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Klinefelter Syndrome: Early Treatment of the Adolescent Is Not Warranted

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Biennial Review of Infertility

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Abstract

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is the most common sex chromosomal disorder in men, diagnosed 1 in 600 newborn males. Young boys with KS typically display various hormonal abnormalities and spermatogenic degeneration before the completion of puberty. There is controversy as to the optimal time to begin fertility treatment in KS patients. While early intervention has been proposed, treatment of KS adolescents is not warranted based on currently available data. Early intervention, including testosterone therapy and testicular biopsy can result in long-term adverse effects. Cryopreservation of spermatogonial stem cells during adolescence is of unknown benefit. Sperm retrieval rates in KS adults are better than retrieval rates from adolescents and comparable or better than rates seen in other men with nonobstructive azoospermia. Hormonal optimization followed by testicular sperm retrieval in an adult remains the proven standard of treatment for fertility management of KS patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Matthew J. Katz & Peter N. Schlegel MD

  2. Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Ranjith Ramasamy MD

  3. New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA

    Peter N. Schlegel MD

Authors
  1. Matthew J. Katz
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  2. Ranjith Ramasamy MD
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  3. Peter N. Schlegel MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter N. Schlegel MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Professor, Departments of Surgery (Urology), Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Human Genetics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

    Douglas T. Carrell

  2. James J. Colt Professor of Urology, Chairman, Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York, USA

    Peter N. Schlegel

  3. Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Catherine Racowsky

  4. Scientific Director, Reproductive Medicine Unit, S.I.S.M.E.R. s.r.l., Day Surgery Clinic della Riproduzione (SISMeR), Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Luca Gianaroli

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Katz, M.J., Ramasamy, R., Schlegel, P.N. (2015). Klinefelter Syndrome: Early Treatment of the Adolescent Is Not Warranted. In: Carrell, D., Schlegel, P., Racowsky, C., Gianaroli, L. (eds) Biennial Review of Infertility. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17849-3_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17849-3_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-17849-3

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