Someone once told me that if a man has the XYY chromosome then he will be sterile. Is this true?

Question

I know nothing about chromosomes. Just wondering if this was true. Thanks for your help!!

Why or why not is this true?

Answer 1

They are usually fertile and lead ordinary lives as adults.

XYY syndrome males inherit an extra Y chromosome--their genotype is XYY. As adults, these "super-males" are usually tall (above 6 feet) and generally appear and act normal. However, they produce high levels of testosterone. During adolescence, they often are slender, have severe facial acne, and are poorly coordinated. They are usually fertile and lead ordinary lives as adults. Many, if not most, are unaware that they have a chromosomal abnormality. The frequency of XYY syndrome is not certain due to statistical differences between different studies. It may be as common as 1 in 900 male births to as rare as 1 in 1500 or even 1 in 2,000.

Answer 2

XYY males have normal sexual development and are usually fertile. As stated before above, XXY is a different syndrome and those individuals are sterile.

The conclusion that XYY genotype is linked to a violence-prone phenotype is based on studies that were poorly designed. Reexamination of the old data and followup studies indicate that there is no statistically significant increase in prevalence of XYY males in prison populations.

Answer 3

No, this is not the case, XYY males show no true phenotype. It is however postulated that there are behavioral patterns often exhibited by XYY males (particularly in the area of aggression and learning). I believe there have been attempts at using this as a defense in court for some individuals. There have also been studies conducted attempting to find ratios between XYY males/normal males in prisons. But no, infertility is NOT a phenoytpe resulting from XYY.

Answer 4

an extra y chromosome doesn't make you sterile. But it can make you more aggressive. Xyy chromosome has been studied in prisoners. They say that males with an extra pair of y chromosome tend to be more aggressive and violent than the norm.

Answer 5

I thought that an extra Y chromosome lead to Downs Syndrome, not sterility.

Answer 6

I am not quite sure about XXY, but I do know that XXY males have what's called Klienfelter's syndrome, and these males are in fact infertile. This is because of the failure of the testicles to fully develop and descend. Therefore, no sperm can be produced.

Answer 7

i think so...