting sperm are as high as 69% in the hands of surgeons with microsurgical expertise. This sperm can then be cryopreserved (frozen) for future use or used at the time of harvest in combination with IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI-injecting one sperm into one egg to facilitate fertilization prior to transferring the embryo to the uterus) for the best odds of achieving a pregnancy. Concern of transmitting KS to the offspring is common and although there is a slight increase in chromosome abnormalities in the sperm of men with KS, only one case of a 47XXY fetus being conceived by the sperm of a KS father has been reported thus far.
Importantly, KS men who are interested in fertility potential should not be placed on testosterone replacement, as this will decrease or even shut down the testicles ability to produce sperm. If men are on testosterone long enough, this can be a permanent effect. Other medications such as aromatase inhibitors or HCG can be used to increase testosterone levels, if they are low, and maintain the man’s level of sperm production potential. There are still plenty of gaps in our knowledge and there is much to learn, but we do know that there is hope for KS men to father children.
Parviz K. Kavoussi, M.D.
