Kleinfelter's Syndrome

Kleinfelter's Syndrome affects males who have an extra X chromosome, so the total chromosome count is 47, with three sex chromosomes - XXY. Intellectual development may be normal but there can be learning difficulties, and the infertility, small testicles (called hypogonadism) and increased breast tissue (called gynaecomastia) can cause emotional and psychological problems. It is caused by a failure of separation of the sex chromosomes of one of the parents at the time of meiosis - the process by which our chromosomes usually separate so that the sperm has 23 and the egg has 23: the resulting fertilised egg cell therefore having 46, two of which will be sex chromosomes - either X X or X Y.
 
 
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