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Review
. 2019 Jun;36(6):1063-1067.
doi: 10.1007/s10815-019-01457-2. Epub 2019 May 9.

Down syndrome and infertility: what support should we provide?

Estelle Parizot  1   2 , Rodolphe Dard  1   3 , Nathalie Janel  2 , François Vialard  4   5
Affiliations
Review

Down syndrome and infertility: what support should we provide?

Estelle Parizot et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic disease at birth; on average, it affects 1 in 700 newborns. The syndrome features cognitive impairment, susceptibility to certain diseases, and (in some cases) congenital malformations. Improvements in medical care for people with DS have led to an increase in life expectancy. Furthermore, the systematic provision of specific support during childhood improves cognitive function and autonomy in adulthood. Consequently, patients and their families are now seeking the same rights as healthy people. Access to procreation is an emerging debate. The presumption of infertility in DS is based on a few old studies. Down syndrome appears to cause spermatogenesis defects in men and premature menopause in women. When assisted reproductive technology makes it possible to solve these problems, the question of fertility in DS must be addressed. Without entering into highly controversial ethical considerations related to parenthood for people with DS, we reviewed the literature on fertility in DS and tried to specify the associated genetic risk.

Keywords: Down syndrome; Genetic risk; Infertility; Premature ovarian failure.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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