Is Y-Chromosome Shrinking? Would It Affect Male’s Fertility

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5 min readAug 27, 2023

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Is Y chromosome shrinking? What are its consequences

Is there a Y-chromosomal disappearance? Find out more about the declining Y chromosome and how it might affect male fertility. The Y-chromosome’s genes, shrinkage, and implications for male fertility are all covered in this article’s discussion of the most recent studies on it.

Keywords:

Y-chromosome, Y-chromosome shrinkage, Y-chromosome infertility, Maleness

What is the Y-chromosome?

One of the two sex genes that people have is the Y-chromosome. It is in charge of figuring out a man’s gender and also helps make sperm. The Y-chromosome is considerably smaller and has fewer genes than the X-chromosome.

The SRY region on Y chromosome is responsible for determining Maleness
Credit: NCBI

Function of the Y chromosome:

There are important genes for male growth on the Y chromosome. Some of these genes are:

1. The SRY gene, which is what makes testes grow, is responsible for this.

2. Genes that play a role in making and developing sperm.

3. Male fertility has to do with genes.

4. The Y chromosome also has some genes that are not as important for male growth, but are still there. These genes may also help with things like defense or metabolism.

Karyotype of all sets of chromosomes including XX & XY (sex) chromosome
Credit: National Human Genome Research Institute

Why is the Y chromosome shrinking?

Because it does not combine with the X chromosome, the Y chromosome is getting smaller. Recombination is a process that lets genes move from one cell to another. The Y chromosome doesn’t rejoin because it has a special structure that keeps it from doing so.

This implies that the Y chromosome is always picking up new changes. Over time, these changes can cause genes to be lost or broken.

A vector diagram showing Male & female sex cells or gametes

Effects of the Shrinking Y-chromosome on Male Fertility:

  • Male infertility has been connected to the size of the Y-chromosome. Because the Y chromosome has genes that are needed to make sperm, this is the case. When these types of genes are removed or broken, it can affect how sperm are made and how they move.
  • This can cause low sperm numbers, abnormal sperm shapes, or sperm that don't move well.
  • When a guy has low sperm counts, he has under Fifteen Million sperm per milliliter of semen. If there aren't enough sperm, it can be hard or even impossible to get pregnant on your own.
  • When a man has abnormal sperm morphology, his sperm have strange shapes. This can also make it hard or impossible to get pregnant on your own.
  • When a guy has poor sperm motility, his sperm can't swim as well as they should. This can also make it hard or impossible to get pregnant on your own.

Symptoms of Y chromosome infertility:

Possible signs include having trouble having children, having a low number of sperm, or having sperm that are formed or move in a strange way. Other possible signs of infertility caused by the Y gene are:

1. Testicular pain or swelling

2. Trouble or pain when ejaculating

3. Infertile, not being able to have children

How is Y chromosome infertility diagnosed?

A semen study can tell if a man is infertile because of his Y-chromosome. A semen study is a test that looks at how many sperm there are, how big they are, and how well they move. If the analysis of the sperm shows that there aren't enough sperm, they don't look right, or they don't move well, the doctor may suggest genetic tests for searching for mutations or injury to the Y chromosome.

Can Y chromosome infertility be treated?

There is no way to repair infertility caused by the Y gene. But guys with this condition can get help. Men with this disease can have children with the help of treatments like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART).

A vector diagram showing the InVitro Fertilization (IVF) technology
Credit: Freepik

What is the Future of the Y-chromosome?

The Y-chromosome getting smaller is a relatively new thing. People think it started about 200,000 years ago.

The rate that the Y-chromosome is getting smaller is getting faster. It is thought that the Y gene might not exist at all in 10 Million years.

The number of male newborns being born is going down, but it's not just because the Y-gene is getting smaller. Other things, like toxins in the environment and living choices, also play a role.

Not much is known about the Y chromosome's future. Some experts think that the Y chromosome could go away completely in the future. Some people think that the Y gene will find a way to stay alive.

A few things could happen to the Y gene in the future:

  1. The Y gene might not exist at all. This would mean that no more men would be born.
  2. The X chromosome and the Y chromosome could join together. It would indicate that all people, no matter what sex they are, would have XX genes.
  3. The Y-chromosome could get new genes or figure out how to join back up with the X chromosome. This would let the Y chromosome live on and keep playing a part in how humans reproduce.

The Impacts of the Shrinking Y-Chromosome:

  • The Y gene getting smaller could have a big effect on how people have children.
  • If the Y chromosome goes away completely, there won’t be any more men born. This may have a big effect on the way people live and how many of them there are.
  • The Y gene getting smaller could also make it hard for men to have children.
  • If the Y-chromosome loses excessive genes, it might become difficult or impossible for men to produce sperm. This could cause fewer babies to be born.

How Can Men Protect Their Fertility?

The Y-gene can't be stopped from getting smaller. But there are some things which can be carried out to protect the Y-gene and keep it from going away completely. These things are:

  1. Studying the Y-gene and trying to figure out why it is getting smaller.
  2. Trying to find ways to treat Male impotence caused by problems with the Y chromosome.
  3. Trying to figure out how to make babies without using sperm.

Conclusion:

The future of the Y-chromosome is uncertain. However, it is a important issue to study and understand. By understanding the Y-chromosome and the factors that are causing it to shrink, we can develop strategies to protect it and ensure the future of humanity.

https://www.scitechoffical.com/2023/08/is-y-chromosome-shrinking-would-it.html

#Infertility #Ychromosome #malebabies #maleinfertility #SRYgene #Maleness #Ychromosomeshrinking #treatment #fertility #IVF #ART #InvitroFertilization #AssistedReproductiveTechnology

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