Fertility problems may be partially inherited

Young men whose parents had difficulty conceiving are likely to have relatively poor sperm quality, a new study shows - offering evidence that fertility problems are at least partly inherited in some cases.

The study, of 311 Danish men aged 18 to 21, found that those whose parents took longer than one year to conceive tended to have a lower sperm count and fewer normal-looking sperm.

The findings are consistent with the notion that fertility problems have at least some heritable causes, lead researcher Dr. Cecilia H. Ramlau-Hansen said.